The following are some of the questions we frequently get asked about Groups in Canvas. For a full list of FAQs from Canvas, check out these Canvas Guides from Instructure: Groups

How do I add a Group set?

In the Course Navigation Menu, click the People link. Click the Add Group Set button.  Give the Group Set a meaningful name including your course prefix and number. You can allow self sign-ups or automatically/manually split the class into groups. When finished, click Save.

Can I have students sign-up for their own Group?

Yes. When creating your Groups, click the Self Sign-Up option.  This opens up an additional option to Require group members to be in the same section or not.

How can I move a student to a different Group?

In the Course Navigation Menu, click the People link. In the tabs, click the name of the Group Set. Expand the group where you want to move the student. Click the student's name and drag it to another group. You can also click the student name Options menu (three dots) and select the Move To... link. In the Move Student sidebar, click the Place drop-down menu. Select the group where you want to move the student. Click the Move button.

Note: Any changes should be made before assigning a group to an assignment. If a student is added to or removed from a group after receiving submissions, the submissions and grades may not align correctly. If a student is added to a group after the group submission, any re-submissions will overwrite the original submission; all previous grades will remain but the Gradebook will show the assignment was resubmitted since last graded. If you want to move a group member with a graded submission, you may want to clone the group set instead.

How can I view the activity of a Group?

In the Course Navigation Menu, click the People link. In the tabs, click the name of the Group Set. Next to the group name, click the Options menu. Then click the Visit Group Homepage link. As the instructor, you can view all of the student activity within the group by clicking any link in the Group Navigation Menu. When viewing a student group, you can easily switch and view all groups within a group set by clicking the Switch Group link.

Can students create their own student Groups?

Yes, if you enable this option in your Course Settings.  In Course Navigation, click the Settings link. Click the Course Details tab. Click the (tiny) more options link at the bottom. Select the Let students organize their own groups checkbox. Click the Update Course Details button. On the People page, you can view student groups. Click the Student Groups tab to view groups created by your students. Note the warning:

How do students get to their Group page?

Once a student is added to a Group in any class, a Groups icon will be added to their Global Navigation Menu. This link will show them all the Groups they are enrolled in for all their classes. For this reason, you should always give your Groups names that make them easily distinguished from others (i.e. CHEM 101 Prof. Smith - Group 2).

What tools are available to students in their Group?

Groups have their own home page with links to Group-specific Announcements, Pages, People, Discussions, Files, and Conferences.

How do Group assignments work?

You can create a group assignment by using the Group Assignment checkbox when creating an Assignment. 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. When creating or editing a group assignment, you can assign an assignment to specific groups. You can also set different due dates and availability dates for a group within an assignment that is assigned to the rest of the class. In group assignments, one submission will count for the entire group.

When differentiating groups in assignments, students can only view the assignment if they are a member of an assigned group. Otherwise the assignment does not appear in the student's assignments page. Grades cannot be assigned for students who have not been included in the assignment, and assignments that are not assigned to a student are not factored into overall grades. 

How do I grade an individual in a Group assignment?

When setting up the Assignment, first click the option This is a Group Assignment, then check the box Assign Grades to Each Student Individually. Group Assignments are graded in SpeedGrader.  If the group assignment was set up to assign grades to each student individually, the submission will still apply for each group member's assignment, but the drop-down menu displays the name of each individual student. When grading the submission, the entered grade will only apply for the student whose submission you are viewing.  

Individually graded group assignments include commenting options. To send your comment to one student in a group, select Send comment to this student only. To send your comment to the whole group, select Send comment to the whole group. Individual comments also appear in the Submission Comments filter in Conversations.