The Groups tool allows instructors to organize students in groups for their course based on a number of parameters. 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. Groups can have specific assignments assigned to them, their own discussion forums, and more.
They are separate from course sections. Learn more about Sections here: Adding someone to specific Sections
Groups have a maximum enrollment of 200 users. If there are more than 200 users in a course, you can create new group categories; there is no limit on the number of group categories in a course.
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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 (Groups)
Instead of creating each group individually, a category is created which then makes and houses all the groups automatically. For example. you might use different categories if you want different group allocations for Assignment 1 versus Discussion 1.
1. Select the New Category button
Upon clicking the New Category button, a new page opens 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 can be found here: Group Enrollment Types
Prefer to learn by video? Check out a breakdown of group enrollment types here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvWgovq-N_M
Based on the enrollment type chosen, a few options will appear such as choosing the number of groups or number of students per group.
4. Choose whether to restrict enrollment to a specific section
There is the option to restrict enrollment to a specific section on the course site. This is particularly helpful for sites with multiple sections, 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 are various options that appear in the Advanced Properties section based on the enrollment type chosen for the category.
# of Groups - No Auto Enrollments, Single user, member-specific groups
Make category and group descriptions visible to group members: Choose whether to reveal the group and category descriptions to group members.
Groups of #, # of Groups
Auto-enroll new users: When new users are enrolled in the course after groups are set up, they are automatically added to the group with the fewest users.
Randomize users in groups: Selected by default, it enrolls users in a random order. Clearing this option enrolls users based on their order in the classlist.
Make category and group descriptions visible to group members: Choose whether to reveal the group and category descriptions to group members.
Groups of # - Self Enrollment, # of Groups - Self Enrollment, # of Groups, Capacity of # - Self Enrollment
Set Self Enrollment Start/ Expiry Date: Choose when students have the ability to enroll in the groups.
Allocate unenrolled users after Self Enrollment Expiry Date: Automatically assigns students who have not joined a group by the end of the expiry.
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 automatically prompt the creation of the various workspaces chosen. Learn more about how to navigate the setup for these various workspaces in Discussions and Create an Assignment
Manage Groups
Upon creating a category, the Groups tool reaches full functionality.
View Categories: Switching between categories allows instructors to view various groups of categories if they have more than one.
Category Drop-down Menu: The drop-down menu allows instructors to make edits to the category, add more groups as they choose, manually enroll learners in the groups, delete the entire category, or email students.
Groups Table: The table gives instructors the ability to view specific groups and their members, as well as delete or email entire groups. Assignments, discussions, and lockers can be viewed directly from the table as well.
Clicking on the group name gives the instructor the ability to edit the group name, code, and description.
Clicking the Members numbers will reveal who is in each group.
Manage Group Membership
