eLearning Systems
Allow Group Selection in Moodle
Overview
Sometimes you want to allow students to choose which group they will join for group work purposes in Moodle. This page
tells you how to create a Group Selection activity, and how to change group memberships once students have made their
selections.
When to use
Use group selection when you want to give students the freedom to decide their own group memberships.
Benefits
Group selection helps students take responsibility for establishing group dynamics from the outset, by selecting which
group they will work best with. This is a flexible tool that allows you to adjust groups once students have made their
selections, if you can see a better way to arrange them.
Always explain your changes to your students.
Guide
Getting started
Before you create a group selection activity, auto-create some groups within a grouping. Then return to this page to create
the activity.
Step by step instructions
Create a Group selection activity
Change groups after students have selected
Create a group selection activity
1. On the course home page, click Turn editing on
.
2. In the appropriate section, click Add an activity or resource, select Group selection in the pop-up list and click
Add.
3. On the Adding a new Group selection page, under General:
Enter a Name for the activity.
Enter an Introduction, containing instructions for students.
To limit group selection to a single grouping (e.g. the grouping you created before beginning this procedure),
select that grouping's name from the Allow selection from drop-down list.
Enter an Enrol password if necessary, and Unmask it (show it as typed rather than a row of dots) if desired.
(You will need to distribute this password to students so that they can enrol themselves in the activity.)
Set the Default maximum members per group.
Apply any date restrictions on the selection.
4. Under Common module settings:
Select the appropriate Group mode. Separate groups keeps group activities private within eachgroup;
Visible groups allows groups to see each other's work.
Select the relevant Grouping.
To restrict availability of the activity to the selected grouping, select the Available for group members only
check box.
To make the activity display to members of the selected grouping on their course home page, select the
Visible check box.
Set an ID number if you need to for mark calculation purposes.
5. Complete the Restrict access and Activity completion sections as relevant and click Save and display.
6. On the activity's home page, click the Limits tab.
7. On the Limits page, enter the maximum members to be allowed per group, and click Save changes.
Change groups after students have selected
To make changes to groups after students have made their selections:
1. On the course home page, click Turn editing on
2. Click the link for the group selection activity.
.
3. On the activity's home page, click Manage groups at the upper right of the page.
4. The Groups page displays, where you can add and remove users from groups, as well as
create, edit and delete groups.
Additional information
Further assistance
If you experience technical or other issues, consult the Where to get help page.
Teaching @UNSW | eLearning Systems
Allow Group Selection in Moodle
Document Version Date 20/07/2015
https://teaching.unsw.edu.au/moodle-group-selection