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How do I assign an assignment to a course group?

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How to create group assignments in Canvas

CREATE GROUP ASSIGNMENTS

Here are instructions to first create a Group Set and individual Groups and then create the Group Assignment.

Create a Group Set:

1.  Click on People in the Course Navigation menu. 

2.  Click on the +Group Set button.

3.  In the Create Group Set pop-up, enter the name for the Group Set, select options as needed, then click Save .

Create Groups for the Group Set:

1.  Click on People in the Course Navigation menu.  

2.  Click on the tab for the Group Set.

3.  Click on +Group .

4.  Enter the name of the group, the limit of students that can be in the group, then click Save .

5.  Create as many groups as needed.

6.  Drag and drop students from the Unassigned Students list into their respective groups.

Create the Group Assignment:

1.  Click Assignments in the course Navigation menu.

2.  Click +Assignments .

3.  Enter the Assignment name, Points, etc and select This is a Group Assignment .

4.  Leave Assign Grades to Each Student Individually unchecked unless each member of a group will receive an individual grade.

5.  Select the Group Set .

6.  Click on the Assign To box, select one of the Groups you created, enter a Due date and Available From and Until Dates.

7.  To assign the Assignment to additional groups click on the +Add button and repeat step 6.

8.  Once the Assignment is assigned to all groups, click on the Save & Publish button.

If you have more questions about this, email [email protected] or call 864-656-3494.

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Canvas How-To: Groups

Section menu close, office of academic technology.

Understanding Group Sets and Groups

Groups and Group Sets help instructors organize students into teams. At least one Group Set must exist before any Groups can be created.

A Brief Analogy

Group Set = A filing cabinet Group = A drawer in the filing cabinet Member = A hanging folder in the drawer

Important: Group activities in Canvas are assigned and associated with the filing cabinet , not the individual drawers (see below). Just as an office can have many filing cabinets, a Canvas course can have many Group Sets. Students can be members of multiple Group Sets but can be a member of only one group per set.

Group Set filing cabinet with groups for each drawer

Create a Group Set

Open the People page  [1] . Next, click the "+ Group Set" button  [2] . Configure the group set.  It is not necessary to create the groups at this point.  The groups can be created later if necessary by returning to the People page and clicking the name of the Group Set above the course roster.

Steps to create a group set

How do I add a group set in a course?

How do I manually create groups in a group set?

How do I manually assign students to groups?

Creating Groups and Assigning Students Automatically

Use the  Group Structure  area to specify how the groups will be structured, and where the students will be placed.

Illustrating the Group Structure area of the Group Set page

How do I automatically create groups in a group set?

Enabling Self-Sign Up Groups

Enabled students to join the group of their choosing by ticking the checkbox and setting the maximum number of people per group.

Steps to allow student self-selection of groups

How do I create self sign-up groups in a group set?

Making an Assignment a Group Assignment

You can create a group assignment by using the  Group Assignment  checkbox. Canvas uses group sets to assign group assignments, and each group within the group set that is assigned to the assignment is required to complete the assignment.  All groups will complete the assignment using the same due date.

Note:  It is not possible to use individual groups as the basis for differentiated assignments, such as assigning an activity only to a single group or configuring unique due dates for specific groups.  Only Group Sets can receive special settings in assignments. 

Group assignment settings

How do I assign an assignment to a course group?

Making a Discussion a Group Discussion

You can create a single prompt and have groups to discuss it, either as a graded or ungraded activity.  Simple associate the discussion with an existing Group Set (or create a new one on-the-fly).

Be sure the Group Set has Groups before you open the discussion activity to students!

How to Create a Group Discussion

On the settings page of the discussion, check the box "This is a Group Discussion"  [1] . Then, open the Group Category menu to select the Group Set that will govern the group organization for the activity  [2] .  Alternatively, click the "New Group Category" button if you would like to create the Set to be used by the discussion.

Steps to create a group discussion

Important:  Students must be placed into a Group in order to properly participate. Students who are not in a group can still post, but the posts are only visible to the instructor and other students not in a group.

How Students Participate in a Group Discussion

To participate, students click the link for the Discussion activity and begin posting.  They are automatically participating in their group and do not need to do anything special to "enter" or "join" the discussion.  Students cannot view other groups' posts.

How Instructors Monitor a Group Discussion

Instructors can get an overview of activity in the groups by opening the discussion activity link and viewing the information at the top of the page. New posts are indicated in the badges on the far right.  To view a group's discussion, click the link for the group on the left.

View the list of groups and recent activity at the top of the discussion page.

Viewing Another Group

After reading one group's discussion, click the "Home" link in the left navigation menu and then click the breadcrumb link for the course at the top of the page to return to the home page.  Find the main link for the discussion and re-enter it.  Sorry, this is really an area where Canvas could be improved.

Viewing and Monitoring Group Activity

As an instructor, you can view what is happening in groups by viewing each user group from the  People  page of the course. You can view student activity within the group and view group-created content. You can also access student groups to create group collaborations and add other group-specific content if necessary.

Steps to view a group home page

How do I view content and student activity within a group as an instructor?

Updated: October 11, 2022

Modal Title

TC Technology Knowledge Base

Updated on Dec 24, 2022

1. In your course, click People on the left side menu.

how to make a group assignment in canvas

2. To create groups of the students in your class, click  +Group Set.

how to make a group assignment in canvas

3. Have Canvas create the randomly assigned groups

3.1. enter a group set name., 3.2. under group structure, enter the number of groups you want to create., 3.3. click save and all the students in your course will be randomly assigned to the groups.

how to make a group assignment in canvas

4. Create an assignment to assign to the group

4.1. click assignments on the left side menu., 4.2. click add + assignment on the top right hand side..

how to make a group assignment in canvas

4.3. Scroll through the assignment options and check the box next to This is a Group Assignment and then assign the group category you created.

Create Assignment

Canvas for Faculty

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Knowledge Base

How do I create Groups in Canvas?

What are groups, creating group sets.

From the course menu, select the  People  tab. You will then create a "Group Set" with a specific name, such as the assignment name. You can also select an existing Group Set if already created.  For a detailed tutorial, please see the Canvas Guide  How do I add a group set in a course?  

Creating Project Groups within a Group Set

Instructors choose to assign individuals to project or working groups in one of three ways:  

Using Assignments with course groups

Additional notes regarding group assignments: .

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Facilitating group work using canvas.

Group projects, presentations, demonstrations, and similar assignments can be valuable learning experiences for students as collaboration affords shared knowledge building amongst peers. The following process is a straightforward approach to structuring group work via Canvas. For more complex tasks, consider adding additional guidance and checkpoints to ensure high-quality final products.

Note: Due to physical distancing requirements in our current teaching and learning situation, group work should be conducted primarily online.

Note: If the assignment is a paper or essay, you may wish to enable Turnitin Plagiarism Review .

Note: If collaboration and/or joint knowledge construction are not germane to the course learning outcomes, consider modifying the task to an individual project or presentation in efforts to reduce the logistical coordination and psychological load required in group work.

Keep Teaching resources and social media channels

IMAGES

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COMMENTS

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    You can create a group assignment by using the Group Assignment checkbox. Canvas uses group sets to assign group assignments, and each group within the

  2. How to create group assignments in Canvas

    How to create group assignments in Canvas · 1. Click on People in the Course Navigation menu. · 2. Click on the +Group Set button. · 3. In the

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  5. Canvas How-To: Groups

    You can create a group assignment by using the Group Assignment checkbox. Canvas uses group sets to assign group assignments, and each group

  6. Add an assignment to an Assignment Group in Canvas

    1. Click Assignments in the Course Navigation Menu. · 2. Click on the name of the assignment that you would like to add to an Assignment Group.

  7. Create a Group Assignment with randomly assigned students in

    1. In your course, click People on the left side menu. · 2. To create groups of the students in your class, click +Group Set. · 3. Have Canvas

  8. How do I create Groups in Canvas?

    From the course menu, select the People tab. You will then create a "Group Set" with a specific name, such as the assignment name. You can also select an

  9. Facilitating group work using Canvas

    Instead of randomly assigning students to groups, consider constructing groups based on students' availability. · Creating groups via People automatically