Group Discussions
Making a regular discussion a group discussion is a great way to enhance student-to-student interaction for large classes.
Set-up the Groups
Click on People in the left-hand navigation
Click on the + Group Set button
Add a Group Set Name
The Group Set Name should reflect the purpose of the groups and may be generic, i.e. Discussion Groups, or more specific, i.e. Final Project Groups.
Optional: Check the box to Allow self sign-up
Use the Allow self sign-up, if you want students to be able to pick (and switch) which group they are in. If you check this option, you will get the option to require group members to be in the same section. You will also have the chance to designate a certain number of groups and limit the group size.
Choose group structure
At this point you can either choose to split the class into a certain number of groups or split students into groups of a certain size. If you choose either of these options, the groups will be created using the group set name (Canvas will drop the "s" on the end) and a sequential number for each group. Students will randomly be distributed among the groups.
Note: If you decide to create the groups later, you will need to come back to the People page to create each group individually and assign students to the desired group for the SpeedGrader to work properly.
Optional: Keep the Require group members to be in the same section box unchecked
Unless you would like to keep your class sections separate (e.g. undergrad students and grad students), you can leave this box unchecked.
Optional: Check the box Automatically assign a student group leader
If you would like to have group leaders, you can have Canvas automatically assign a student to by a group leader by whichever student joins the group first or by Canvas selecting a random student.
Click Save
Preview groups
Once Canvas has created the groups, you will be able to click on the triangle to the left of each group name to see the members of the group. (NOTE: If students enroll in your class after you have created the groups they will appear in the Unassigned Students section and you will need to manually add them to a group.)
Optional: Rename the groups
After you have created the groups, you can rename each group to reflect an interest, topic, or portion of an assignment. For example, if you were to set the Group Set Name as "Color Groups" then the groups would be automatically named "Color Group 1," "Color Group 2," "Color Group 3," etc. You could then come back and rename the groups "Red Group," "Blue Group," "Purple Group," etc.
Enter the new group name and click Save.
Create Group Discussion
On the Discussions page, create a discussion and add desired settings or edit an existing discussion
Under the Group Discussion section, check the box next to This is a group discussion
On the Group Set dropdown menu, select group set name
Review discussion options for accuracy
Click Save & Publish button to make the discussion available to students
Viewing a Group Discussion
To see what the group is discussing:
Go to the discussion topic
Click on the group menu button to the left of the search bar and click on the name of the group you want to view
Switch groups using the dropdown menu at the top of the page
Return to the class by clicking on the group name in the crumb navigation
Then, click on the course name in the crumb navigation
