Problems related to groups and how to prevent them
Teachers quite often run into problems with group assignments in Canvas, especially when giving feedback and grades. The problem is often discovered when it turns out that some students were not in a group when the assignment was submitted, or were in the wrong group. Other issues can also occur.
Problem
Groups do not appear in SpeedGrader
If group names do not appear in SpeedGrader, the cause is usually one or more of the following.
An assignment that is meant to work as a group assignment must be linked to a group set. This is done in the assignment settings.
- Open the assignment and click Edit.
- Scroll down to the group assignment settings and select This is a Group Assignment.
- Select the correct group set below.
It is important that all students are placed in groups for a group assignment, including students who are allowed to submit individually. In that case, each of those students should be placed alone in a group.
Unfortunately, if students have already started submitting the assignment, it is not possible to link the assignment to a group set. In that case, the teacher must either grade each student individually and give feedback based on the group they belong to, or create a new assignment, link it to the group set, make sure that all students have been placed in groups, and ask students to submit again.
If the groups are empty, students either still need to sign up for them through self sign-up, or the teacher still needs to place students in the groups. In this situation, groups do not appear in SpeedGrader, since it would not make sense to grade and give feedback to a “group” with no students.
The solution is to place students in the groups, or to create groups and place students in them if the groups are missing. Note that if student self sign-up is allowed, the groups themselves — empty groups — must already exist. Students cannot sign up for the group set itself or create their own groups within a group set created by the teacher.
It is important that all students are placed in groups for a group assignment, including students who are allowed to submit individually. In that case, each of those students should be placed alone in a group. See also the video How do I add a group set in a course?
Unfortunately, if students have already started submitting the assignment, this cannot be corrected for that assignment. In that case, the teacher must either grade and give feedback to each student individually or create a new assignment, link it to the group set, make sure that the group set is completely correct, and ask students to submit again.
If a group assignment is set to assign grades to each student individually, groups do not appear in SpeedGrader. To change this and show group names instead of student names, the setting must be changed in the assignment settings.
Open the assignment and click Edit.
Scroll down to the group assignment settings and clear the checkbox for Assign Grades to Each Student Individually.
Save the assignment.
This setting can be changed as needed. Usually, it is best to start by grading the groups. If individual group members need a different grade from the rest of the group, the setting can then be changed so grades can be entered for specific students.
A student did not receive the same feedback as the rest of the group
When a student in a group submits a group assignment, Canvas treats the submission as belonging to all students who are in the group at the time of submission.
If a student moves to another group after the assignment has been submitted, the submission follows the student to the new group. However, the new group members cannot see that submission. This also means that if the teacher adds feedback to the document submitted by the student’s previous group, the student will see that feedback.
If the student’s new group had already submitted before the student joined, the student will not see the new group’s submission or any feedback the teacher adds to it. However, the student will receive the new group’s grade and general feedback, as long as these are given after the student becomes a member of the group.
For the student to see the new group’s submission and any feedback the teacher adds to the group members’ submitted document, the group must resubmit after the student joins the group. The student will still have access to the submission from their previous group and to any feedback added to that document.
It is recommended to make sure that all students are registered in the correct group and are satisfied with their group before submissions begin. If self-sign-up is allowed, it is also recommended to disable it before submissions begin.
If a student had not joined a group when the group submitted, the student would not see the teacher’s feedback. The student does not have access to the group submission because it was made before the student became a member, and the student will therefore not see any feedback the teacher adds to the group’s submitted document.
It is recommended to make sure that all students are registered in the correct group and are satisfied with their group before submissions begin. If self-sign-up is allowed, it is also recommended to turn it off before submissions begin.
A student who was allowed to submit individually cannot see the feedback
In a group assignment, all students should be in a group. If a student is allowed to submit a group assignment individually, it is better to place that student in a group by themselves. Note that students can see all groups in the course, including groups they do not belong to.
What happens if a student who is not in a group submits a group assignment?
The student will not be able to view the teacher’s general feedback, that is, the feedback added in SpeedGrader beside the student’s submitted document. However, the student will still have access to the grade and to feedback added directly into the document.
It is recommended to make sure that all students are registered in the correct group and are satisfied with their group before submissions begin. If self-sign-up is allowed, it is also recommended to turn it off before submissions begin.
Tips to prevent problems
If you follow the advice below, grades and feedback for group assignments should appear correctly for all students.
- Make sure the correct group set is selected in the group assignment settings.
- Make sure all students have been placed in a group before group assignment submissions begin.
- If some students are allowed to submit individually, place each of them in a separate group, with one student in each group.
- If you allowed students to sign up for groups themselves, turn off self sign-up before submissions begin. See Disabling group self sign-up under Important basics.
- Do not change or delete the group set, or the groups within it, after submissions have begun, or later.
This means that you should not rename the group set or move students between groups. This also applies after all students have submitted the group assignment and feedback and grades have been given. However, the group set can be reused unchanged in another group assignment or group discussion.
You can create as many group sets as needed in a course.