Groups

In Blackboard Ultra, faculty can organize students into groups for a variety of purposes, such as group discussions, collaborative assignments, or sign-up sheets. Groups can also be created for administrative tasks like marking delegation or content release to specific student groups. This guide will walk you through how to create and manage groups effectively.

Types of Groups

  1. Custom Groups
    • Faculty control the number of groups and the students allocated to each group.
    • Use Cases: Marking groups, tutorial groups, group work.
  2. Randomly Assigned Groups
    • Faculty set the number of groups or the maximum number of students per group, and Blackboard automatically allocates students.
    • Use Cases: Group work, marking groups.
  3. Self-Enrolment Groups
    • Faculty define the number of groups and the maximum number of students per group, and students select which group they want to join. Students can switch groups during the enrolment period.
    • Use Cases: Sign-up sheets, group work.
  4. Reuse Groups
    • Faculty can create duplicates of existing groups or use an existing group as a template for new groups.
    • Use Cases: Creating new groups based on previous ones.

Visible vs. Non-Visible Groups

  • Visible Groups: Students can see each other in visible groups. This is necessary for self-enrolment, group discussions, assessments, and sending group messages.
  • Non-Visible Groups: Students are unaware of non-visible groups. These groups can be used for administrative purposes, such as allocating marking groups or applying release conditions, without students knowing.

Creating and Managing Groups

1. Create a Group Set Manually

  • Navigate to the “Groups” section from the course menu.
  • Select New Group Set.
  • Add the group set name and set the visibility of the group set. Self-enrollment groups must be visible for use.
  • Choose the type of group you wish to create (Custom, Random, Self-Enrollment, etc.) from the Group students menu.

Custom

  1. Select each student’s name one after the other to select them as a group. Select a student’s name again to remove the selection.
  2. After you select the students, open the menu next to one of their names and select Create a new group.
  3. You can also move multiple students to a group listed in the menu. 

Random

  1. In the Number of groups menu, select how many groups to create. You need to create at least two. Students are equally assigned to the number of groups you choose.
  2. To remove all students from the current group set, select Unassign all by hovering over the person icon at the top of the page.
  3. The menu option changes to Custom if you move students to different groups after they’re grouped and before you save.

Self-enroll

  1. Select Visible to students on the top right corner and then select Self-enrollment from the Group students menu.
  2. Create at least two self-enrollment course groups. Select the plus sign wherever you want to add another group.
  3. You can add and delete groups even after students have started to join. If you delete a group that students have already joined, they’re moved to the unassigned list.
  4. You can add an enrollment start and end date which will automatically enroll unassigned students when the period ends.
  • To edit a group’s name, hover over the group name and select the pen icon.
  • To delete a group, select the three dots (…) next to the group name.
  • Save the group set.

2. Import Groups from a CSV File

Importing groups in Blackboard Ultra offers several benefits that streamline course management and save faculty time:

  • Customization: Faculty can specify group details like titles, codes, and enrollment settings, providing flexibility and control over group formation.
  • Efficiency: Importing groups from a CSV file allows faculty to quickly assign students to groups without manual entry, saving time, especially in large classes.
  • Reusability: Group structures can be exported and imported across multiple courses, ensuring consistency and eliminating the need to recreate groups each semester.
  • Sign-Up Sheets for Research Paper Titles: Instructors can use self-enrollment groups as sign-up sheets, where students select topics for research papers or projects listed as Title in the template. This method allows students to choose their preferred topics while ensuring that each one is assigned to the correct number of students.

In the Groups tab, select Import Group Set to open the side panel that contains the templates to use:

  • Download the Group Sets template.  The CSV has five columns with required columns marked with an asterisk.
  • Fill out the CSV with the group sets of your choosing, then upload and import the CSV file into Blackboard.
  • Once the import is successful, refresh the “Manage Groups” page.
    • Importing the groups will take some time. You can refresh your screen to check if the groups have been imported. You’ll also receive a confirmation email when the import is complete.
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