Groups Tool FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Groups Tool and why would I use it?

Use Groups to provide students with work areas to work on projects or assignments and to organize assignment submissions by group. Each group can have its own discussion forums and dropbox folders to work in. You can grade group members as a group or individually.

When should I set up Groups?

In most cases it is better to set up groups after the majority of users are enrolled in your course. This gives you a better idea of how many users you are organizing and how many groups you need. Setting up groups after enrollment can also ensure better distribution of users between groups.

Can I create my groups first and go back later and create the workspaces?

Sure! You can edit your group category and add the required workspaces.

Can I restrict the discussion forums to groups only?

You can set restrictions on the discussion forum or on a specific discussion topic.

Why use assignment folders (dropboxes) for groups?

When you setup your groups you can set up a dropbox folder so that each group can submit their assignment to their own folder. In addition, each group member can view the feedback that you provide via they dropbox, the grade on the assignment, and feedback that was submitted via attachments.

Can all group members access the group asignments (dropbox) folder?

Yes. All students who are enrolled in the group can access the group’s dropbox folder. They can download and upload files and view feedback that you provide via the dropbox folder.

What is a Locker?

Students can the Locker tool to upload and store files or to create new HTML files. You can create a personal lockers for each student or group locker areas that will allow asynchronous collaboration on files.