1. Access Groups Page

Course groups in CN provide a mechanism for discussions and collaboration among a small group of students. 

The location of the Groups feature varies slightly based on the desired CN LMS you are utilizing, either Classic LMS or Pathway LMS:

Classic LMS:

In Classic LMS, the "Groups" tab is located on the left side navigation.

Pathway LMS:

In Pathway LMS, you need to first go to the "Posts" tab. Then, access "Groups" on the left side navigation. 

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

2. Create Groups

To Create a Group, instructors click the "Create Group" button on the Groups page. There are several grouping methods for you to choose from. 

Some important logic:

• You can create as many groups as needed.
• You can reuse a method or a combination of methods.
• Each group can have a maximum of 150 members. 
• One user can be in multiple groups.
• Once a user is added to a group, they will receive both system and email notifications. 

Method 1: Manually create groups

Manually create group" is the default option. You enter a group name and an optional description and add group members in the last section by typing 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 to the "Group Members" field all at once. 

Method 2: Create groups based on user labels

This method needs you to enter a group name, an optional group description, and user label(s). These user labels are created and assigned to users by your institution's CN admin. If you select more than one label, students with at least one of these labels will be automatically put into this group upon group creation. 

At the bottom, "Automatically place new students in groups based on your grouping method" is checked by default. This means when a new student with one of the selected labels joins the course, they will be automatically put into this group. 

Note, this auto-grouping method only handles student accounts. If you want to put an instructor or AT into such a group, you will need to edit the group after it is created. View "Manage Groups" below. 

Method 3: Create groups based on email domains

This method automatically groups students based on their email domain. You apply this method when learners are from different institutions in your class. You need to enter a group name, an optional group description, and email domain(s). If you enter more than one domain, students with any of the domains in their CN email address will be put into the group. 

At the bottom, "Automatically place new students in groups based on your grouping method" is checked by default. This means when a new student with one of the designated email domains joins the course, they will be automatically put into this group. 

Note, this auto-grouping method only handles student accounts. If you want to put an instructor or AT into such a group, you will need to edit the group after it is created. View "Manage Groups" below. 

Method 4: Create groups by equally and randomly splitting students

If you'd like to randomly put an equal number of students into groups, choose "Equally and randomly split students into [ ] groups" and enter the expected group number. This time the group name and the group description will be shared by all of the subgroups you are creating. 

This is an example of the created subgroups. CN automatically puts a number (i.e., 1, 2, 3, 4 ... ) after each subgroup name. You can edit each group to customize their name and description.

Again, "Automatically place new students in groups based on your grouping method" is checked by default. This means when new students join the course, they will be automatically and evenly put into the created subgroups. 

Note, this auto-grouping method only handles student accounts. If you want to put an instructor or AT into such a group, you will need to edit the group after it is created. View "Manage Groups" below. 

3. Manage Groups 

Edit Group

Once you have created groups, you may want to perform some actions to manage existing groups.

• To open a group and see the group members, click the group name or the dropdown arrow (see 1).
• Once the group is visible, you may delete group members by clicking the "X" to the right of the user profile image (see 2). 

• In the event you want to add additional members, you can select "+ Add members to group" (see 3 above), where you will be able to search for the intended user's name, CN Number, or email address. Once the user is selected, click "Add Members" to add them to the group.

You could also edit or delete a group from the gear icon in the top-right corner. 

If you wish to "Edit Group" from the gear dropdown, the same popup from when the group was created will pop up. The first line indicates the group method. You may edit the group name and description, and add or remove members. 

Manage Student's Groups Page View

By default, students can view all course groups and their members. If you only want your students to see their own groups on the Groups page, click the "Groups Display Settings" link in the upper-right corner to change to that setting. 

If you keep the default setting, CN displays a blue star next to the group a user is a member of to help them easily recognize their groups. 

4. Create and Manage Group Sets

If you want to use the Group Assignment feature, you will need this advanced feature - Group Set. A group set consists of multiple course groups. Several important logic to keep in mind:

• A Group Assignment must be associated with a group set.
• A course can have multiple group sets.
• A group can be in multiple group sets.
• Within a group set, a student must be only in one group.

Create a Group Set

To create a group set, instructors click +Create Group Set. 

You then 1. Name the group set, 2. select existing course groups to be part of the group set (optional).

If there are unassigned students, you could use +Add New Group at the bottom to create a new empty group within the group set, and/or click the arrow next to each student to assign them to an existing group within the group set. 

Manage Group Sets

Under the "All Groups" tab, all course groups are listed. The tabs on the right are group sets. Clicking a group set tab, you will be able to do the following:

1. Edit the group set. The same group set creation form will pop up. 

2. Delete group set. Note that the groups within the set will remain in the group. However, if the group set has been associated with a group assignment, deleting the group set will affect the group assignment. 

3. Edit a group within the group set. You can update the group name, description, and members. Note that member updates may affect the associated group assignment if the group already made a submission and was graded. 

4. Remove a group from the group set. Note that the group will remain in the course. However, if the group already made a submission and was graded, this change may affect the group assignment. 

5. 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 of if they are a member of any groups. 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.  

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:" dropdown and select the desired group name. 

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

Group Assignments

Groups also help deliver group assignments. Once Group Assignment is enabled, all members of a group share submissions, grades, and feedback on that assignment. Read this article to learn more about the Group Assignment feature in CN.