Instructors are able to set up groups in Blackboard to support collaboration. Depending on your preferences, users can be enrolled in groups manually, randomly, or through self-enrollment.
Create a Group
Instructors can create Group pages for a single group or for a group set and can then link to group pages from within course content pages. From a content area in the course, click on the “Add Interactive Tool” button and select “Groups.” (Alternatively, you can follow a similar creation process by navigating to the “Control Panel, selecting “Users and Groups,” and then selecting “Groups.”)
Click on the “Create” Single Group button or Create Group Set, and select either “Self-Enroll” or “Manual Enroll”.
- Self-Enroll allows students to join the Group themselves by adding their name to a sign-up sheet. Sign-up sheets can be made available on the Groups page, and can limit the number of people allowed to join the Group. Self-Enrollment Groups can be made one at a time, or made in sets.
- Manual Enroll allows the instructor to assign students to groups.
- Random Enroll distributes students into Groups randomly and based on the desired number of students per group, or the desired number of Groups. For example, if there are 24 students enrolled in a Course, and the Instructor wants four students per group, the system would create six Groups. If the Instructor wanted four groups, the system would randomly enroll six students per Group.
Choose to make the group unavailable, available or sign-up sheet only.Instructors may click “No” for the group to be unavailable in case the
- instructor needs to finish with the options before the students can see it.
- Clicking “Yes” will put up a sign-up sheet and students will be enrolled when they sign up.
- Selecting “Sign-up Sheet Only” will create a sign-up sheet and the instructor will need to approve the groups before the students are actually enrolled.
Click “Submit” to create group.
Edit or Delete a Group
Click on the down arrows next to the name of a group and then click on “Edit” or “Delete.”
View Group Pages
Once groups are created for users in a course, instructors can access the group pages for every group in the course and students can access the group pages for the groups they are in.
Go to the Control Panel, Users and Groups, and then select Groups.
Click on the Group Name to view the group page. Instructors are able to add course modules, add group modules, email group members, edit group tools and assignments.
Add Course Modules
Click on the “Add Course Module” button. Select the modules to appear on the group page, and click “Submit”.
Add Group Modules
Click on the “Add Group Module” button, select modules to appear on the group page, and click “Submit”.
Email Group Members
Click on the down arrows next to the Group Members, choose “Email”, then type the email message and click “Submit”.
