Create Groups

Course groups provide a space for discussions and collaboration on projects within smaller groups. 

Creating groups will vary slightly based on the desired CN LMS you are utilizing, either Classic LMS or Pathway LMS. The starting points for Classic LMS and Pathway LMS are below:

Classic LMS:

Scroll down until you see the "Groups" tab on the left side navigation. Click "Groups".

Pathway LMS:

In Pathway LMS, to access "Groups" you will need to be on the "Posts" tab.

Then, look down the left side navigation to access "Groups".

From this point on, the Classic LMS and Pathway LMS are identical.

To Create a Group, you may click or tap on the "Create a New Group" button to manually assign learners into groups of your choosing.

Note: You can add as many members to a group as needed. One user can be in multiple groups.

Afterward, the popup below will appear. This allows you to manually assign learners into groups. Just enter a group name and an optional description and add group members in the last section by searching for their name, CN#, and email address. If you have a large number of users to add, you can also copy and paste their email addresses all at once. 

If you'd like to randomly assign groups, click or tap on the "Split Students into Groups" button.

Afterward, this popup will appear.

This allows you to evenly split all learners of the course roster into a number of groups, based on your desired group count. 

Manage Groups 

Once you have created groups, you may want to perform some actions to manage existing groups. To open the group and see the group members, you may click or tap on the group title or dropdown arrow to the left of the name (see 1). Once the group is visible, you may delete group members by clicking the "X" to the left of the learners profile image (see 2). 

In the event you want to add a member you can select "Add members to group" (see 3 above) where you will be able to search for the intended recipient's name, CN Number, or email address. Again, If you have a large number of users to add, you can also copy and paste their email addresses all at once. 

Selecting the gear icon to the right of the number of group members allows you to edit or delete a group.

If you wish to "Edit Group" from the gear dropdown, the same popup from when the group was created will pop up. From here, you may add or remove members, change the group name, and change or add a group description. If any changes are made, remember to save! 

*Once a user is added to a group, they will receive both system and email notifications. 

How to Use Groups 

Utilizing Groups in a CN Course can be done in many different ways and we will go through some of the more common uses. One particular use is utilizing groups for posts. You and your students will be able to create posts, polls, events, for certain groups. To do so, select the "Visible To" as "Group(s)" where you then can check the group you want to post to. 

Note: instructors can post to all course groups and view all of the group posts regardless they are a member of a group. Students will only be able to post to their own groups and view posts visible to their own groups. 

Post Visibility Settings

Group posts appear on specific discussion activities as well as the main course feed. If you and your students want to look at posts of a specific group (students can only view their own), you can click the caret icon to open up the group list, then click the specific group name to filter posts made visible to that group.

Email Groups

Another use for groups is when you may want to email a particular group. To email certain groups, you want to open the "Email" section at the top navigation of the Post feed. You then can check the "Groups" box and select groups to send the Email to.

Note: instructors can email all course groups regardless they are a member of a group. Students will only be able to email their own groups.

Course Roster Sorting

Within the course Roster, you may also sort by groups. To do so, look under "Members" and select the group you would like to sort by in the roster.

After selecting the group to sort by, only course members from that group will be visible. From here you may look at their participation data, filter a specific person's posts and reflections, visit their ePortfolios, give each member a badge or a recommendation, etc.

CN DropBox Filters

Another use of groups is when sorting in CN DropBox. In CN DropBox, to sort by groups, simply select the dropdown next to "Select Member(s):" and change the filter from "All" to the desired group. Once selected, only submissions from the selected group will be visible.

Note: The group filters may be helpful when you grade group assignments. Please read this article about group assignments for more detail.

You may also filter the same way for "Received Posts/Polls":

and "Received Quizzes":

GradeBook Filters

In the course GradeBook, you can also filter the course assignment grades by groups. Select the "sort by:" drop down and select the desired group name. 

After selecting the group, only members from the group will appear.