Groups in Canvas
In Canvas, groups can be used for group work, projects or other collaborative tasks as they make it easy for students to communicate and share material with other group members.
How groups can be used in Canvas
If your course includes group work, projects or other group activities, your teacher can divide students into groups in Canvas, or give you and the other students the opportunity to create their own student groups. All groups in Canvas have access to their own little section where you and your group members can share files with each other, start discussions and collaborate in other ways.
How do I find my groups?
To find the groups in a course, click on "People" in the course menu and select the "Groups" tab to get a list of all groups in the course. Several of your courses can use groups at the same time, and sometimes you want to go directly to the group. To find all your groups in all your courses, click on "Groups" in the Global Navigation menu (the grey menu where you will also find Overview and Courses). The list that appears in the menu is all your active group memberships. If you want to see a more detailed list, click on "All groups", which shows you a list that includes course affiliation, semester and your previous, inactive groups.
How do I join a group?
Your teacher can divide all students into groups or let you and the other students self-register for groups. If your teacher has chosen for students to choose groups themselves, you can click on "Join" to join a group. If you want to change group, click on "Switch to" next to the group you want to change to, and if you want to leave a group, click on "Leave".
For groups without self-registration your teacher will assign you to a group, when assigned to a group, you will not be able to leave or switch between groups.
How do I access the contents of my group?
By clicking "Visit" next to the group's name, you end up on the group's home page, which is in a separate section of Canvas. Each group has its own, smaller course room where you can create information pages, share files with each other, start discussions and collaborate in other ways. The group members and teachers in the course are the only ones who have access to this space and its contents.
Group assignments
Groups are often used for group assignments, which are assignments where you and your group members work on the same assignment with a shared submission. That is, one person in the group submits a submission that is the basis for the entire group's assessment. Your teacher can choose to assess the assignment as a group and give everyone the same assessment, or assess individually and give everyone an individual assessment, for example if the assignment is linked to a presentation or other ways that allow the teacher to distinguish different students' efforts. If the teacher has chosen that the assignment should be assessed as a group assignment, it is sufficient for one of the group members to submit the assignment. Any comments and assessments will be sent to everyone in the group.
What happens to the group when the course ends?
Your group is moved from "Current groups" to "Previous groups" at the same time as the group's course room is closed, which usually happens 60 days after the end of the course. When the course room is closed, it is no longer possible to enter the group; if you need access to the group, you must contact your teacher.