Control Panel-Users and Groups-Groups
Course Groups allow instructors and students to create groups of students within a course. These Course Groups have their own area in Blackboard Learn to collaborate on course work. These spaces are equipped with tools that can assist in this collaborative process.
Students access the tools added to the Group Homepage under Group Tools. Only the instructor and the group members can access tools enabled for the group, with the exception of the Group Blog and Group Wiki tools. Group Blogs and Wikis appear to all course members when the tools are accessed on the Tools or Groups link from the course menu. Group blogs, journals, discussion boards and wikis can all be gradeded but all members are assigned the same grade, regardless if a member contributed. You can edit an individual member’s grade to assign a different grade than the group’s.
Available Group Tools include the following:
- Group Blog: Users within the group can add entries and comments to the Group Blog to share ideas. You can grade Group Blogs, but once a Group Blog is set to be graded, it cannot be changed. When a grade is added for a Group Blog, the grade is automatically given to all the members of the group and is populated in the corresponding column in the Grade Center for each group member.
- Collaboration Tools: Users within the group can create and attend real-time Chat or Virtual Classroom sessions.
- Group Discussion Board: Users within the group can communicate as a group, as well as create and manage their own forums. The Group Discussion Board is available only to group members, not to the entire course.
- File Exchange: Only users within the group and instructors can use this tool to upload documents to the group area. All group members and the instructor can add files. They can also delete files, regardless of who added them. Files appear in the order they were uploaded.
- Group Journal: Users within the group can share their thoughts with each other and communicate with the instructor. Journal entries made in the Group Journal are visible to ALL group members and the instructor. You can grade Group Journals, but once a Group Journal is set to be graded, it cannot be changed. When a grade is added for a Group Journal, the grade is automatically given to all the members of the group and is populated in the corresponding column in the Grade Center for each Group member.
- Group Tasks: Users within the group can define and separate the workload into tasks, while distributing the list to the entire group. Each task has a status and a due date to help keep members on track. Group members can view the group assigned tasks in the Group Tasks tool or in the Course Tasks tool. Other course members and the instructor will not see tasks for groups they are not enrolled in when viewing the Course Tasks tool.
- Group Wiki: Wikis are used to create a collaborative space for group members to view, contribute, and edit content. By default, Group Wikis can be read by all course members, but only members of the group can make a comment on a Group Wiki page. An instructor can change the default setting to allow only group members to view a Group Wiki. You can grade Group Wikis, but once a Group Wiki is set to be graded, it cannot be changed. When a grade is added for a Group Wiki, the grade is automatically given to all the members of the group and is populated in the corresponding column in the Grade Center for each group member.
The following resources will help you with the following:
