Notes and Comments/Discussion

Introduction

Notes and comments are features that let learners engage more deeply with course content and, in the case of comments, with each other.

  • Notes are always private to the learner who created them.
  • Comments are public, with visibility determined by client configuration.

Comments may also be referred to as Discussions or Feedback, depending on the client’s terminology.

Both features are enabled by default unless configured otherwise for a specific client.

Notes

Notes are a personal learning tool that allow learners to jot down ideas, reminders, or reflections while engaging with course content.

  • If the module contains a video, a timestamp is saved with each note. Clicking on the timestamp lets the learner jump back to that exact moment in the video.
  • Learners can edit or delete their own notes after posting.
  • All notes created by a learner can be viewed in their Notes Library, which provides a single, searchable view and quick navigation back to the original module.
  • Notes are always private to the learner.

Comments

Comments allow learners to share thoughts and engage with others. They appear on module pages and can be viewed by other users depending on the client’s configuration.

Visibility

  • Default behavior: All learners can see comments made by others on a module.
  • Cohort-only configuration: If Cohorts are enabled, many clients choose to limit visibility so only members of the same Cohort (e.g. classmates or colleagues) can see each other’s comments.

Functionality

  • Learners can post comments directly on modules.
  • Comments support two levels:
    • A top-level comment
    • A reply to a comment
    • You cannot reply to a reply (e.g. similar to YouTube, not like Reddit).
  • Learners can edit or delete their own comments.
  • There are no built-in notifications for new comments or replies.

Admin management

Both notes and comments exist as content types in the CMS.

This allows administrators to:

  • Search, view, and moderate notes and comments
  • Edit or delete any note or comment if needed
  • Review how these features are being used across courses and modules