Bb Tip #106: Working with Groups

Online groups can enrich class discussion and provide a virtual environment for sharing information. The Groups tool allows instructors to form virtual groups of students to support peer collaboration. Groups can be easily created one at a time or in sets. Groups can be designated as Self-Enroll (allows students to add themselves to a Group), Manual Enroll (instructor assigns students to Groups), or Random Enroll (Blackboard system distributes students equally into Groups). Once created, each Group has its own space in the course which allows the students to work together. The instructor can enable an assortment of tools for the Groups (i.e., blogs, wikis, journals, discussion boards, file exchange) to help students collaborate. Students can belong to multiple Groups simultaneously, so an instructor might assign students to different Groups for different assignments or projects.

Follow these steps to do it.

To create a group and assign students to the group you should:

1. In the [Control Panel], click on [Users and Groups] to expand it, and then select [Groups].
2. Click on [Create Single Group] and select [Manual Enroll].
3. Select whether the new group is available to students.
4. Select the collaboration tools to make available to the group. Select the grading option if the Group Blog, Group Journal, or Group Wiki contributions will be graded and type points possible. Once the grade setting is made, it cannot be reversed.
5. Select whether to allow members to add modules to the group home page. Only the person who added the modules can view them.
6. Select members by moving them from the Items to Select box to the Selected Items box using the right-pointing arrow.
7. Click [Submit].

To create a group set and assign students to the groups you should:

1. In the [Control Panel], click on [Users and Groups] to expand it, and then select [Groups].
2. Click on [Create Group Set] on the action bar to access the drop-down list.
3. Select the type of group set you want to create (i.e., Manual Enroll, Self-Enroll, or Random Enroll).
4. Choose your Group options. The options presented are dependent on type of group set you are creating.
5. Click [Submit].

Want more information?

Getting Started with Groups (pdf)
Working with Course Groups
Create Single Group Video [03:39]
Create Group Sets Video [02:28]
Explore Blackboard’s On Demand Learning Center.
Try these Blackboard How-To documents.
Visit the Blackboard FAQs for additional blackboard information
or schedule a one-on-one session, email, or
call Janice Florent: (504) 520-7418.