Create Groups

About course groups

Create groups based on the real-life practicalities of teamwork.

Collaborative learning offers many benefits over traditional instruction. Studies show that when students work as a team, they:

• develop positive attitudes
• solve problems more effectively
• experience a greater sense of accomplishment

You can organize students into groups so they can interact with each other and demonstrate their knowledge while they learn to appreciate the perspectives of others.

You can create group sets to use for graded work, such as:

• assignments
• tests
• discussions

You can also create groups for activities other than graded work, such as volunteering or field trips.

You can also create breakout groups in Collaborate so students can hold virtual meetings with their group members.

Students can access course groups on the Course Content page in the Details & Actions panel, and they can view members of the groups they belong to on the Groups page. Groups can be tied to assessments but can also be created independently of assessments to encourage collaboration.

Users don’t have the ability to make Collaborate recordings in Ultra assignment groups. There is no place to list, manage, or watch recordings from groups. An instructor can join a group and access the record button, but this recording will not be listed or be accessible to view.

Create course groups

Start the course groups creation by selecting Groups on your course's main page.

New Group Set page

If you already have course groups, select New Group Set on the Course Groups page.

You can create as many course groups as you want, with any number of students in each group. You can also create new course groups or remove course groups.

From the Group students menu, you can divide your students among groups in these ways:

• Custom
• Randomly assign
• Self-enrollment
• Reuse groups 

You can also select the plus sign below the graphic to create as many groups as you need and add students.

Create custom groups

You can create one or many custom groups, with any number of students in each group.

1. In the Group students menu, select Custom and provide a name at the top of the page.
2. Select each student's name one after the other to select them as a group. Select a student's name again to remove the selection.
3. After you select the students, open the menu next to one of their names and select Create a new group. You can also move multiple students to a group listed in the menu.
4. Edit the group name if you want to change the default naming.
5. Provide an optional group description that will appear to that group's members. You have no limit on the number of characters.
   
6. Select the plus sign wherever you want to add another group. You can also repeat steps 2-5.

If you save a Custom group set, return to that group set, and select Custom again, your groups are deleted.

Create randomly assigned groups

Students are randomly assigned to the number of groups you choose. This option assigns students quickly and without preparation. You need at least four students so the system can randomly assign two students to at least two groups.

1. In the Group students menu, select Randomly assign and provide a name at the top of the page.
2. In the Number of groups menu, select how many groups to create. You need to create at least two. Students are equally assigned to the number of groups you choose.

   To remove all students from the current group set, select Unassign All at the top of the page. The menu option changes to Custom if you move students to different groups after they're grouped and before you save.

3. Edit each group name if you want to change the default naming.
4. Provide an optional group description that will appear to that group's members. You have no limit on the number of characters.

Select the plus sign wherever you want to create a group in addition to the groups the system created. When you add or delete groups, the menu option changes to Custom and any affected students aren't redistributed.

Create self-enrollment groups

You can ask students to self-enroll in course groups. Only students may join. Students receive a course announcement and an activity stream notification about groups they need to join.

You can also add an enrollment period. Students are notified when the enrollment deadline approaches. When the enrollment period ends, students can no longer join groups, and they’re enrolled automatically.

If you added a preview user, that user is also enrolled automatically in a group. You can remove the preview user before or after you create self-enrollment groups.

1. To select Self-enrollment, you must first make the groups visible to students by selecting Visible to students on the top right corner of the New Group Set page.
2. In the Group students menu, select Self-enrollment.
3. Your students are evenly divided among the groups listed next to Number of groups. You need to create at least two self-enrollment course groups.
4. Select the plus sign wherever you want to add another group. The Number of groups updates automatically. You can add and delete groups even after students have started to join. If you delete a group that students have already joined, they’re moved to the unassigned list. You'll need to notify them to join one of the remaining groups or add them to a group. Reminder: If you add an enrollment period, unassigned students are enrolled automatically when the period ends.
5. You can add an enrollment start and end date. Select the arrow next to Advanced options to collapse the enrollment section.
6. You can change or clear the Maximum number of members per group that appears by default. The optional maximum must be 2 or greater. If you add or delete groups, the maximum number doesn’t update.

   Pay attention to the maximum members per group and the number of groups. For example, if you lower the maximum number, some students won’t be allowed to enroll in a group at the end of the enrollment period. You’ll need to create new groups and enroll the students.

   To allow unlimited members per group, leave blank. Students see the maximum number allowed when they make their group selections. If you allow an unlimited number per group, students see the total number of students in their class.

   You can override the maximum membership for a group. For example, you can add a newly enrolled student to a group.

7. Select the Hide enrolled members check box if you don't want students to see who's already joined.
8. Edit each group name if you want to change the default naming.
9. Add optional group descriptions. You can add information to help students choose a group. You have no limit on the number of characters.
10. Open the menu next to a group to access the management options.

Reuse groups

You can reuse an existing course group or group set.

If you make changes to a group set you've reused, those changes affect any group assignments and discussions based on that group set. 

1. In the Group students menu, select a title from the Reuse groups section. Groups with no members also appear in the list.
2. Provide a name at the top of the page, edit the individual group names, and add optional group descriptions that are shown to group members. You have no limit on the number of characters.

The same students are added to your new group or group set. You may need to add newly enrolled students to your new groups.