Your instructor can use Canvas to create and assign group projects. Canvas Assignments and Discussions, as well as some external tools, may be assigned collaboratively. If an Assignment is linked to a group, one member can submit it on behalf of the entire group. Canvas Discussions can be limited to group members so that each group can have a separate conversation.
This page is intended for students. Instructors should refer to Group Assignments.
Your instructor may have assigned you to a group, or you may be allowed to choose your own group. It is very important to make sure that you have joined a group in Canvas before you attempt to submit a group assignment!
Once you have joined a group, your group will have its own mini Canvas site available only to you, your group members, and course staff. Your group may use this space to send announcements, store files, post on a discussion board, and share a calendar. The mini Canvas site also includes BigBlueButton (videoconferencing) and Collaborations tools (Google Docs) in the navigation. These tools aren’t commonly used at Penn but are automatically included in all group mini-sites.
Using Groups
Canvas offers multiple types of groups, including student-created groups that cannot be used with Canvas assignments. If your course uses groups for group assignments, your instructor must create groups for students to join.
Instructors may place students into groups randomly or manually, or have students select their own groups. Groups that are used as part of a group assignment are called Group Sets. You may be in one or more Group Sets if there are multiple group assignments in the course.
You can see all the groups available in your Canvas site on the Groups tab of the People section of the course navigation menu. Groups are organized alphabetically by group set, then by group name.
If the groups in your Canvas site are configured for self-signup, you may join, leave, or switch groups. If your class has many groups, you may need to scroll to find the correct group to join. If you are a Group Leader, you may also manage group membership.
While you can view your groups in the Canvas Student mobile app, you cannot join, switch, or leave groups from the app. You must access Canvas from a supported web browser to modify group membership.
View your current groups in the Group section of the Canvas global navigation menu.
Group Appointments
Groups can also be linked to appointments in Canvas. When one student reserves a group appointment, that appointment is automatically applied to every member of the group.
Each course and group has its own Calendar in Canvas. If you exceed 15 active calendars, Canvas will automatically hide some from view. You may need to filter the Canvas Calendar view to see the desired course or group calendar.
Group Assignment Grades
Your instructor can decide how to grade group assignments. They may choose to assign one grade that applies to each group member or assign individual grades to each person based on their contributions. Contact your instructor or review the assignment directions to understand how you will be graded.
It’s important to join a group before the group assignment is submitted. If you are not in a group at the time the work is graded, you may not receive a grade for the assignment.
Getting Help
Please contact your Local Support Provider or submit a request to canvas@pobox.upenn.edu.