Assignment with some students working independently and some in groups

[HeidiOberrieder]

For an assignment where students can choose between working in small groups or working independently, I need to know how to set-up the assignment in Canvas.  Should I select "Group Assignment" with students self-selecting groups? How would those students working in a group know which group is theirs since students created their group on their own outside of Canvas earlier in the semester? Would students working independently need to create a group of 1?

Another nuance is that I need students to individually be assigned 5 submissions to peer review.  Those 5 submissions should not include their own group's submission, but instead will be a submission by any of the students working independently or other groups' submission.  Does checking the "Allow intra-group peer reviews" button help me achieve what I want?  For those students working in a group, will the automatically assigned 5 submissions go to their group or to each group member independently? I would love it if the students working as a group to complete the assignment, would be assigned a different 5 documents instead of the members of the group all receiving the same 5.   

My main goals are to have:

* those working in a group to all be able to see my grading and comments on their group submission

* each student in the class automatically assigned 5 submissions for use on a review process done independently.  

[SusanNiemeyer · Accepted solution]

@HeidiOberrieder  My thought is that this set-up is just far too complicated to pull off on Canvas. You have apples and oranges in terms of group work vs. individual work, and then in terms of the number and types of assignments. 

First, If you would like your students to work in groups, have everyone work in a group. Is there any reason why some of your students can't work in a group? You can make a group project, but still grade students individually based on their participation.

Second, I would strongly encourage you to create the groups and place the students in the groups yourself. You can randomly allocate students to groups, or you can create groups based on your knowledge of the students. The idea of having the students self-select groups is just going to create problems. Either cliques will form, or some of your students won't figure out how to join a group.

Lastly, this complicated scheme is going to be a real pain when it comes to your Gradebook.

Make this assignment simpler for yourself and your students. I don't think the time and effort you're going to spend trying up different configurations in Canvas will be worth it in the end. 

[SusanNiemeyer · Accepted solution]

@HeidiOberrieder  My thought is that this set-up is just far too complicated to pull off on Canvas. You have apples and oranges in terms of group work vs. individual work, and then in terms of the number and types of assignments. 

First, If you would like your students to work in groups, have everyone work in a group. Is there any reason why some of your students can't work in a group? You can make a group project, but still grade students individually based on their participation.

Second, I would strongly encourage you to create the groups and place the students in the groups yourself. You can randomly allocate students to groups, or you can create groups based on your knowledge of the students. The idea of having the students self-select groups is just going to create problems. Either cliques will form, or some of your students won't figure out how to join a group.

Lastly, this complicated scheme is going to be a real pain when it comes to your Gradebook.

Make this assignment simpler for yourself and your students. I don't think the time and effort you're going to spend trying up different configurations in Canvas will be worth it in the end. 

[CanvasCoolCat_2 · Accepted solution]

How will students know which group has been selected/assigned to them?

Students will have a "Group" icon appear in their global navigation menu on the left side of the screen on their computer. I believe groups also become an option on the mobile device as well, but I can't recall. This icon is not visible to students until they have been set up as a member of ANY group in ANY class. When this icon is opened students will be able to see all the groups in which they participate. How do I use the Global Navigation Menu as a student? 

As far as how students actually join groups, you can reference the following guide: How do I join a group as a student?

How do I ensure Peer Reviews are not assigned to members of the same student group?

Peer reviews require a student to review an individual submission by another student. However, group assignment submissions are made by one group member on behalf of the entire group, and all group members have the same submission.

By default, Canvas will exclude members of the same group when assigning peer reviews. However, by selecting the "Allow intra-group peer reviews" checkbox, reviews can be assigned randomly to all members of the course, including members of the same group.

This is the guide that explains these details: How do I automatically assign peer reviews for an assignment?