Overview
This feature enables Instructors to filter student posts based on the Groups Sets they've created in their Blackboard course. If you'd prefer to set up your groups inside Harmonize, see Managing Groups in Harmonize.
Creating Groups Sets & Groups in Blackboard
- In Blackboard, set up your Group sets and Groups under the Group Option.
- For more information on how to do this, see the following help guides provided by Blackboard:
- Once your group sets and groups are created, move on to the next step.
Setting Group Visibility in a Harmonize Discussion
Once Group Data Syncing has been authorized, group filtering options will appear in both the Post Settings as well as the main Harmonize discussion view.
- Create a new Harmonize Discussion or launch a previously created Harmonize Discussion and click Edit. This will open the Edit Topic view.
- In the Edit Topic view, click the Post Settings tab.
- In the Visibility Settings section, click Students in Same Group. The Group Set drop down menu will appear along with the Manage Groups button.
- Select the appropriate Group Set from the Group Set drop down menu. The chosen Group Set will apply to this Harmonize Discussion only.
- Click Publish. Students will only see instructor posts and posts from students in the same group.
Refreshing/Syncing Groups
We sync groups frequently, but sometimes you might want a change to take effect immediately. In that case:
- Click Edit on a particular topic or activity.
- Go to Post Settings.
- Scroll down to Visibility Settings.
- Click Manage Groups.
- Click Refresh.
- Click Save & Close.
Instructor View of Small Group Discussion
- A new groups filter now appears in the top left of the Harmonize discussion window.
- The Instructor can choose to view all student work or filter student work based on Group Set or Group selected in the drop down menu.
Student View of Small Group Discussion
- Students will now see their particular small group listed in the upper lefthand corner of the discussion.
- Students will only see posts for their group (as well as any posts made by the instructor).
Visibility of Posts, Comments, and Replies in Group Discussions
When using groups in your Harmonize discussion, it is important to understand the visibility of posts, comments, and replies.
Instructors
- Instructors can see all instructor posts, comments, and replies.
- Instructors can see all student posts, comments, and replies.
- Original posts created by instructors are visible to everyone enrolled in the class.
- Instructor comments and replies published to student posts are visible to students assigned to the same group as the student who created the original post.
Students
- Students can see all instructor original posts.
- Students can see instructor comments and replies published to the original posts of students assigned to the same group.
- Students can see posts, comments, and replies of students assigned to the same group as them.
- Posts, comments, and replies they create are visible to students in the same group and to all instructors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Why would I set up my groups in Blackboard vs. Harmonize?
- If you already have group sets in Blackboard that you created for non-Harmonize activities, you may want to reuse those same groups in Harmonize.
- The advantage to using Harmonize groups is that, if you choose to automatically generate them, we will save your settings and apply them from semester-to-semester, so you don't have to keep recreating the groups. See Managing Groups in Harmonize.
Q. Are instructors able to submit one grade for the entire group?
- There is currently no way to submit a single group grade that applies to all group members. These grades will need to be entered manually for each student.
Q. Can I change the visibility settings after students have started posting?
- Yes. Changing visibility settings will not delete or alter any posts made by students.
- If you plan to switch visibility from Groups or Private to Everyone, we recommend warning students in advance that this will happen.