Creating and Managing Groups

Groups in Canvas allow instructors to organize students for collaborative work such as group discussions, shared projects, presentations, or peer-based activities.

Groups work best when they are intentionally designed around a specific instructional purpose rather than created “just in case.”

How Groups Work in Canvas

Canvas uses Group Sets to organize student groups. A Group Set contains one or more individual groups and is used when assigning group-based activities.

Group Set → the container (e.g., “Project Groups,” “Discussion Groups”)
Groups → the individual student groupings within that set
Group tools → discussions, files, collaborations, and pages available to each group

You can create multiple group sets in a course if different activities require different groupings.

Common Ways Instructors Use Groups

Small-group discussions instead of whole-class conversations
Group projects or presentations
Collaborative writing or document sharing
Peer learning activities tied to specific assignments

Key Decisions Before Creating Groups

How many groups do you need?
How will students be assigned? (automatic, manual, self sign-up, or CSV import)
Should groups stay within sections? (important for multi-section courses)
Will students be allowed to self sign up or switch groups?

Tip: You do not need to finalize groups immediately. You can create a group set first and add or adjust group membership later.

Watch: How to Create a Group Set

This video demonstrates how to create a group set and automatically or manually organize students into groups.

Viewing and Managing Groups as an Instructor

Instructors can view each group’s activity and content at any time. This allows you to monitor participation, review group-created work, and support students during collaborative activities.

Access groups from the People page
Visit a group’s homepage to view discussions, files, and collaborations
Switch between groups within the same group set
Participate in group discussions or add group-specific content when needed

Tip: Viewing groups does not remove your ability to manage group-based assignments or discussions from the main course.

Important Notes

Canvas allows up to 200 groups per group set.
Groups can be reused across multiple activities once created.
Group membership can be adjusted after groups are created.
Some tools (such as graded discussions or assignments) must be explicitly set as group-based to use groups.

Related Canvas Guides

For step-by-step instructions and advanced options, explore the Canvas Guides below (optional):

How do I add a group set in a course?
How do I automatically create groups in a group set?
How do I manually create groups in a group set?
How do I allow students to create their own student groups?
How do I create self sign-up groups in a group set?
How do I view content and student activity within a group as an instructor?

You can always access the full Canvas Guides by clicking the Help button in the Global Navigation menu.

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