Groups

The Groups tool allows instructors to create groups of students. Groups can then be attached to specific tasks or activities, such as Discussions or Assignments, to create group activities.

Access the Groups Tool

Step 1

Select Course Admin in the Course Navbar.

Step 2

Select the Groups link in the Learner Management section.

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Create Groups of Participants

Step 1 

On the Manage Groups page, select the Create Category button.

Step 2 

On the New Category page, enter a Category Name that describes the purpose of these Groups (e.g., Weekly Discussions Groups or Group Project Teams).

Step 3 (optional)

Enter a Description. This can be made visible to group participants via the checkbox under Advanced Properties.

Step 4 

Select the drop-down menu in the Enrollment Type field to choose how you will configure the Groups.

• # of Groups - No Auto Enrollments: You choose how many groups and manually enroll participants.
• Groups of #: You choose how many participants to enroll in each group. D2L will create the appropriate number of groups and auto-enroll participants.
• # of Groups: You choose the number of groups to create. D2L will auto-enroll participants based on that number.
• Groups of # - Self Enrollment: You choose how many participants to enroll in each group. D2L will create the appropriate number of groups. Participants select which group to enroll in.
• # of Groups - Self Enrollment: You choose the number of groups to create. Participants select which group to enroll in. Please note that there is no way to cap enrollments if you choose this option.
• # of Groups, Capacity of # - Self Enrollment: You choose the number of groups with a maximum number of students in each group. Participants can enroll in a group until capacity is reached.
• Single user, member-specific groups: You can create a group for each individual student in the course. This option allows each student to have a private area in the Discussion tool for activities such as one-to-one discussion with the instructor or individual journaling that only the instructor can read and respond to. This choice is also useful for restricting Content to one user via Release Conditions. 

Step 5

Enter the Number of Groups and/or the Number of Users, depending on the Enrollment Type you have chosen.

Step 6A

Leave the Restrict Enrollments To field set to No Restrictions, unless you only want to use this group category in a specific section or within an existing group (see Step 6a).

Step 6B (optional)

If you only want to use this group in a specific section or existing group, select the appropriate section or group in the Restrict Enrollments To drop-down menu.

Step 7 (optional)

Select desired options in Groups Options.

Step 7a

If you have chosen an enrollment type that auto-enrolls participants, you can:

• Auto-enroll new users: This option ensures that students who join the course after the Groups were created are automatically enrolled in a group.
• Randomize users in groups: Selecting this option randomly assign users in Groups (default is alphabetical order by last name).
• Make category and group descriptions visible to group members: This option displays the group category name and description you’ve entered to students.

Step 7b

If you have chosen one of the Self-Enrollment enrollment types, you can:

• Set a Start Date on which self-enrollment can begin.
• Set an Expiry Date on which students can no longer self-enroll.
• Allocate unenrolled students to groups automatically after the Expiry Date.

Step 8

Select Save.

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Modify Group Categories

Step 1

On the Manage Groups page, select the name of the desired category or use the Action Menu to select Edit Category.

Step 2A (Optional)

To bulk edit group names, select Edit Group Names; edit the names & codes, as desired, selecting Save when done.

Step 3

Select Save.

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Create Group Discussions from the Groups Tool

Step 1

While Creating Groups of Participants or Modifying Group Categories, scroll down to the Additional Options area. It may be necessary to select Expand the additional options.

Step 2

Select the checkbox for Set up discussion areas.

Step 3

Use the dropdown menu to select a preexisting Forum or select New Forum to create a new one.

Step 4

Choose the radio button for either Create new topic or Attach to existing topic.

Step 5

Select Save.

Step 6

Choose the applicable radio button for whether to Create one topic per group (NOT recommended) or to Create one topic with threads separated by group (recommended). If you choose to Create one topic with threads separated by group (Recommended), the topic is restricted by groups. Students are able to read and respond to only peers assigned to their same group.

Step 7

Select Create and Next. If placing group restrictions on additional forums and topics, choose Add Another and repeat Steps 5 -7 above.

Step 8

Select Done.

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Change a Group Name or Description

Step 1

On the Manage Groups page, select the name of the desired category or use the Action Menu to select Manage Users.

Step 2A (optional: Edit Group Names & Codes in Bulk)

Select Edit Group Names; edit the names & codes, as desired, selecting Save when done.

Step 2B (optional: Edit name of single group)

Perform desired edits.

Step 3

Select Save.

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Add a Group to an Existing Category

Step 1

On the Manage Groups page, use the Action Menu to select Add Group.

Step 2

Use the name & code supplied by Brightspace or enter the desired name and/or code.

Step 3 (optional)

Enter any desired description.

Step 4

Select Save.

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Adding Group Members in Bulk

Step 1

On the Manage Groups page, use the Action Menu to select Manage Users.

Step 2

Select Import.

Step 3

Select Choose File and use the file picker to locate the CSV file on your device.

Step 4

Select Import File.

Step 5

Allow Brightspace to parse & validate the file; if there are errors, select View Errors, note them and adjust your file accordingly, returning to Step 2 when ready. If there are no errors, select Exit when Brightspace finishes processing.

Delete a Group Category

Step 1

On the Manage Groups page, use the Action Menu to select Delete.

Step 2

Read the Delete Group Category message & select Delete when ready.  

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Delete Group from a Category

Step 1

On the Manage Groups page, select the name of the desired category or use the Action Menu to select Edit Groups.

Step 2

Locate the desired group & use the Action Menu to select Delete.

Step 3

Read the Delete Group message & select Delete when ready.

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Restore Group Category or Group

Step 1

On the Manage Groups page, select Recycling Bin.

Step 2

Locate the desired category in the list & select Restore.

Step 3

Read the Confirmation message & select Restore.

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View Group Enrollments

Step 1

On the Manage Groups page, select the name of the desired category or use the Action Menu to select Manage Members.

Step 2

Use the table below to see members of each group; use the search tool to find users quickly.

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Export Group Enrollments to CSV

Step 1

On the Manage Groups page, use the Action Menu to select Export .

Step 2

From the Select Group dropdown, choose the desired group or Select All for all groups.

Step 3

Select Export. Your export will process, displaying a status bar.

Step 4

When export is ready, select either the hyperlink or the Download button. The export downloads to your device's designated download destination.

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Modify Group Enrollments

Step 1

On the Manage Groups page, select the name of the desired category or use the Action Menu to select Manage Members.

Step 2 (optional)

Optional: If you want to view only one group at a time, use the Display drop-down menu to select the group you want to modify.

Step 3 (optional)

To enroll or unenroll a user, select the corresponding checkbox.

Step 4

Select Save.

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