Groups

What is the Groups Tool?

Create group work areas for users with the Groups tool. You can use Groups to organize users’ work on projects and assignments.

Users can belong to multiple groups within the same course. For example, each user can simultaneously belong to a group for class projects, a group for special interest discussions, and a group for advanced users. Each group can have its own Discussion forums, Dropbox folders, and Locker area to work in. You can grade members of groups individually or as a team.

Accessing the Groups Tool

The Groups tool is one of the links found on the default navigation bar of your CourseLink course site and can be accessed directly from that link.

Location of the Groups link on a face-to-face course site

For Distance Education (DE) courses, the Groups link appears under the drop-down menu of the Tools link on the navigation bar (provided that the course is using Groups).

Location of the Groups link on a DE course site

Using the Groups Tool

For the most up-to-date information on how to use the Groups tool, please follow the links below to the Brightspace Help documentation site.

Working with Groups

Groups and Discussions

View Related Tutorial Videos

groups vs. Sections

If you want users to see all users and content for a course but be a part of a group for a specific project or activity, use the Groups tool. However, if you want users to only see learning materials and users from their own section, use can use the pre-populated sections included in your course site. Those sections reflect the section enrolments sent to CourseLink from the Registrar’s Office and are updated daily.

To organize users' work on projects and assignments or to create special work areas for users with different learning needs, use the Groups tool.

Additional Groups Tool Tips

Users can belong to multiple groups within the same course
For each group, you can create separate discussion forums, Dropbox folders, and Locker areas to work in
Note that the grade assigned via a group Dropbox folder will cascade to all group members, but that grade can be adjusted individually via the Enter Grades page after it is transferred
Before setting up groups, consider how you want to organize them. The following factors can affect how users enroll in groups:
- Setting groups up before or after you've enrolled users
- Enabling auto-enrollment in groups
- Enabling randomization of users in groups
- Enabling self-enrollment in groups
- The Enrollment Type you choose
When possible, try to set up groups after the majority of users enrol in your course. This gives you a better idea of how many users you are organizing and how many groups you need. Setting up groups after enrollment can also ensure better distribution of users between groups.
For users to enroll in groups automatically, the can be auto enrolled into groups permission must be enabled. Contact your site administrator if you experience difficulties.
When using self-enrolment groups, please note that students will not be able to remove themselves from a group once they have selected it, but the instructor or TA can remove them from the group allowing them to re-enrol in a new group

When and why should you consider using the Groups tool?

The Groups tool in CourseLink is a powerful feature for managing students and facilitating collaborative learning. You should consider using it in the following scenarios:

Group Assignments and Projects

When: You want students to work together on assignments, projects, or presentations.
Why: The Groups tool enables you to organize students into teams and assign group-specific tasks. Each group can have its own dedicated workspace, including discussion boards, file sharing, and group Dropbox folders, making it easier to manage submissions and interactions.

Discussion-Based Collaboration

When: You want students to engage in smaller, focused discussions.
Why: Smaller groups allow for deeper interaction, encourage participation, and help shy students feel more comfortable contributing. The Groups tool can automatically create private discussion areas for each group.

Benefits of the Groups Tool:

Flexibility: You can create groups manually or allow D2L to auto-enroll students.
Integration: Groups integrate with other D2L tools like Assignments, Discussions, and Quizzes.
Efficiency: Streamlines managing group activities and tracking progress.

Using the Groups tool helps create a more organized, collaborative, and engaging learning environment, particularly for courses with diverse interaction and teamwork needs.