Some instructors do not want to allow Q&A or discussion capability for classes. Disabling the feature removes the Questions button and panel from the classroom, and removes the Q&A tab from the section. If users are currently viewing the section, they must refresh their browser to see the change.
Unless disabled for the institution or organization by an Administrator, Q&A is enabled for all sections by default but can be disabled by an instructor for each section as desired.
Q&A disabling can be temporary as well, to eliminate discussions during a class or while engaging in polling activities. Any questions or responses posted to the section prior to disabling the feature are retained and will appear again when the feature is turned back on. Remember though that students need to refresh their browser page, or leave the classroom and come back to see the Questions panel disabled. For this reason, if you want to disable Q&A during a particular class session, you should probably do so before class starts.
If this option is dimmed and you cannot change it, it means your administrator has it set at a higher level (organization, department, or institution) and with overrides disallowed for any lower levels. If you think you should be able to change the setting for your section, contact your administrator.
To disable Questions (Q&A) for a section
- Log in as an instructor.
- Navigate to the SETTINGS tab for the course.
- Select Features from the left side of the tab, identified in the above figure.
- Toggle the Q&A switch off to disable the Q&A/discussion feature for this section.
- Click OK on the confirmation message that appears.
Q&A functionality is now disabled. Users will not see the Questions button in their classroom toolbar or the Q&A tab for any section.
NOTE: If students had entered questions (and bookmarked them) prior to the feature being disabled, those questions will still appear in the students' Study Guide. But no further questions or responses can be entered.