Each month we will share some of our timely frequently asked questions around educational technology.

How do I set up groups in my topic?

There are two types of groups in FLO – ‘User created groups’ and ‘Student Two groups’. User created groups are created by the user (topic coordinator/teacher). Student Two groups are created automatically based on data in the Student System (e.g. tutorials, lectures, seminars). Student Two groups are synced every few hours throughout the semester, therefore can’t be modified or deleted by users.

You can create groups in your topic once students have access (one week before topic commencement). Please note that students can enrol in topics up to the beginning of week 3 so you will need to monitor student movement. Groups can be created automatically, manually, or you can allow students to allocate themselves into groups using the ‘Group selection’ activity. Refer to ‘Groups’ on the eLearning Gateway’s Groups and groupings page for specific instructions.

How do I find out if students have not been allocated to a group or have been allocated to multiple groups within a grouping?

A grouping is a collection of groups.

To see if any students are missing from a group within a grouping, go to Administration > Users > Groups > Overview, select the grouping from the drop-down list and tick the check box ‘Display students not in grouping’. This feature is useful to see if any students are missing from group activities in FLO.

In the overview, you can also display students who are members of multiple groups within a grouping. This can be helpful when setting up an activity such as a group assignment to ensure each student can only submit to one group.

What can groups be used for in FLO?

Once groups have been created, they can be applied to activities in FLO to enable students to work in groups or allow staff to monitor group of students. Activities that can be utilised in group mode include:

• discussion forum
• assignment
• wiki
• peer assessment
• dialogue

In addition, groups can be used to override quiz and assignment due dates, as well as apply restrictions on activities.

For more information see the Groups and groupings help documentation on the eLearning Gateway or enrol in the FLO: Managing groups workshop.

Contributed by Marcia Schubert
eLearning & Media Support Officer – CILT