Instructor Guide: All about Groups

Follow these steps to add a group set in a Canvas course, which serves as a container for different groups.

Remember, Canvas allows up to 200 groups per course.

Open People: On the Course navigation menu, click the People link.
Add Group Set: Click the Add Group Set button.
Create Group Set: In the Group Set Name field, enter the name of the new group [1]. If you want to enable self sign-ups, select the Allow self sign-up checkbox [2]. For manual group creation or using a CSV file, choose the I'll create groups later option [3].
Set Group Division Method: For automatic group creation, use the drop-down menu to select how to divide students. Choose Split students by number of groups [4], Split students by [number] groups [5], or specify the number of students per group in the dialog box [6].
Save Group Set: Click the Save button [7]

Additional Notes:

You can set student group leaders automatically, except when creating groups manually.
The "Require group members to be in the same section" option is available for self sign-up and automatically created groups.
The limit for automatically created groups is 200. If you request more than 200 groups, Canvas will only create up to 200.

Before creating a new group set, you may want to review existing ones. You also have the options to clone, edit, or delete existing group sets.

How to view all groups in a course

In Canvas, there are two main types of groups: student groups and group sets. Student groups can be created by both instructors and students, and they are typically managed by students themselves. Group sets, on the other hand, are created by instructors and are often used for graded assignments. Here's a guide to navigating and managing these groups in Canvas:

Open People: To start, in your course navigation, click the People link.
View Group Sets: If any group has been created, the People page will show the Everyone tab [1] with all course users. If no groups exist, it prompts to add a group set with the Add Group Set button [2]. You can add a group set anytime.
View User Groups: After creating a group set, it appears as a linked tab [1]. To view a specific group set for a user group, click the corresponding tab. Alternatively, access groups via the Options menu [2] and select View User Groups [3].
Open Group Set: When viewing a group set, the outlined tab indicates the current group set. Click any tab to switch to a different group set.
View Groups: Groups within a set can be created manually, automatically, or imported via CSV. Groups are initially collapsed; click the arrow next to a group name [1] to expand and view assigned students. The group Options menu [2] allows you to view content and activity within a group.
View Enrollment Notice: If a group has an inactive student, their status is indicated next to their name. Inactive students can still be graded but don’t receive notifications or access course grades. Other students see the inactive student's name without the inactive status.
Manage Group Set: Click the Options menu [1] to manage the group set. Edit the group set with the Edit link [2], clone it for a duplicate with the Clone Group Set link [3], or delete the group set using the Delete link [4]. Remember, deleting a group set also removes all groups within it.

Important Note: If a group has student submissions and needs modifications, cloning the group is recommended over altering memberships, as changes could affect student grades. Cloned group sets copy all details, including group leaders and memberships, and can be renamed for differentiation.

Additional Guides

How do I automatically create groups in a group set?

How do I manually create groups in a group set?

How do I create self sign-up groups in a group set?

How do I allow students to create their own student groups?

How do I automatically assign students to groups?

How do I manually assign students to groups?

How do I assign a student leader to a group?

For more questions, please visit the full Canvas Instructor Guide