The PowerPoint used in the online training session with staff at UoRM about using Blackboard's Groups feature (July 2016).

1. LIMITLESS POTENTIAL | LIMITLESS OPPORTUNITIES | LIMITLESS IMPACT
Managing groups in Blackboard
1
USING GROUPS
Technology Enhanced Learning
CQSD
21/07/2016

2. LIMITLESS POTENTIAL | LIMITLESS OPPORTUNITIES | LIMITLESS IMPACT
PREPARATION
1. Use the Chrome browser
2. Find your own Practice Course under:
Enrolments > Courses (> No Term Assigned)
3. Enter your Practice Course.
Use it for the hands-on activities
2

3. 3Tip: Mute Audio when you are not speaking to prevent feedback loop
noise
Welcome to
the session

4. Issues with Sound!
• Plug your headset in before joining
the session.
• Go to Collaborate Panel > My
Settings and ‘Set-up your Camera
and Microphone’
• Check your computer Sound
settings
• Allow your browser to use audio and
video
4

5. THIS SESSION WILL
BE RECORDED
• The recording for the session will only be made
available to staff enrolled on this course in
Blackboard.
• Please provide your consent for us to record the
session by writing in the Chat tool. Type: I agree
• If you do not want to be recorded during the
session, please let us know. 5

6. SESSION OVERVIEW
Introduction to the Groups tool and Sign-up List tool
• Hands-on practice
• Ask questions
1. Set-up and manage Groups within a course,
2. Understand how groups work and can be used,
3. Awareness of the other tools that can be used in
association with groups,
4. Set-up and manage a Sign-up List.
6

7. WHERE WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO VISIT?
7

8. YOUR EXPERIENCE
•Do you do group work with
your students?
•Have you used the Groups
tool in Blackboard?
8

9. WHAT IS GROUPS?
• Groups is a tool within a course
• Allows you to create sub-sets of students
• Facilitates collaboration, communication &
administration
• Provides a discreet online space for group work
• Each group can have online tools (e.g. Discussion
Board, Blog, Wiki)
• Use it behind the scenes to organise students
• Works in conjunction with other tools to filter & control
access 9

10. SET UP OPTIONS
• Different ways of setting-up groups and making students members.
• Single Group – Create one group
• Group Set – create multiple groups in one go with the same settings
Membership enrolment options:
• Manual Enrol – Instructor chooses who is a member
• Self Enrol – Students can enrol themselves *
• Random Enrol (Sets only) – system randomly allocates students
• Import – Add group members in bulk (CSV file)
* Use Sign-up list tool instead for this option 10

11. THINGS TO KNOW
• No limit to number of groups
• Students can be members of different groups
• But only a member of one group in a ‘Group Set’
• Students can only access their own groups
• Groups can be made un-available to students
• A group has to be to available to students if used with:
• Assignment submission
• Send Email
11

12. TOOLS THAT USE GROUPS
Works in conjunction with other tools to:
• Adaptive Release - Control access to content
• Bb Assignment - group assignment submission
• Send emails - Specific groups
• Smart Views - Filter your view of students (in the Grade Centre)
• Turnitin by Groups – Filter your view of individual assignments
• Sign-up List – Self enrol and manage members
12

13. STUDENT SIGN-UP
• What do you ask students to sign-up for?
• Have you seen the Sign-up list tool?
• Has anyone used it?
13

14. WHAT IS A SIGN-UP LIST?
• Create online sign-up sheets
• Students can add and remove themselves
• Better functionality to manage sign up
• Can be separate from the Groups tool
• Or can work with the Groups tool:
• Automatically assigns membership
• Allocates to existing group or creates a new group
Examples:
• Book appointments
• Sign up for a group project
• Join scheduled activities / events
14

15. 15
ANY QUESTIONS?

16. SUPPORT AVAILABLE
16
Get in touch
Staff
Development
TEL guides
Support for Staff
tab on Blackboard
TEL blog
Blackboard Help
site
TEL courses
Blackboard
Surgeries
IT Service Desk
(it@reading.ac.uk)
• Help you with technical queries
• Forward your TEL queries to us

17. TEL TWITTER
@unirdg_TEL
TEL BLOG
https://blogs.reading.ac.uk/tel
17