How to Configure a Forum in Odoo 18
By Braincuber Team
Published on January 14, 2026
You've built an online course with 500 students enrolled. They're completing lessons, but something's missing—there's no way for students to ask questions, share insights, or help each other. Your support inbox overflows with questions that students could answer for each other. You need a community forum where learners interact, discussions flourish, and peer learning happens naturally.
Odoo 18's Forum feature transforms your e-learning platform into an interactive community. Students post questions, instructors provide answers, and peers contribute solutions. The karma system rewards active participants, encouraging quality contributions. Moderators manage content, tags organize topics, and voting surfaces the best answers. Configure privacy settings to control access—public for marketing, private for enrolled students. Create multiple forums for different courses or topics. Build a knowledge base organically through user-generated content.
Odoo Forum Feature: A Q&A and discussion platform integrated with E-learning. Users earn karma points for valuable contributions. Supports questions mode (single correct answer) and discussions mode (multiple responses). Configurable privacy, moderation, and gamification settings.
Why Add Forums to E-Learning?
Peer Learning
Students explain concepts to each other, reinforcing their own understanding while helping classmates.
Q&A Support
Students get answers from instructors and peers without flooding support inbox.
Gamification
Karma points reward participation, encouraging active engagement and quality content.
Knowledge Base
Questions and answers accumulate into searchable knowledge base for future students.
Community Building
Students connect with each other, creating sense of belonging and increasing course completion rates.
Content Insights
Common questions reveal course gaps, helping instructors improve content.
Enabling Forum Feature
Access E-Learning Module
- Go to Apps from main dashboard
- Search for and install eLearning module if not installed
- Open the eLearning app
Enable Forum
- Navigate to Configuration → Settings
- Find the Forum option
- Check to enable Forum feature
- Click Save
Access Forum Menu
- New Forum menu appears in top navigation
- Forums: Create and manage forums
- Posts: View all questions/discussions across forums
Creating a Forum
CREATING A NEW FORUM
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NAVIGATION: Forum → Forums → New
BASIC SETTINGS
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Forum Name:
Give your forum a clear, descriptive name
Examples:
• "Python Programming Q&A"
• "Marketing Course Discussion"
• "General Student Support"
Mode:
Questions Mode
• One answer can be marked as "accepted"
• Best for technical Q&A, support questions
• Shows which answer solved the problem
Discussions Mode
• Multiple answers/responses allowed
• No single "correct" answer concept
• Best for brainstorming, opinions, open topics
Website:
Leave blank → Available on all websites
Select specific → Only visible on that website
(Useful in multi-website setups)
OPTIONS TAB
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Default Sort:
Newest → Most recent posts first (default)
Last Updated → Recently active discussions on top
Most Voted → Highest voted posts first
Relevance → Search relevance (when searching)
Answered → Posts with accepted answers first
Privacy:
Public
→ Visible to everyone (including non-logged-in)
→ Good for SEO, attracting new students
→ Example: General product Q&A
Signed In
→ Only registered users can view
→ Requires login to read/post
→ Example: Student community forums
Some Users
→ Only specific user groups can access
→ Highly restricted content
→ Example: Premium course members only
EXAMPLE FORUM CONFIGURATIONS
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Forum 1: General Support Q&A
Name: "Student Support"
Mode: Questions
Privacy: Signed In
Sort: Last Updated
Purpose: Students ask questions, instructors answer
Forum 2: Course Discussion
Name: "Data Science Discussions"
Mode: Discussions
Privacy: Some Users (enrolled students)
Sort: Newest
Purpose: Open discussion about course topics
Forum 3: Public Knowledge Base
Name: "Python FAQ"
Mode: Questions
Privacy: Public
Sort: Most Voted
Purpose: Searchable by anyone, attracts new students
Create New Forum
- Go to Forum → Forums
- Click New
- Enter Forum Name
- Select Mode (Questions or Discussions)
Configure Options
- Go to Options tab
- Set Default Sort order
- Choose Privacy level
- Save the forum
View on Website
- Click Go To Website button
- See your forum on the public website
- Click "Start by creating a Post" to test
Understanding Karma System
Karma is Odoo's gamification system that rewards forum participation. Users earn points for positive actions and lose points for negative ones. Higher karma unlocks additional privileges.
KARMA POINTS IN ODOO FORUMS
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HOW KARMA WORKS
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Karma = Points earned through forum participation
Points are awarded/deducted based on:
• Posting questions
• Receiving upvotes/downvotes
• Having answers accepted
• Answering questions
Higher karma = More privileges
DEFAULT KARMA GAINS
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EARNING KARMA (Default values)
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Action Points
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Ask a question +2
Question upvoted +5
Answer upvoted +10
Answer accepted (selected best) +15
Question downvoted -2
Answer downvoted -2
EXAMPLE KARMA JOURNEY
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Day 1: New student joins
Current karma: 0 (starting point)
Day 2: Posts first question
+2 points → Karma: 2
Day 3: Question gets 3 upvotes
+15 points → Karma: 17
Day 5: Answers another student's question
+2 points → Karma: 19
Day 5: Answer receives upvote
+10 points → Karma: 29
Day 7: Answer marked as accepted
+15 points → Karma: 44
Day 10: Posts helpful answer, gets 5 upvotes
+50 points → Karma: 94
After 2 weeks: Active participant has ~100+ karma
KARMA-BASED PRIVILEGES
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Different karma levels unlock different abilities:
Karma Level Privileges Unlocked
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0 View posts (if signed in)
1 Ask questions
5 Answer questions
15 Upvote posts
50 Comment on answers
75 Downvote posts
100 Edit own posts
200 Close questions
500 Edit any post
1000 Moderate (delete, feature)
CONFIGURING KARMA SETTINGS
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To adjust karma values:
Configuration → Settings → Forum
Customize:
• Points per action (asking, answering, votes)
• Karma thresholds for privileges
• Minimum karma for various actions
Example customization:
Make community more active by:
• Increasing points for asking questions (+5 instead of +2)
• Lowering threshold for upvoting (10 instead of 15)
WHY KARMA MATTERS
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For Users:
✓ Recognition for helpful contributions
✓ Unlocks more capabilities
✓ Visible reputation (displayed on profile)
✓ Motivation to participate
For Platform:
✓ Filters spam (new users have limited abilities)
✓ Surfaces quality content (upvoted posts rise)
✓ Self-moderating community (trusted users can moderate)
✓ Encourages engagement
Creating and Managing Posts
Create a Post
- Visit forum on website (Go To Website button)
- Click Start by creating a Post
- Enter Title (clear, descriptive question or topic)
- Write Description with details
- Add relevant Tags for categorization
- Click Post Your Question
Answer a Post
- Open any existing post/question
- Click Reply button
- Write your answer with helpful details
- Click Post Answer
- Original poster can mark answer as "Accepted"
Moderate Content
- Edit: Modify post content (if karma allows)
- Close: Mark question as resolved (Questions mode)
- Delete: Remove inappropriate content
- Flag: Report content for moderator review
- Create Ticket: Convert to support ticket (if Helpdesk installed)
Social Sharing: After posting, a popup shows chances of getting answers and lets users share on LinkedIn, Facebook, Threads, and other platforms—great for attracting external experts to answer questions.
Managing Forums Backend
FORUM BACKEND MANAGEMENT ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ NAVIGATION OVERVIEW ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Forum Menu: ├── Forums → Manage forum instances └── Posts → View all posts across forums FORUMS VIEW ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ Lists all forums with: • Name • Mode (Questions/Discussions) • Post count • Last activity Actions: • Edit forum settings • Archive inactive forums • View on website POSTS VIEW ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ Lists all posts across all forums: Columns: Title Question/topic title Forum Which forum it belongs to Author User who posted Date Creation date Votes Net upvotes/downvotes Status Open, Answered, Closed Views Number of views Filters: • By Forum • By Status (Open, Answered, Closed) • By Author • Date range • Flagged content Bulk Actions: • Archive multiple posts • Move posts between forums • Delete spam MODERATION WORKFLOW ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ 1. Flagged Content Review Filter: Flagged = True Review each flagged post Decision: Delete, Edit, or Unflag 2. Unanswered Questions Filter: Status = Open, Sort by oldest Assign to instructor/expert Ensure questions get answers 3. Quality Control Filter: Votes < -2 (heavily downvoted) Review for spam or low quality Consider removal or guidance 4. Featured Content Filter: Votes > 10 (highly upvoted) Consider featuring on homepage Use as course supplement REPORTS & ANALYTICS ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ Monitor forum health: Metrics to track: • Questions per week • Answer rate (% questions with answers) • Average response time • Top contributors (for recognition) • Most viewed topics (popular content) • Unanswered questions (attention needed) Forums → Posts → Group By analysis: • Group by Forum: See activity per forum • Group by Author: Identify top contributors • Group by Date: Track activity trends
Forum Use Cases
Course Q&A
Students ask questions about course material, instructors and peers answer.
Mode: Questions | Privacy: Enrolled students | Sort: Last Updated
Project Discussion
Students discuss project ideas, share approaches, give feedback.
Mode: Discussions | Privacy: Signed in | Sort: Newest
Technical Support
Users report issues, community provides solutions, staff monitors.
Mode: Questions | Privacy: Public | Sort: Answered
Alumni Network
Graduates share job opportunities, advice, and stay connected.
Mode: Discussions | Privacy: Some users | Sort: Newest
Best Practices
✅ Forum Best Practices:
- Seed with content: Post initial questions yourself to get discussions started
- Encourage participation: Mention karma rewards and leaderboards
- Respond quickly: Fast instructor responses show the forum is monitored
- Use tags consistently: Create standard tags and train users to use them
- Feature great answers: Highlight helpful contributors to motivate others
- Welcome new members: Create a "New Here? Start Here" pinned post
- Monitor regularly: Check flagged content and unanswered questions daily
- Connect to courses: Link relevant forum questions from course lessons
- Recognize contributors: Publicly thank top karma earners periodically
Common Mistakes to Avoid:
- Launching empty: Seed with 10-20 starter questions before announcing
- Ignoring questions: Unanswered questions discourage participation
- Too many forums: Start with one or two, split only when needed
- Complex karma rules: Keep defaults unless you have specific reasons
- No moderation: Spam and off-topic posts drive away serious users
Conclusion
Adding a forum to your Odoo 18 e-learning platform transforms passive course consumption into active community learning. Enable the Forum feature in settings, create forums with appropriate modes (Questions for Q&A, Discussions for open topics), configure privacy levels to control access, and leverage the karma system to reward and motivate contributors. Students help each other, reducing your support burden while building a searchable knowledge base that benefits future learners. Monitor activity regularly, respond to unanswered questions, and recognize top contributors. A thriving forum increases course completion rates, student satisfaction, and creates lasting community connections.
🎯 Key Takeaway: Enable Forum in Settings → Create forum (Questions or Discussions) → Set privacy → Configure karma → Seed with starter content → Monitor and moderate → Recognize contributors. Forums turn courses into communities.