Groups: Basic
The Groups tool allows instructors to divide students into groups within a course. Instructors control the number, size, and membership of groups in a course.
Groups can be used to enable project teams, present students with access to different materials, or organize discussions. (See Using Groups Effectively for suggestions about using groups.)
Access the Groups Tool
1. Go to the Course Home of the course in which you want to create groups.
2. Click Edit Course (right side of the Navigation Bar).
3. Click the 
Groups link in the Tools list. (You can also add Groups to your NavBar – see Add Tool to Navigation Bar.)
Create and Manage a Set of Groups (A Group Category)
Categories allow you to organize your groups by assignment, project, etc. You may establish more than one category in a course (e.g., you can divide the class into one set of teams for work on a group project, and another set of teams for leading discussions of weekly readings).
1. Access the Groups tool as explained above.
2. Click 
New Category.
3. Enter a Category Name, such as "Projects" or "Discussions."
4. Type a Description, if desired.
5. Select an Enrollment Type. The options are:
You cannot change the enrollment type for a category once it is created. If you create a category that does not divide your students as expected, delete the category and create a new one.
- # of Groups - No auto enrollment: Carmen creates the number of groups you specify. You manually assign students to groups after they are created.
- Groups of #: You specify how many students should be in each group. Carmen creates as many groups as necessary to accommodate all students. Students are automatically assigned to the groups.
- # of Groups: Carmen creates the number of groups you specify. Students are automatically assigned to the groups
- Group of # - Self Enrollment: You specify how many students should be in each group. Carmen creates as many groups as necessary to accommodate all students. Students then self-enroll in groups using the Groups tool on the NavBar.
- # of Groups Self Enrollment: Carmen creates the number of groups you specify. Students self-enroll in groups using the Groups tool on the Navbar.
When selecting 'Groups of #' or '# of Groups,' decide whether to Auto-Enroll New Users and to Randomize Students in Groups.
When asking students to self enroll, you must add the Groups to the NavBar so that students can access it. See Add Tool to Navigation Bar for instructions.
6. Set the Number of Groups (for # of Groups) or the Number of Individuals (for Groups of #) for the selected Enrollment Type.
7. Click Create. Carmen will create groups, and (if appropriate) automatically enroll students in groups.
Change Group Names
We strongly recommend that you apply more meaningful names to groups once they are created. If you will be setting up shared workspaces (Discussion Areas, Lockers, or Dropboxes) that are available only to group members, the group names will appear in the other tools. Meaningful group names will make the tools easier for instructors and students to use.
Manage Categories, Groups, and Group Membership
Once you have created a category and groups within it, use to the Group tool to:
- Change category or group name or description
- Delete a category or group
- Add a group to an existing category
- Enroll students in established groups within a category
Change Category or Group Name or Description
1. Access the Groups tool as described above.
2. If you have created more than one category, choose the desired category from the View Categories dropdown menu. Click a category or group name in the Category List.
3. Change the name or description of the category or group. Suggestions for meaningful group names include project titles, research areas, discussion topics, TA names, etc.
If you use the same set of group names each time you teach a course, add a quarter and year designation to each name (e.g., Centaurs Au2009 and Minotaurs Au2009).
4. Optional: Change the Group Code to match the Group Name.
5. Click Save.
Add a Group to an Existing Category
1. Access the Groups tool as described above.
2. If you have created more than one category, choose the desired category from the View Categories dropdown menu. Click the category name in the category List.
3. Click 
Add Group.
4. Type a Group Name similar to the meaningful group names you are already using.
5. Type a Description for the group, if necessary.
6. Click Add.
7. Enroll participants in the group, as described below.
Enroll Students in Established Groups within a Category
1. Access the Groups tool as described above.
2. If you have created more than one category, choose the desired category from the View Categories dropdown menu.
3. Click 
Enroll Users.
4. Check and uncheck boxes to each student to a group. (In the student list, click Last Name to sort names by last name or First Name to sort by first name.)
5. Click Save.
Delete a Category or Group
1. Access the Groups tool as described above. If you have created more than one category, choose the desired category from the View Categories dropdown menu.
2. Check the box in front of a category or group name in the Category List.
3. Click 
(Delete selected groups and categories).
4. Click Delete Groups/Categories to confirm.
Choose Additional Options / Create Workspaces for Groups
1. Access the Groups tool as described above.
2. If you have created more than one category, choose the desired category from the View Categories dropdown menu. Click the category name in the Category List.
3. If you have not already done so, change the default group names to names more meaningful to your students.
4. Under Additional Options, check the boxes to indicate that you want each group to have a private discussion area, a shared locker space, and/or a shared dropbox. These resources will appear in the Discussions, Locker, and Dropbox tools and can be modified there.
- A group discussion area allows students to post messages to each other.
- A group locker allows students to upload and download files they wish to share with each other.
- A group dropbox allows all members of the group to submit assignments to the instructor.
5. Click Save.
- If you have chosen to create group lockers, lockers with each group’s name and with access limited to members of each group are created immediately upon clicking Save. Remember to add Locker to the NavBar so that students can access the group locker. (See Add Tool to Navigation Bar for instructions.)
Instructors cannot see files that students have uploaded to their personal lockers, but they can see files uploaded to group lockers.
- If you have chosen to create group discussion areas, you will be taken to a screen that asks you to select an existing discussion forum or supply a name for a new forum (see Discussions: Basic). Carmen will create topics in that forum with each group's name and with access limited to members of that group. You can also create additional forums, each with private discussions. To do this, click Add Another to create a set of group discussion areas in a second discussion forum.
- Click Create and Next to create your forums and move on to the next option.
- Click Skip if you decide you don’t want group discussion areas after all.
- If you have chosen to create a group dropbox, you will be taken to a screen that asks you to supply a name for a new dropbox folder and provide related information (see Dropbox: Basic). Carmen will create a submission area in that folder with each group’s name and with access limited to members of that group. You can also create additional dropboxes. To do this, click Add Another to create another dropbox folder for the same set of groups.
- Click Create to complete the process of creating workspaces.
- Click Skip if you decide you don’t want a group dropbox after all.
6. Click Done. Click Category List to view the results.
If you add Groups to the NavBar, students will see a version of this screen that lets them see the groups of which they are members and access all shared workspaces.
