Groups: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 10:22, 28 October 2015

Why use groups?

You are a teacher in a course where you have several classes and you want to filter your activities and gradebook so you only see one class at a time.
You are a teacher sharing a course with other teachers and you want to filter your activities and gradebook so you don’t see the students from your colleagues’ classes.
You want to allocate a particular activity, resource or topic section to just one class or set of users and you don’t want others to see it.

Group levels

Groups settings in course settings

A group or grouping can be used on two levels:

Course level - The group mode defined at the course level is the default mode for all activities defined within that course. To use groups you need first to set a group mode in Administration > Course administration > Edit settings.

Activity level - Each activity that supports groups can also have its own group mode defined. If the course setting "Force group mode" is set to "Yes" then the option to define the group mode for individual activities is not available. If it is set to "No", then the teacher may change the group mode:

Group modes

There are three group modes

No groups - There are no sub groups, everyone is part of one big community
Separate groups - Each group can only see their own group, others are invisible.
Visible groups - Each group works in their own group, but can also see other groups. (The other groups' work is read-only.)

For example, enabling either separate or visible groups on an assignment drop-box enables staff to filter the student submissions to see only those from a particular tutor group. With visible groups, students can see which other groups are doing the same activities as they are; with separate groups, they do not know which other groups are doing the same activities.

Using groups with discussion forums allow teachers to restrict interaction between students. Separate groups mean only students in the same group can see and participate in discussions within a particular forum. Visible groups allow students to see other group's discussions, but only participate in their own group's discussions.

Note: Where visible groups are used or the participant can access all groups, the user's own group is shown first, followed by other groups:

Creating a group

Click the 'Create group' button in Administration > Course administration > Users > Groups
Add a group name and optional description (displayed above the list of group members on the participants page), enrolment key and picture (displayed on the participants page and next to forum posts)
Click the 'Save changes' button
Select the group to which you want to add participants, then click the 'Add/remove users button
In the "Potential members" list, select the users you want to add to the group. Multiple users may be selected using the Crtl key.
Click the Add button to add the users to the group

An optional group ID number (an advanced setting) may be added for matching the group against external systems. Group ID numbers are not displayed anywhere on the site. Within a course, all group ID numbers must be unique. Thus it's not possible to create a group with a duplicate group ID number.

Auto-create groups

Groups may be created automatically via the 'Auto-create groups' button in Administration > Course administration > Users > Groups. To see all the settings, click the Expand all link top right.

General

A naming scheme can be created automatically. # is replaced by sequential numbers, and @ by letters. For example:

Group @ will create group with a naming scheme Group A, Group B, Group C . . .
Group # will create group with a naming scheme Group 1, Group 2, Group 3 . . .

You can specify if you would like to create

x number of Groups or
each group contain x number of students

When selecting Members per group the Prevent last small group will allocate additional members to an existing group rather then create a new group with fewer members than x. This setting is found by clicking on the Show More link.

Group members

Select members from ... allows you to choose from roles assigned within the course, available cohorts, groups or groupings. Specify and Group/Member count work together.

The setting 'Select members from cohort' lists all cohorts which users enrolled on the current course are part of. The number in brackets is the number of users enrolled on the course in that cohort.

The 'Ignore users in groups' checkbox should be ticked to only select group members from users that are NOT already in a group in the course.

Grouping

Create in grouping and Grouping name allows you to create a new grouping and allocate the new auto-created groups to be created to it.

Prior to creating the groups, you can view the groups.

Restricting an activity, resource or course topic to a particular group

Restricting an activity to a particular group

To be able to restrict an activity, resource or course topic to a group, Conditional activities must be enabled. This will result in a 'Restrict access' section in the activity, resource or topic settings and a group restriction can then be added.

Groups and enrol plugins

Where groups are created automatically with enrol plugins such as IMS Enterprise, members cannot be unenrolled manually via the groups screen inside a course. This has to be done from the plugin. Additionally, when group members are owned by a plugin like this, there is information below their name on the groups screen.

Groups overview

A overview of groups and groupings is available via the Overview tab in Administration > Course administration > Users > Groups.

The table may be filtered to display particular groupings or groups and (New in 3.0) it will also display students who are not in a group:

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Grouping users}}
-The '''Groups''' feature allows a teacher to assign teachers and students to one or more groups.  This can be on the course or on the activity level.
+==Why use groups?==
-* [[Create group|Create/edit group]]
+*You are a teacher in a course where you have several classes and you want to filter your activities and gradebook so you only see one class at a time.
-* [[Assign users to group]]
+*You are a teacher sharing a course with other teachers and you want to filter your activities and gradebook so you don’t see the students from your colleagues’ classes.
-* [[Auto-create groups]]
+*You want to allocate a particular activity, resource or topic section to just one class or set of users and you don’t want others to see it.
-* [[Groupings| Groupings tab]]
-* [[Groups overview|Overview tab]]
-* [[Groups versus groupings|Groups vrs groupings]]
-* [[Groups FAQ]]
+==Group levels==
+[[File:groupmodecourse.png|thumb|Groups settings in course settings]]
+A group or grouping can be used on two levels:
+*Course level - The group mode defined at the course level is the default mode for all activities defined within that course.  To use groups you need first to set a group mode in ''Administration > Course administration > Edit settings.''
+*Activity level - Each activity that supports groups can also have its own group mode defined. If the course  setting "Force group mode" is set to "Yes" then the option to define the group mode for individual activities is not available. If it is set to "No", then the teacher may change the group mode:
+===Group modes===
-Using groups on the course or activity level will allow the teacher to:
+There are three group modes
-*Completely isolate groups of students by sight and activity from each other.
+*No groups - There are no sub groups, everyone is part of one big community
-*Partially separate groups, where one group can see other groups and each groups' activity, but not interact with the other group(s).
+*Separate groups - Each group can only see their own group, others are invisible.
-*Identify each group with an icon.
+*Visible groups - Each group works in their own group, but can also see other groups. (The other groups' work is read-only.)
-The groups feature can allow different cohorts of students (and their teachers) to take the same course asynchronously without creating a "new" course. Or it allows 1 course with a large student enrolment  to place students into sections, each section having their own teacher.  Or it allows 1 course that is used by different departments.
+For example, enabling either separate or visible groups on an assignment drop-box enables staff to filter the student submissions to see only those from a particular tutor group. With visible groups, students can see which other groups are doing the same activities as they are; with separate groups, they do not know which other groups are doing the same activities.
-Groups must be enabled in the [[Course_settings]].  After it is enabled a group icon will appear in the [[Course administration block]].
+Using groups with discussion forums allow teachers to restrict interaction between students. Separate groups mean only students in the same group can see and participate in discussions within a particular forum. Visible groups allow students to see other group's discussions, but only participate in their own group's discussions.
-The [[Image:Group.gif]] icon links to the Groups screen. There are 3 tabs on this screen:
+'''Note:''' Where visible groups are used or the participant can access all groups, the user's own group is shown first, followed by other groups:
-*Groups - create/edit a group, add/subtract members,
-*Groupings - create groups of individual groups
-*Overview
-==Groups tab==
+[[File:mygroupsfirst.png]]
-This screen changes depending upon the edit button which is selected below the "Groups" and "Members of" lists.  You will find buttons for: Show members of group, Edit group settings, Delete selected group, Create group, and  Auto create group.
-===Create a group===
+==Creating a group==
-Select the Create a group button.  Give the group a name and a description. The [[enrolment key]] field will allow a user to enter the course and  will automatically make them a member of this group. Uploading a group icon, will place the icon on the participants listing, forum posts by those group members and other places.  The Save button takes you back to the Group tab screen.
+#Click the 'Create group' button in ''Administration > Course administration > Users > Groups''
+#Add a group name and optional description (displayed above the list of group members on the participants page), [[Enrolment key|enrolment key]] and picture (displayed on the participants page and next to forum posts)
+#Click the 'Save changes' button
+#Select the group to which you want to add participants, then click the 'Add/remove users button
+# In the "Potential members" list, select the users you want to add to the group. Multiple users may be selected using the Crtl key.
+# Click the Add button to add the users to the group
-:''TIP:'' For the enrolment key to work you will need to define a separate course enrolment key in your 'course settings').
+An optional group ID number (an advanced setting) may be added for matching the group against external systems. Group ID numbers are not displayed anywhere on the site. Within a course, all group ID numbers must be unique. Thus it's not possible to create a group with a duplicate group ID number.
-:''TIP:'' To assign a group icon, you will need to have permission to add a picture to your profile.
-===Add or remove group members ===
+==Auto-create groups==
-After creating a group, highlight a group and click the "Add members" button below the "Members of" list.  The screen will change. Next you will see the add and remove buttons between 2 lists.
+[[File:autocreategroups.png|thumb|Auto-create groups]]
+Groups may be created automatically via the 'Auto-create groups' button in ''Administration > Course administration > Users > Groups''. To see all the settings, click the ''Expand all'' link top right.
-Highlight members you wish to add or remove. Remember you can use the Crtl key to select more than one person.
+===General===
+A '''naming scheme''' can be created automatically.  # is replaced by sequential numbers, and @ by letters.  For example:
+*''Group @'' will create group with a naming scheme Group A, Group B, Group C . . .
+*''Group #'' will create group with a naming scheme Group 1, Group 2, Group 3 . . .
-===Auto-create groups===
+You can specify if you would like to  create
-From the groups tab, it is possible to automate the creation of groups.  Auto creation is a powerful tool which can allocate members to groups by several methods (alpha or randomly), set maximum number of members, create a unique group name and even assign the new group to a grouping.
+*x number of Groups or
+*each group contain x number of students
-See [[Auto-create groups]] for more information.
+:When selecting '''Members per group''' the '''Prevent last small group''' will allocate additional members to an existing group rather then create a new group with fewer members than x. This setting is found by clicking on the Show More link.
-===Adding/subtracting people in a group===
+===Group members===
-To [[Assign users to group|add a member]](s) to a group you need to select the group name in the left column, then select the participants (use shift or ctrl for multiple selections), from the right column. Click the "Add" button to move them to the selected group..
+''Select members from ...'' allows you to choose from roles assigned within the course, available cohorts, groups or groupings.
+'''Specify''' and '''Group/Member count''' work together.
-To remove participants from a group, select the appropriate group to view members, select the participants to remove and click the "Remove selected members" button.
+The setting 'Select members from cohort' lists all cohorts which users enrolled on the current course are part of. The number in brackets is the number of users enrolled on the course in that cohort.
-==Groupings tab==
+The 'Ignore users in groups' checkbox should be ticked to only select group members from users that are NOT already in a group in the course.
-Groupings allow you combine individual groups, which then become a group itself.
-See [[Groupings]] for more information.
+===Grouping===
-==Overview tab==
+'''Create in grouping''' and '''Grouping name''' allows you to create a new grouping and allocate the new auto-created groups to be created to it.
-The overview tab shows course groupings, and membership of each group.
-See [[Groups overview]] for more information
+Prior to creating the groups, you can view the groups.
-==Using groups in course or activity==
+==Restricting an activity, resource or course topic to a particular group==
+[[File:group restriction.png|frame|Restricting an activity to a particular group]]
+To be able to restrict an activity, resource or course topic to a group, [[Conditional activities]] must be enabled. This will result in a 'Restrict access' section in the activity, resource or topic settings and a group restriction can then be added.
-A group or grouping can be used on two levels:
+==Groups and enrol plugins==
-* '''Course level''' - the group mode defined at the course level is the default mode for all activities defined within that course. This is determined in the course [[Course_settings|settings]].
+Where groups are created automatically with enrol plugins such as  IMS Enterprise, members cannot be unenrolled manually via the groups screen inside a course. This has to be done from the plugin. Additionally, when group members are owned by a plugin like this, there is information below their name on the groups screen.
-* '''Activity level''' - each activity that supports groups can also have its own group mode defined. If the course  setting "Force group mode" is set to "Yes" then the option to define the group mode for individual activities is not available.
+==Groups overview==
-[[Image:forceNo.png]]
+A overview of groups and groupings is available via the Overview tab in ''Administration > Course administration > Users > Groups''.
-'''AND'''
+The table may be filtered to display particular [[Groupings|groupings]] or groups and ('''New in 3.0''') it will also display students who are ''not'' in a group:
+[[File:notinagroup1.png|center]]
-[[Image:forceYes.png]]
+==Groups capabilities==
+*[[Capabilities/moodle/course:managegroups|Manage groups]]
+*[[Capabilities/moodle/site:accessallgroups|Access all groups]]
+*[[Capabilities/moodle/calendar:managegroupentries|Manage group calendar entries]]
+==See also==
-'''There are three group modes:'''
-===No groups===
-:There are no sub groups, everyone is part of one big community.
-===Separate groups===
-:Each group can only see their own group, others are invisible.
-===Visible groups===
-:Each group works in their own group, but can also see other groups. (The other groups' work is read-only.)
-==See also==
-*[[Groups FAQ]]
-*[[Create group]]
-*[[Assign users to group]]
-*[[What is the difference between groups and groupings?]]
 *[[Upload users]] - for importing users into groups
-*[https://docs.moodle.org/en/Groups_FAQ#Is_it_possible_to_create_site-wide_groups.3F Is it possible to create site-wide groups?]
+*[[Enrolment key]]
-*Using Moodle [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/view.php?id=1490 Groups forum]
+* [http://youtu.be/amyQjAESkZM Moodle Forum Types and Group Mode] MoodleBites video on YouTube
-[[Category:Groups]]
 [[de:Gruppen]]
 [[fr:Groupes]]
 [[ja:グループ]]
-[[pl:Grupy]]
+[[es:Grupos]]

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