Group assignments
Your instructors can create group tests or assignments where you can collaborate with other students. Your instructor may create groups or ask you to join a group for group assignments. The workflow is the same for group tests.
On your Course page, your group name is listed after the group assignment title. Your group members' names appear at the bottom when you open an assignment. If you see the option Join a group to participate, select the link to choose a group. You won't see the group assignment on your Grades page until you join a group.
If you can’t view the group assignment, your access might be based on your score on another graded item or a date. You can always view your group members even if you can't view the group assignment. If your instructor has asked you to join a group, you may be able to see your group members before you can access the assignment. Your instructor controls that setting, so contact them if you have further questions.
You can view a group assignment and you don't have to submit it. When you select View assessment, you can just view the group assignment or add some work. Not ready to submit? Select Save and Close in the panel. Your work on behalf of the group is saved and not submitted. If you or another group member previously started the group assignment, your work was saved. Select View assessment to resume working.
Everyone in the group can keep track of the latest version of the work. Until a member selects Submit, you can open the group assignment as many times as you want.
Group conversations and Collaborate
If your instructor enabled conversations, select the conversation icon in the panel. You can ask for help, share sources, or answer questions others have about the group assignment. You can have conversations with the whole class, just the group, or both!
When a group member has posted to the conversation, an icon appears next to the assignment title on the Course Content page to indicate new activity. The conversation icon in the panel also appears with a purple dot.
You can also use Collaborate Ultra to meet virtually with your group if your course uses Collaborate and your instructor enabled conversations. To open your group's Collaborate room, select the Open Collaborate room icon.
New to Collaborate Ultra? Start here with the basics!
Join a group
Your instructor may ask you to join a group to complete a group assignment. The group assignment won't appear on your Grades page until you join a group.
On the Course Content page, you may see an enrollment period. This means that you need to join a group before the deadline. If you haven't joined a group, you're notified when the enrollment deadline approaches.
You can also see if the enrollment period isn't open yet or has closed. You can see the groups page and the assignment only after the enrollment period opens. Contact your instructor if you didn't join a group by the enrollment deadline. If all groups have submitted work, you can't join a group.
Select the Join a group to participate link to access the groups page. If you select the group assignment title, a panel opens with details and links to join a group. You can't view the assignment until you join a group.
Groups page
The groups you can join appear on the groups page. Based on your instructor's settings, you might see a Show Members link that displays the names of other members who joined before you. In the Number of students column, you can see how many members are allowed to join each group. Your instructor may allow all students to join all groups. For example, you might attend multiple field trips.
After you join a group, Joined appears in that row. You can move to another group while the enrollment period is open. You can't move if your group has already submitted work.
You can’t join or move to groups with submitted work or the maximum number of members. If you can’t join any group or the enrollment deadline has passed, contact your instructor.
After you join a group, you can view your group activity and participate.
Video: Self-enroll in a group
Watch a video about enrolling in a group
The following narrated video provides a visual and auditory representation of some of the information included on this page. For a detailed description of what is portrayed in the video, open the video on YouTube, navigate to More actions, and select Open transcript.
Video: Self-enroll in a group explains how to enroll in a group.
Multiple members can work on a group assignment
When a group member opens a group assignment, the assignment is locked so other members can't edit it. Other group members can request to work on the assignment. The member in control can approve or decline the request.
Take control of an assignment
- Open the group assignment. If another group member is working on the assignment, a pencil icon and message appears next to the member's name.
- To send a request to the group member who's currently in control, select Take Control.
- A message appears to let you know that your request for control was sent. If you decide you don't want control, you can cancel your request.
- The person in control of the group assignment receives a notification and can approve or decline your request.
- If your request is approved, the group assignment is unlocked and you can work on it. You receive a message if your request is denied.
If your request is denied, your group member may have granted access to someone else. You can request access again later. You might also want to send a message to your group to coordinate who works on the group assignment at certain times.
If you receive one of these notifications while you work on a group assignment, the system saves your work automatically. You can choose to leave the assignment and turn over control to the member who requested access. Or, you can ignore the request and continue.
Submit a group assignment
Remember, as you work on a group assignment, you can save a draft and other group members are allowed to edit it. Everyone in the group can keep track of the latest version of the work.
Only one member of your group submits the assignment. You'll receive a pop-up message where you confirm you want to submit on behalf of your group. You can't make changes to a group assignment after you submit it.
The Submit button is disabled until one of your group members adds content.
Group grades and feedback
Your instructors grade a group assignment in the same way they grade an assignment that you work on individually. You see only your own grade, but your instructor can assign different grades to each group member. Instructors may assign different grades if they feel that a group member's contribution earned a grade different from the rest of the group.
You can view your group feedback and feedback your instructor provided just for you. When you open the group assignment to view the grade, the feedback panel opens automatically. Your feedback appears in the Group and Individual tabs. After you close the feedback panel, select the feedback icon to open it again.
How do I check that our group assignment was submitted?
After your group submits an assignment, select the title of the assignment on the Course Content page. A panel appears with the date and time of the submission. Not graded appears if your group submitted the assignment but your instructor hasn't graded it yet. Select the Submission link to view the submission.
As your instructors post grades, you'll find them in your activity stream. Select View your grade to display your grade. If your instructor added group feedback, you'll see it after the item's title. Select the group assignment title to open your Course Grades page to access all your grades and feedback.
You can also access the group assignment in your course to review your grade and feedback in context.
Your grades also appear on the global and course grades pages.
