Discussion Boards and Discussions are used for students to have conversations with each other about assignments, readings, course work, or studying.  Your instructor will start a "Forum," which is just a topic of conversation, to which you can replay your thoughts and start conversing with other students. 

Ultra Courses

Access discussions from the Discussions Page in your course.  Select a discussion from the list.

For more information on discussions, visit our iTLC site.  Discussions In Blackboard Ultra

Please check out Blackboard Help's article on Blackboard Discussions for a video demonstration and some handy walkthroughs.