The group set allows you to set up a number of groups all at once.
This guide explains how this works for self enrol groups. It assumes that you have experience with how self enrol groups work. For more information about self enrolment groups check the separate guide.
Note that when you make a self enrol group set students can only join one of the groups.
Users and Groups
1. From your course Control Panel expand the Users and Groups section and click on Groups.
Group Sets
2. Hover your mouse over Create Group Set and choose Self-Enrol.
Name
3. Enter a name for the group set. Blackboard will take this name and then add a number to it automatically depending on the number of groups you choose to set up. For example if you just enter “Group” and later choose to make 5 groups, Blackboard will call them Group 1, Group 2, Group 3, Group 4, and Group 5.
4. Enter a description if you wish. This description will be repeated for each group, so is not very useful.
How does it look?
This screenshot shows how the settings chosen in the previous slide look from the student’s point of view.
First from the groups page it shows the name chosen and the description.
How does it look? (2)
Then once the student has clicked to view the sign up sheets they see the list of groups that use the name you chose, plus the number. The description is shown again.
Option
5. If you wish for students to access the group, make sure Group Visible is set to Yes. If you only wish to use the group for your own purposes such as Adaptive Release or to email groups of students then do not make the group available.
Sign-Up Sheet Only means that the students can sign up to join the group, but none of the group functionality will be made available to them and they will not be able to go into their “group area”. This means they will not have a reminder of which group they have signed up to because it will not appear in their group list below the course menu. They will not be able to see who else is in the group after signing up to it even if you have enabled this option below. Therefore in most circumstances it is better not to use this option and instead make the group available.
Tools
6. Choose which tools should be made available for the group to use.
Note: Content Market Tools, and Academic Materials refer to publisher integrations set up for a small number of courses and should usually be left un-ticked.
Personalisation?
7. If you wish to allow the members of the group a small degree of freedom to personalise their group space select Allow Personalisation.
Instructions
8. Enter a sign up sheet name and instructions. The Sign Up Sheet Name and Instructions are shown when students are choosing which sign up group to join.
9. Set the following options according to your preference.
Maximum Number of Members
Set the maximum number of users who may be members of this group.
Show Members
If you would like to let users see who else is in the group before they join tick this box.
Allow Students to sign up from the Groups listing page
If you only want students to be able to sign up at any time from the Groups area tick this box. However if you want to restrict the availability of when students can sign up do not tick this box. You would then need to add a link to this group from a content area. This can be done from any content area by going to Add Interactive Tool and then choosing Group.
How it looks
The image above shows how the Sign Up Sheet Name and Instructions are shown to the student. You can see them at the top of the screenshot above.
Number of groups
10. Enter the number of groups that you wish to make.
Smart Views
11. If you wish to have a smart view for the group shown in the Grade Centre tick this box.
12. Click Submit.
Success!
12. Your groups will be created.