Add a discussion prompt to a lesson

In this article: How to add a discussion prompt to a lesson, so students can share their thoughts, questions, or work right in context. All Plans

Before You Start

Discussion prompts appear at the bottom of a lesson, underneath any other content you've added. They're a great way to turn passive content into active participation. Students can respond with text, and they can also share images, documents, and videos as part of their response.

Use discussion prompts for reflection questions, sharing exercises, peer feedback, or accountability check-ins. For example: "Share one photo you edited using this week's technique" or "What's your biggest takeaway from this lesson?"

You can also require students to post a response before they can mark the lesson as complete. This is helpful when participation is a core part of the learning experience.

Add a Discussion Prompt

These steps assume you've already created a lesson. If you haven't, see Create a lesson first.

Open the Manage Course menu (Cmd+K on Mac, Ctrl+K on Windows) and click Modules & Lessons.
Click the name of the lesson where you want to add the prompt.

Scroll to the bottom of the lesson editor and click Discussions on the dark gray action bar.

Type a short prompt and optional description text. Keep your prompt specific and actionable. "What did you learn?" is fine, but "Share one specific thing you'll do differently this week" gets better responses.

(Optional) Toggle Require a comment if you want students to respond before they can mark the lesson as complete.

Tip: Requiring a comment works well for cohort-based courses where peer interaction is part of the experience. For self-paced courses, consider making it optional so students don't get stuck on a lesson.

Preview the Discussion Prompt

Click Student View in the top right corner of the page to see how the discussion prompt appears to students. The prompt shows up at the bottom of the lesson, with a text field where students can type their response.

What Your Students See

When students reach the bottom of the lesson, they'll see your prompt with a response field. They can:

Type a text response
Attach images, documents, or video files
See responses from other students (which encourages participation)

If you've toggled Require a comment, students must post a response before the Mark as Complete button becomes active.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add more than one discussion prompt to a lesson?

Each lesson supports one discussion prompt. If you need multiple discussion topics, consider splitting the content into separate lessons, each with its own prompt.

Can students upload files in their response?

Yes. Students can attach images, documents, and videos to their discussion responses.

Where do I see student responses?

You can view responses by opening the lesson in Student View or by going to the lesson's discussion area. You'll see all student posts and can reply to them directly.

Can I edit or delete the prompt after students have responded?

Yes. You can edit the prompt text at any time. Existing student responses will remain. If you remove the discussion prompt entirely, student responses for that prompt will no longer be visible in the lesson.