| With Blackboard 5.5, you can create groups for a small number of students and then create a discussion forum for each group. Follow these steps:
- Click on the Control Panel button on the lower left side of your screen:
- When you enter the Control Panel, you will see the "User Management" area near the top right of the screen:
- You will use the "Manage Groups" link to create a group and populate that group with students. You will then return to your course and use the "Groups" button or "Groups" link from the Comunication section to create a discussion forum within the group discussion board. Follow the steps below to create a group for your course:
- Click on the "Manage Groups" link, and the "Manage Groups/Add Group" button will appear:
- Click on the "Add Group" button, and you can then enter a name and a description for your group:
- In the 1. Main Group Information area you will enter a group name and group description. The group description should include some type of brief explanation for the students to enter the group. Later, you will create a discussion forum on the "Group Discussion Board," which will become available to students when they enter the "Group Pages" area from the course.
- In the 2. Group Options area you will check the tools you wish to make available to the group. Do not check the "anonymous" option unless you want student to be able to make comments without identifying themselves.
- Be sure to check the "make visible" option so that you can return to the course itself and click on the "Group Pages" area to create a discussion forum for your group.
- The "Virtual Classroom" function is like a chat room that allows group members to discuss at the same time. The "Discussion Board" is an asyncronus forum.
- In the 3. Submit area, click the "Submit" button to create your group.
- After you click the "Submit" button, your group will be created:
- When you have been notified that your group has been created, you can then click on the "OK" button to modify your group if you like by adding users, or you and return to the course, click on the Groups button (or the "Groups Pages" link after you click on the "Communication" button. You will then enter the Group Discussion Board to create a discussion forum so that the members of the group can participate in an online discussion.
- You will eventually have to add users to the group, which you will do from the Group Management area of the Control Panel by following the steps below.
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