Students ask questions in the discussion under each lesson. New student comments start as pending: only the student who wrote it sees it until a moderator approves it. You moderate and answer the comments on the recorded courses you teach, on the Course discussions page.
The comment queue
- Figures: Total, Needs review, Unread and Approved.
- Tabs: All, Needs review, Approved and Rejected, each with a count. Search looks inside the comments.
- The filters narrow the list by Course, Author (students, instructors, administrators, campuses), Read state, Thread type (first comments or replies) and From / To dates. On a small screen, choose Filters to show them.
- A course's own Comments tab shows the same queue for that course only.
- Unread rows are bold. Opening a thread marks it read for you.
Answering a comment
Step 1: Open Course discussions
It is in the Students group of the menu. Or open a course's Comments tab.
Sign in to open this screenStep 2: Open a thread
The Comment thread panel shows the comment, who wrote it, its course and lesson, and every reply.
Step 3: Write your reply
Under Reply to Thread, choose Public or Private and write your answer.
Step 4: Send it
Publish Reply posts it in the lesson discussion. Send Private Reply is seen only by that student (and moderators).
Moderation actions
| Action | Effect |
|---|---|
| Approve | Shows the comment in the course discussion. |
| Reject | Hides it from other students. |
| Edit | Changes the comment's text (Save Changes). Use it to fix your own replies. |
| Delete | Removes the comment at once, without asking. Deleting a first comment deletes its whole thread; deleting a reply removes only that reply. |
| Mark as Read / Mark as New | Your own bookkeeping, to keep track of what you have handled. |
| Copy / Link | Copy the comment with its course and lesson, or open the lesson as a student sees it. |
Select several comments to Approve, Reject or Delete them together; bulk delete asks you to confirm.
Comment statuses
What each status means
- PendingWaiting for a moderator. Only its author can see it.
- ApprovedVisible in the lesson discussion (or to the one student, if private). Students can reply only to approved threads.
- RejectedHidden from other students.
AI reply drafts
- If your school has AI tools connected and comment replies switched on, Generate with AI drafts a reply in the box (you see Reply drafted and Review it before publishing.). Nothing is sent until you choose Publish or Send.
- Your school may also have AI reply to new questions automatically. Depending on the setting, those replies appear as pending replies from Instructor for you to approve, or are published straight away.
Turning comments on or off
Students can comment only where comments are on: per module in Release Settings, or per lesson with Enable Comments / Disable Comments in the curriculum. Elsewhere they see Conversation is disabled for this lesson.
Teachers linked to a campus
The campus you are linked to can also see and moderate comments on the courses you teach. Its replies show with the label Campus, and either side's approve, reject or delete applies to the same comment.
Common messages
Messages you might see
“This thread has no student recipient for a private reply.”
WhyThe thread wasn't started by a student.
FixReply publicly instead.
“Insufficient permissions”
WhyYour role doesn't include comment moderation.
FixAsk NSDP administration to add the comments permission to your role.
“No comments match these filters”
FixSwitch to the All tab or reset the filters.
FAQ
Where did Global Comments go?
It is the same page under a new name: Course discussions, in the Students group of the menu. The Pending tab is now Needs review and All Comments is now All.
Is the student told when I reply?
They see your reply in the lesson discussion.
Can I export comments?
Exports are made by NSDP administration.
Why can't a student reply to my answer?
Students can reply only in approved threads. Approve the first comment.
Can I undo a delete?
No. Reject a comment instead if you may want it back.
Why do I see replies from Campus?
Your linked campus moderates your courses too; see above.