Discussions: Delete vs. Edit

Quick question—would it be possible to separate the settings for students editing and deleting their replies? Ideally, I’d like students to be able to edit their replies but not delete them.

If that’s not currently possible, how can we upvote or request this as a feature improvement?

Thanks so much!

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Kylie Pugh

Hey!

The rationale here is that if a student can edit, they can remove all of their text which effectively deletes their post. The course settings also have edit/delete in the same group- not as two separate functionalities, as do the discussion settings. Screenshots below.

As for a feature requests, you are always welcome to make a suggestion to Ideas and Themes but we no longer offer any upvoting as that process will be changing and improving in the near future.

Screenshot 2025-08-19 at 3.17.00 PM.png

Screenshot 2025-08-19 at 3.14.12 PM.png

TanyaHaddad

Thanks for the clarification. I understand the current grouping of edit/delete permissions, but I wanted to point out a key concern:

When a post is deleted, instructors can no longer view any history associated with it. This means a student could make a blank post, delete it, and there would be no trace of what was originally written, or whether it was edited.

This is why I believe the ability to edit should be a separate setting from delete. In my case, I’m fine with allowing edits, because at least then I can view the "edit history" even if the entire reply is changed.

Please let me know how we can escalate or formally request this improvement. It would really enhance accountability and transparency in discussions.

Thanks again!

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