Moodle Forum: Discussion View Tutorial

1. What is the “Discussion View” dropdown?

In Moodle (within a Forum activity), when you open a discussion thread you will often see a drop-down menu near the top labeled something like “Display replies …” or “Display type”. This menu lets you choose how you want to see the replies in that discussion. 
Changing this view does not change what others see — it only changes your view of the thread (unless configured otherwise by your instructor). It helps you navigate and follow the discussion in the way that works best for you.

2. The four view options

Here are the typical view options you’ll find, what they look like, and when each is useful. The terminology may vary slightly depending on your Moodle version, but the underlying ideas are the same. 

3. How to change the view

1. Open the forum activity and find the discussion you want to view.

2. At the top of the discussion page you should see a drop-down menu (often labelled “Display type” or “Show replies 

3. Click the drop-down and select one of the four view options.

4. The page will refresh (or you may need to click a “Go” or similar button) and the discussion will display in the chosen format.

4. Tips for students

• If you’re just starting the discussion or catching up from the beginning, the “oldest first” view (flat) is straightforward.

• If your instructor has already posted many replies and you want to jump into what’s happening now, use “newest first” (flat).

• If the discussion has many branches (people replying to replies), and you’d like to follow a specific conversation path, use “threaded” or “nested”.

• Between “threaded” vs “nested”: choose threaded if you want a quicker overview of who replied to whom (with just subject lines), and nested if you want to read every message in full and follow the full context of deeper reply chains.

• Remember: changing the view doesn’t change the discussion content — just how it’s displayed for you.

• If you find the discussion overwhelming, pick the view that reduces “noise” (for example, threaded view hides full replies except when expanded).

• If you’re going to reply, it sometimes helps to switch the view so you can see who replied to whom (so you don’t duplicate someone’s reply or miss the latest response).

5. Example scenario

Suppose you enter a forum that has the original question posted by the instructor, and many students have replied — some students replied to the original post, others replied to those replies, and so on.

• If you pick flat, oldest first, you’ll see the original post → reply 1 → reply 2 → etc, in one long list.

• If you pick threaded, you’ll see the original post in full, then under it you’ll see headlines like “John’s reply (Date)”, “Maria’s reply (Date)”, and under Maria’s reply you might see “Lee’s reply to Maria (Date)”. You can click to open each full reply.

• If you pick nested, you’ll see the original post in full, then full replies indented under it (Maria’s full reply), then Lee’s full reply under Maria, etc.

6. Why instructors allow multiple views

Allowing multiple views helps students with different reading styles and goals: some prefer linear, chronological flow; others prefer to scan for recent activity; others want to dig into reaction threads. As a student, using the right view for your purpose can save time and keep you engaged.