The Groups tool allows instructors to group up students in their course based on a number of parameters. Groups can have specific assignments assigned to them, have their own discussion forums, and more. They are separate from course Sections.
Instructors have the option to manually choose who is in each group, automatically assign groups based on number of groups/number of people in groups, or allow learners to self-enroll in their own groups
How to Access Groups
Groups is accessible from Course Tools → Groups. It can also be accessed from Course Admin, learn more here: Course Administration
Create a Category
A category encompasses the groups. Instead of creating each group individually, a category is created which then creates and houses all the groups automatically.
1. Select the New Category button
Upon clicking the New Category button, a new page is opened where the category is made.
2. Choose a Name and Description for the category
Some common examples of category names are “Team Assignment”, “Reading Groups”, or Final Project Groups”. Being specific with the name will make sorting and filtering by categories easier later.
3. Choose an Enrollment type for the groups
Brightspace offers 7 different enrollment types for groups. Definitions for each are listed below.
# of Groups - No Auto Enrollments: Allows instructors to set how many groups there are, there is no limit to how many people per group. No Auto Enrollments means that instructors must manually assign each learner a group.
Groups of #: Allows instructors to set how many learners are in a group. The number of groups is automatically tailored to fit the maximum amount of people in the minimum amount of groups.
# of Groups: Allows instructors to set how many groups there are, there is no limit to how many people per group.
Groups of # - Self Enrollment: Allows instructors to set how many learners are in a group. Learners can then go to the Groups tab and sign up for the group they choose. There is no limit to how many groups can be created by the learners.
# of Groups - Self Enrollment: Allows instructors to set how many groups there are, there is no limit to how many people per group. Learners can then go to the Groups tab and sign up for the group they choose.
# of Groups, Capacity of # - Self Enrollment: Allows instructors to set how many groups there are, as well as how many people can be in them. Learners can then go to the Groups tab and sign up for the group they choose.
Single user, member-specific groups: This option creates individual groups for each learner. It exists as a way to set up 1-on-1 discussions between each learner and the instructor. See more at Discussions
Based on the enrollment type chosen, a few options will appear such as choosing the number of groups or number of learners per group.
4. Choose whether to restrict enrollment to certain sections
There is the option to restrict enrollment to a specific section on the course site. This is particularly helpful for merged courses, so different categories of groups can be created for each section.
5. Choose a Group Prefix
Groups can be affixed with the same prefix in their name when they are generated. It can be inputted here.
6. Set Advanced Properties
There is only one advanced property. It is whether or not to show the category name and description to the learners. Their group name will be visible to them either way.
7. Set Additional Options
Additional Options allows for the creation of workspaces specifically for each group. This is where group assignments are created, as well as discussions for groups and lockers. Lockers are a space where group members can store group-related files for each other to use.
If any of these options are selected, upon saving the category, Brightspace will prompt the creation of the various workspaces chosen.
Self-Enrollment
D2L’s documentation on group sign-ups https://documentation.brightspace.com/EN/le/groups/instructor/set_up_self_enrollment_in_groups.htm