Create Groups

Creating groups can help you manage students more effectively, especially for group projects, activities, or differentiated instruction. Follow these steps to do this:

1. From the BigSky homepage, click on the course where you want to create the group.
2. On the Navigation Bar, select User > Groups.
3. Click New Category.
4. Fill in the group name and description, and decide on the number of members per group.
5. Choose from the following provided group options:
   • # of Groups - No Auto Enrollment - create a specific number of groups with no automatic student enrollment.
   • Groups of # - create groups based on the specified number of members per group, with automatic enrollment.
   • # of Groups - create a specific number of groups with automatic student enrollment.
   • Groups of # - Self-Enrollment - create groups based on the specified number of members per group, allowing students to self-enroll.
   • # of Groups - Self-Enrollment - create a specific number of groups, allowing students to self-enroll with no size limit.
   • # of Groups, Capacity of # - Self-Enrollment - create a specific number of groups with a maximum capacity, allowing students to self-enroll.
6. Click Save.

Associate the Groups with Assignments

1. From the BigSky homepage, click on the course where your assignments are listed.
2. On the Navigation Bar, click Content.
3. In the course content area, click on the assignment you want to associate with the groups.
4. Open the assignment settings, look for the Assignment Type, and click Group Assignment.
5. A dropdown menu will appear, allowing you to select the group category you created earlier.
6. Choose the group category you want to assign this assignment to. This ensures that the assignment will be distributed to all groups within that category.
7. Once everything is set, click Save and Close to save the assignment and make it available to the students.

Reviewing Group Submissions

1. From the BigSky homepage, click on the course where your assignments are listed.
2. On the Navigation Bar, click Assessment > Assignments.
3. Select the assignment tied to the group.
4. You’ll see submissions organized by group. Click on each group to view the submission, leave feedback, and assign a grade.
5. You can provide collective feedback to the group or leave individual feedback for each member, depending on your preferences.