Moodle: Using Groups
Last Modified on 08/15/2023 5:04 pm EDT
Moodle's Groups feature allows instructors to assign students (plus co-instructors) to different sections of the class, either for the whole term or individuals assignments. Instructors can use this feature in a number of ways, including assigning different work to different groups of students.
Before you start, you may need the following:
- an Instructor of Record or Other Editing Teacher role in a Bryn Mawr Moodle course.
Create a group
- In your Moodle course, select Participants in the menu tab.
- On the Participants page, and select Groups from the drop-down menu.
- On the next page, click Create Group to create a new group. Enter the group's name. You may also enter a group description, picture, or enrollment key so students can self-enroll.
- Click Save Changes when finished. This will bring you back to the Groups page.
Add users to a group
- In your Moodle course, select Participants in the menu tab.
- On the Participants page, select Groups from the drop-down menu.
- To add users to your group, select a group you've previously created and click the Add/Remove Users button.
- On the next page, add users by selecting their names in the column labeled Potential Members. When finished, click the Add button. Click Remove if you want to undo an assignment.
- When you are finished adding users, click Back to Groups to return to the Participants page.
Auto-create groups
- In your Moodle course, select Participants in the menu tab.
- On the Participants page, and select Groups from the drop-down menu.
- To create groups automatically, click the Auto-Create Groups button on the Groups page.
- Set a Naming scheme (e.g., Group @ will create Group A, Group B, Group C, etc)
- Decide whether you want to Auto create based on the number of groups or the number of members. Then enter your preferred number.
- Use the Select members with role menu to determine which members of the course will be placed into the groups. Most likely, you'll select Registered Student or Auditor.
- Choose how to Allocate members. You can choose to allocate them in the following ways:
- Randomly
- Alphabetically by first name, last name
- Alphabetically by last name, first name
- Alphabetically by ID number
- You can use the Grouping menu to link several of the groups together under a shared Grouping name.
- When finished, click Submit.
Separate groups & visible groups
In the Settings page of Moodle activities, there is a Groups menu. Here, you can use the Separate or Visible Groups setting. Separate Groups creates a private space for group work, whereas Visible Groups will be able to see all groups' work. This latter useful if you want groups to hand in their own assignment, but want the whole class to collaborate and work together.
Assign work to a Group
- Create an assignment.
- Go the assignment Settings
- Click the Restrict Access menu.
- Click Add Restriction then Group from the menu.
- Select which of the groups you've already created should have access to the assignment.
- Repeat steps 4 and 5 as needed.
- When completely finished, select Save and Display. Otherwise, select Save and return to course to save your work without publishing it to the course page.
Using this feature will allow you to assign work to different groups. For instance, you can exempt certain groups from an assignment or assign slightly different versions of an assignment to different groups.
Videos & Further Reading on Groups
Questions?
If you have any additional questions or problems, don't hesitate to reach out to the Help Desk!
Phone: 610-526-7440 | Library and Help Desk hours
Email: help@brynmawr.edu | Service catalog
Location: Canaday Library 1st floor