Creating Small Group Discussions in D2L Brightspace

Explains how to set up small group discussions in D2L by creating group categories and assigning discussion topics restricted to each group.

Overview

This article is for faculty and explains how to create small group discussions in D2L Brightspace.

Step One: Create the Group Category and Groups

1. Click the Groups link under Other Tools
2. Click the New Category button
3. Enter a Category Name
4. Select from the Enrollment Type drop-down menu the style of group you prefer
5. Enter in the Number of Groups or the Number of Users per Group you want to have based on the Enrollment Type
6. Under Advanced Properties, click the arrow next to Show advanced properties
7. Under Group Options, check the box next to Auto-enroll new users
8. Click the Save button

Watch the tutorial video on creating Groups

Step Two: Create the Group Discussions Topic

Using the New Discussion Editing Experience:

1. Navigate to Discussions, click the New button. Select Topic
2. Enter a Topic Title.
3. Click Change Forum link. Select Create a forum or Choose an existing forum and select the forum from the menu. Then click Apply changes
4. Expand the Availability, Dates, & Conditions widget.
5. Click the Manage Restrictions link.
6. Select the Restrict topic and separate thread.
7. Select a group category for the topic. Click Add.
8. Click Save and Close.

Using the Classic Discussion Editing Experience:

1. Navigate to Discussions, click the New button. Select Topic
2. Select a Forum or Create a New Forum.
3. Select Group or Section Topic type. A drop-down menu will appear.
4. Select the Group from the drop down.
5. Enter a title and description for the topic.
6. Click Save and Close.

Outcome

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