1.) Click on GROUPS in the navigation bar (lower left) and click on New Category.
2.) Give this category of groups a name.
For example, if your students will stay in the same group all semester, call it something like “semester course groups.” If groups will change with each activity, call them something like “activity 1 groups” and so forth.
3.) ENROLLMENT TYPE: How do you want your groups created?
1.) Choose “# of Groups,” if you want a specified number of groups are created.
a. Enter number of groups
OR
2.) Choose “Groups of #,” of the minimum number of groups needed to place users in groups of a specified maximum size are created. More groups are created when they are needed to accommodate users.
a. Enter number of users
Warning: If you choose the enrollment type Groups of # you may end up with a group that has only one or a few users in it. You can manually change group enrollment
4.) Choose your advanced properties (recommended to select both)
Auto-enroll new users - New users are automatically added to the group with the least users, or to a new group if the maximum size of all existing groups has been met. Use this option when you don’t want to manually add new users to groups.
Randomize users - Users are added to groups based on a random order. If this
option is not selected, users are added to groups alphabetically based on their order in the
classlist.
NOTES on ADVANCED PROPERTIES:
If you have Auto Enroll New Users selected. regardless of whether they enrolled before or after the groups were created, they are added using a brick algorithm. The first user is added to Group 1, the second to Group 2, etc. If a new user enrolls later, they are put in the group with the least number of users. When all of the existing groups have reached their maximum size, new users are added to a new group.
5.) Choose your additional options
A. Setup Forums
a. Allows you to select or create group specific discussion forum to share ideas, ask questions, and discuss material using the Discussions tool.
B. Setup Locker
a. Use this option when you want users to store their work in a group work area where other members of the group can view and modify it.
You do not need to specify any locker properties.
C. Setup Dropbox
a. Use this option when you want each group to have its own folders for submitting assignments to. Everyone in the group can view the contents of the folder.
6.) For Forums and the Drop Box, there is additional set-up needed.
A. To create a forum for each assignment, click on the blue underlined New Forum. Enter the title of the forum. If you already created the forum(s) choose one from the drop down menu.
B. Then, choose “add another” if they have more than one discussion activity they are completing in the group. Or, choose create and next, if there is only one discussion activity they are completing as this group.
NOTE (IMPORTANT):
To create restricted (private) group discussions, you need to forum for each discussion activity in which the groups will participate.
You should *not* create topics for the discussion activity, you should a create forum. For example, the image belows shows a forum called “Team Project 2, Virtual Lab” which is an assignment. Then, each group has a private area to discuss that assignment (e.g., “Group 1 Topic.” As you can see, the individual topics will be automatically generated for each group.
C. To create a dropbox for the group assignment, type in a name of the group assignment that will appear in the drop box area and click add another, if they have more than one group assignment or click on create, if they only have one.
The Workspace summary page lists how many groups, discussion forums, lockers, and dropbox folders were created for the category.
NOTE: Deleting a group will delete all associated dropbox folders.
2.) Give this category of groups a name.
For example, if your students will stay in the same group all semester, call it something like “semester course groups.” If groups will change with each activity, call them something like “activity 1 groups” and so forth.
3.) ENROLLMENT TYPE: How do you want your groups created?1.) Choose “# of Groups,” if you want a specified number of groups are created.
a. Enter number of groups
OR
2.) Choose “Groups of #,” of the minimum number of groups needed to place users in groups of a specified maximum size are created. More groups are created when they are needed to accommodate users.
a. Enter number of users
Warning: If you choose the enrollment type Groups of # you may end up with a group that has only one or a few users in it. You can manually change group enrollment
4.) Choose your advanced properties (recommended to select both)
Auto-enroll new users - New users are automatically added to the group with the least users, or to a new group if the maximum size of all existing groups has been met. Use this option when you don’t want to manually add new users to groups.
Randomize users - Users are added to groups based on a random order. If this
option is not selected, users are added to groups alphabetically based on their order in the
classlist.
NOTES on ADVANCED PROPERTIES:
If you have Auto Enroll New Users selected. regardless of whether they enrolled before or after the groups were created, they are added using a brick algorithm. The first user is added to Group 1, the second to Group 2, etc. If a new user enrolls later, they are put in the group with the least number of users. When all of the existing groups have reached their maximum size, new users are added to a new group.
5.) Choose your additional options
A. Setup Forums
a. Allows you to select or create group specific discussion forum to share ideas, ask questions, and discuss material using the Discussions tool.
B. Setup Locker
a. Use this option when you want users to store their work in a group work area where other members of the group can view and modify it.
You do not need to specify any locker properties.
C. Setup Dropbox
a. Use this option when you want each group to have its own folders for submitting assignments to. Everyone in the group can view the contents of the folder.
6.) For Forums and the Drop Box, there is additional set-up needed.
A. To create a forum for each assignment, click on the blue underlined New Forum. Enter the title of the forum. If you already created the forum(s) choose one from the drop down menu.
B. Then, choose “add another” if they have more than one discussion activity they are completing in the group. Or, choose create and next, if there is only one discussion activity they are completing as this group.
NOTE (IMPORTANT):
To create restricted (private) group discussions, you need to forum for each discussion activity in which the groups will participate.
You should *not* create topics for the discussion activity, you should a create forum. For example, the image belows shows a forum called “Team Project 2, Virtual Lab” which is an assignment. Then, each group has a private area to discuss that assignment (e.g., “Group 1 Topic.” As you can see, the individual topics will be automatically generated for each group.
C. To create a dropbox for the group assignment, type in a name of the group assignment that will appear in the drop box area and click add another, if they have more than one group assignment or click on create, if they only have one.
The Workspace summary page lists how many groups, discussion forums, lockers, and dropbox folders were created for the category.
NOTE: Deleting a group will delete all associated dropbox folders.
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