How to Create Student Groups

 

Groups are created using the People tab. There are lots of options; for example, do you want to assign specific students to each group, let Canvas randomly assign people, or allow students to choose based on topic?

 

Be sure to give students ample time to find their way around in their group and to get accustomed to the idea that they have the power to do almost anything (except grade). Students in a group can:

  • create discussions
  • post announcements
  • share files
  • create content pages
  • schedule conferences
  • create collaborations (Google docs)

 

After you create the groups, give students an easy, low-stakes task; for example, come up with your own group name and introduce yourselves to each other.

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Instructors will need to provide specific guidance on both the "how to use groups" aspect and the group task or project. It's easy to copy and paste information from one group to another. You can be as present or not as you wish.

 

What kinds of tasks and projects work best to allow student groups to contribute to the course design and content? Let's look at a few examples.