> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.lena.africa/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Discussions & Announcements

> How to create discussion threads and post announcements to communicate with your students on Lena.

Discussions and announcements are your communication tools within each course.
Use discussions for interactive conversations and announcements for one-way
messages.

<Note>
  **Before you begin:** You need an existing course with enrolled students.
  See [Creating a Course](/teachers/creating-a-course).
</Note>

***

## Discussions

Discussions are threaded conversations where you and your students can exchange
ideas, ask questions, and engage with course content.

### Creating a discussion

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open your course">
    Navigate to the course and go to the **Discussions** section. You'll see any existing discussion threads listed here.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Tap 'New Discussion'">
    Start a new discussion thread. A form appears for the topic title and content.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter the topic and content">
    * **Title** — A clear, descriptive topic (e.g., "Discussion: Themes in Chapter 5")
    * **Content** — Your opening post with the question or topic for discussion

    <Frame caption="Screenshot: New discussion form with title and content fields">
      <img className="block dark:hidden" src="https://mintcdn.com/lenaafrica/ISsABwDXCBX0o69d/images/placeholder-light.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=ISsABwDXCBX0o69d&q=85&s=8aa659c894fa0cbcd69dca2937f31d5d" alt="New discussion form with fields for the discussion title and content body" width="1600" height="938" data-path="images/placeholder-light.png" />

      <img className="hidden dark:block" src="https://mintcdn.com/lenaafrica/ISsABwDXCBX0o69d/images/placeholder-dark.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=ISsABwDXCBX0o69d&q=85&s=d8ebf01c18a25cc2bcf05b022a7d47a1" alt="New discussion form with fields for the discussion title and content body" width="1600" height="938" data-path="images/placeholder-dark.png" />
    </Frame>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Post">
    Tap **Post** to publish the discussion. A confirmation appears, and all enrolled students will see it in their Discussions tab.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Participating in discussions

Once a discussion is posted:

* Students can **comment** on the discussion
* You and students can **reply** to specific comments (creating nested threads)
* You can use discussions to answer student questions publicly so everyone
  benefits

<Tip>
  Discussions are great for study questions, debate topics, reading
  reflections, and collaborative problem-solving. Encourage students to engage
  by asking open-ended questions.
</Tip>

***

## Announcements

Announcements are one-way messages from you to the entire class. They're ideal
for important updates, reminders, and time-sensitive information.

### Posting an announcement

<Steps>
  <Step title="Go to Announcements">
    Open your course and navigate to the **Announcements** section. You'll see any existing announcements listed in reverse chronological order.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Tap 'Create Announcement'">
    Start composing your announcement. The announcement creation form appears.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Write your message">
    Enter the content of your announcement. Be clear and concise.

    <Frame caption="Screenshot: Announcement creation form">
      <img className="block dark:hidden" src="https://mintcdn.com/lenaafrica/ISsABwDXCBX0o69d/images/placeholder-light.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=ISsABwDXCBX0o69d&q=85&s=8aa659c894fa0cbcd69dca2937f31d5d" alt="Announcement creation form with a text field for composing the announcement message" width="1600" height="938" data-path="images/placeholder-light.png" />

      <img className="hidden dark:block" src="https://mintcdn.com/lenaafrica/ISsABwDXCBX0o69d/images/placeholder-dark.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=ISsABwDXCBX0o69d&q=85&s=d8ebf01c18a25cc2bcf05b022a7d47a1" alt="Announcement creation form with a text field for composing the announcement message" width="1600" height="938" data-path="images/placeholder-dark.png" />
    </Frame>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Post">
    Tap **Post** to publish. A confirmation appears, students receive a notification, and the announcement appears in their feed.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### When to use announcements

* **Deadline reminders** — "Assignment 3 is due this Friday at 11:59 PM"
* **Schedule changes** — "Class is cancelled tomorrow. We'll meet on Thursday
  instead"
* **Important updates** — "The quiz has been rescheduled to next week"
* **Resource sharing** — "I've uploaded the past question papers in the Study
  Materials folder"
* **Course milestones** — "Great work on the midterm! Here's what's coming
  next..."

### Managing announcements

* **View** — Announcements are listed in reverse chronological order
* **Delete** — Remove an announcement that's no longer relevant

<Note>
  Students cannot create announcements — only teachers can. For student
  communication, use discussions instead.
</Note>

***

## Discussions vs announcements

| Feature          | Discussions                                | Announcements                         |
| ---------------- | ------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------- |
| **Direction**    | Two-way conversation                       | One-way message                       |
| **Who can post** | Teachers and students                      | Teachers only                         |
| **Replies**      | Yes (comments and nested replies)          | No                                    |
| **Best for**     | Questions, debates, collaborative learning | Updates, reminders, important notices |

***

## Troubleshooting

<Accordion title="Students can't see my discussion or announcement">
  * Make sure the course is **published** - Verify that students are enrolled
    in the course - Ask students to check the **Discussions** or
    **Announcements** tab inside the course
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Discussion post not appearing">
  * Check your internet connection — the post may not have been saved - Try
    refreshing the page - If the issue persists, try posting from a different
    browser
</Accordion>

***

## Related guides

* [Discussions (Student View)](/students/discussions-and-announcements) — see
  what students experience
* [Navigating Your Course (Student View)](/students/navigating-your-course) —
  where students find discussions