Topics allow you to more easily find or filter to only view specific information. They are typically set up by an instructor before a course begins. If your instructor has enabled Topics, you can select a Topic when you create a Post by clicking Topics in the Post toolbox and selecting the relevant Topic. Depending on your instructor's settings, you may be required to add a Topic whenever you create a Post.
Topics can be selected as filters by clicking on the "Filter Options" button (which is two buttons left of the +CREATE button) and then selecting the By Topic filter. You can combine this filter with any number of other filters. For example, if you wanted to reread one of your friend's old post about the ethics of genetic engineering, but you didn't want to scroll through your entire Feed, you could filter your Feed by Topic ("genetic engineering") and User ("Jane Doe") at the same time.
To remove one or more Filters, click X next to the corresponding "Filtered by Topic" panel. To remove all Filters, click X next to "Clear all Filters".
Students and other learners cannot create Topics. Only instructors and other course administrators (e.g., TA's) have this ability. If you feel a Topic may be useful, you can suggest it to the instructor, or you can use hashtags to organize or flag specific content.