A course forum is a private discussion space shared by people attending a course and the course provider's authorized team.
This article is for Cademy course providers. For participant instructions, follow Read and Post in Your Course Forum.
There are two different forum settings. The setting under Settings chooses the default for courses you create in the future. The setting inside Edit Course changes one course.
Choose the default for new courses
Choose whether a forum is enabled automatically when somebody creates a course:
Only a System Admin can save the default forum setting. A Course Owner can see the Forums page, but a System Admin must make this provider-level change. A Facilitator should also ask a System Admin.
In the Admin Dashboard, select Settings.
Select Forums.
Under Default Course Forum Status, select Enabled or Disabled.
Select Save.
This changes the starting setting for new courses only. It does not enable or disable the forums on courses that already exist.
Enable or disable the forum for one course
In the Admin Dashboard, select Courses.
Open the course you want to change.
Select Edit Course.
Select Settings.
Open Course Forum.
Under Forum Status, select Enabled or Disabled.
Select Save.
For a course with scheduled dates or a blended course, this setting applies to every date and block on that course.
Disabling a forum hides it but does not delete its posts. If you enable the forum again, the existing posts return.
Understand which forum belongs to which course
On-demand course: the whole course has one forum.
Course with scheduled dates: each separately bookable date has its own forum.
Course with several sessions in one block: the whole block has one forum. The sessions inside the block do not each have a separate forum.
Blended course: the scheduled sessions and online course content share one forum for the booked date or block.
A forum can be created before the course is published. Only people who have access to the course and authorized members of the provider's team can open it.
Open the forum as a course provider
On-demand course
In the Admin Dashboard, select Courses.
Open the course.
Select View Forum at the top of the page.
Course with dates, a block or blended content
In the Admin Dashboard, select Courses.
Open the course.
Find the correct date or block.
Open its three-dot Date actions menu.
Select View Forum.
For a multi-session block, open the forum from the block. Do not look for a different forum beside every session.
Understand who can access and manage the forum
The following members of the course provider's team can manage a forum:
a System Admin for the provider account;
a Course Owner assigned to the course, date or block;
a facilitator assigned directly to the course, date, block or a session inside the block;
a member of an assigned group.
The Facilitator account role by itself does not give access. The person must also be assigned to the relevant course, date, block, session or group.
An assigned facilitator may not see View Forum in the Admin Dashboard. They can open the forum from its direct link. A Course Owner or System Admin can open the correct forum and share its URL.
People attending the course can use the forum through their own course place. A person who only owns the order cannot read the forum when every place belongs to somebody else.
Create a provider post and email everyone now
Open the forum.
Select Ask a question or create a post.
Write the post and add any image, video, file or poll.
To publish without an immediate email, select Post.
To send an immediate email to the forum members, select Email Everyone Now, then select Post & Email.
Email Everyone Now is separate from New Post Notifications. It sends this post as an immediate email even to a forum member who selected Admin Posts Only or No Posts.
Choose your own new-post emails
Under New Post Notifications, choose:
All Posts - receive emails for new posts from anybody in the forum.
Admin Posts Only - receive emails only for new posts from the provider's team.
No Posts - do not receive normal new-post emails from the forum.
Course owners start with All Posts. Each forum member can change their own setting.
Pin or remove forum content
Pin an important post
Open the three-dot menu on the post.
Select Pin.
A forum can have up to five pinned posts. Pinned posts stay easy to find and remain visible beyond the normal forum history limit. To remove a pin, open the menu again and select Unpin.
Delete a post, comment or reply
Open the three-dot menu beside the content.
Select Delete... for a post, or Delete for a comment or reply.
Confirm with Delete Post or Delete Comment.
A forum administrator can delete content posted by another person, but cannot edit it. You can use Edit only on content you posted yourself.
Understand forum history limits
Unpinned posts remain in the main forum feed for the period included with the provider's plan:
Free: 14 days.
Starter: 30 days.
Pro: 60 days.
Teams: all forum history.
Custom: the history limit set for that provider account.
Older unpinned posts are hidden from the feed. They are not deleted. Pinned posts remain visible.
If a forum setting or action is missing
No Forums page under Settings or the default will not save: only a System Admin can save the provider account's default forum setting. Ask a System Admin to make the change.
No Course Forum setting inside Edit Course: the logged-in user does not have permission to edit that course.
No View Forum action: check that the forum is enabled and that you opened the correct course, date or block. If you are an assigned facilitator, ask a Course Owner or System Admin for the direct forum link.
No Email Everyone Now option: Cademy has not recognized the logged-in user as an administrator of that forum. Check their assignment to the course, date, block, session or group.
Pin is unavailable: the forum may already have five pinned posts. Unpin an older post before pinning another one.
Older posts are missing: check the forum history included with the provider's plan and whether the post was pinned.
Frequently asked questions
Does the default setting change existing courses?
No. It is used only when a new course is created. Change an existing course from Edit Course > Settings > Course Forum.
Does disabling a forum delete its posts?
No. Disabling hides the forum. Its existing posts return if the forum is enabled again.
Does every session in a block have a different forum?
No. All sessions inside one block share the block's forum.
Can an on-demand course have a forum?
Yes. When enabled, an on-demand course has one forum for the whole course.
Does a course need to be published before its forum exists?
No. An enabled forum can be created before the course is published. Access is still limited to the provider's authorized team and people with course access.
Can a facilitator manage the forum?
Yes, when they are assigned to the relevant course, date, block, session or group. The Facilitator account role alone is not enough. They may need the forum's direct link if View Forum is not shown in their Admin Dashboard.
Can I edit a participant's post?
No. You can delete another person's content when moderation is needed, but only the person who posted it can edit it.
Does No Posts stop an Email Everyone Now message?
No. Email Everyone Now is a separate immediate email and does not use the member's normal new-post preference.
Can I remove only a person's forum access?
No. Forum access follows their access to the course place. Manage the person's course registration or participant place instead.
Why can I not find an older post?
The post may be older than the forum history included with the provider's plan. Pinned posts remain visible.