Due to government regulations surrounding Covid-19, a maximum of 75 people are allowed to attend lectures. Within Brightspace, it is possible to use the Groups functionality to set up a sign up tool for Lecture Attendance.
This article explains how you could use this functionality to suit your needs. In case you need advice on what works best for your situation, please contact your Faculty's Brightspace Support Team.
What do I need to take into account?
Before you start setting up Group Categories and Groups for Lecture Attendance, it is good to note that:
- You can set a capacity of 75 users per Group to meet the current guidelines of max 75 students in a room;
- You can set up groups for Self Enrolment, so students are able to sign up themselves;
- Students are only able to enroll for 1 group within a group category;
- You can not restrict for how many Group Categories a student can enroll;
- Meaning: If you have set up 10 Group Categories, a student will be able to enroll for a group within each category, resulting in 10 group enrollments.
Please note that your Faculty's Brightspace Support team already might have placed Lecture Attendance Group Categories and Groups in your course. Moreover, they also might have some set ups available that you can copy directly into your course.
In case you have any questions on these matters or would like specific assistance, please contact your Faculty's Brightspace Support Team.
In the examples below we describe two possible ways how you can set up Group Categories and Groups for Lecture Attendance:
This scenario is useful in case you want balance student attendance over a couple of lectures. Please note, this could result in a situation where each week a different group of students is present.
In this scenario we will create 2 Group Categories and 3 groups within each category. Please note that you are able to create more Group and Group Categories as needed.
- Enter a distinct name for the Group Category
- Set Enrolment Type to: # of Groups, Capacity of # - Self Enrolment
- Set the Number of Users to 75 (or another desired capacity)
- Set the Number of Groups to the number of lectures within a block.
Optional: Set a Self Enrollment Start and Expiry Date in case you want your students to enroll within a certain time window. After the Expiry date has passed, students can no longer enroll / unenroll for the groups within that category.
Click on Save and you will be led to the screen below:
Recommended: Change the names of your Groups by clicking on the Groups.
In the Edit Group screen, enter a distinct Group Name and click on Save.
Repeat this for all the groups within that Category.
Done with the first Category and Groups?
Repeat the steps above, but enter different names for the Group Category and Groups. The end result will look like:
- We have created 2 Group Categories
- Each with 3 Groups
Students will now be able to enroll for a group within Lectures Week 1-3 and for a group within Lectures Week 4-6, thus 2 groups in total.
As an example:
| Student | Within Category Lectures week 1-3 enrolled in Group: |
Within Category Lectures week 4-6 enrolled in Group: |
|---|---|---|
| Student A | Lecture 1 | Lecture 6 |
| Student B | Lecture 2 | Lecture 4 |
| Student C | Lecture 1 | Lecture 5 |
| Student D | Lecture 3 | - |
This scenario is useful in case you want your students to sign up for each lecture. Please note, this could result in a situation where the same 75 students join each lecture and other students are not able to sign up / join lectures.
In this scenario we will create 5 Group Categories and only 1 Group within each category.
- Enter a distinct name for the Group Category
- Set Enrolment Type to: # of Groups, Capacity of # - Self Enrolment
- Set the Number of Users to 75 (or another desired capacity)
- Set the Number of Groups to 1
Optional: Set a Self Enrollment Start and Expiry Date in case you want your students to enroll within a certain time window. After the Expiry date has passed, students can no longer enroll / unenroll for the group within this category.
Click on Save and you will be led to the screen below:
Done with the first Category?
Repeat the steps above, but enter different names for the Group Category. The end result will look like:
- We have created 5 Group Categories
- Each with 1 Group
Students will now be able to self enroll for each lecture separately.
FAQ
Q: How can I see which student signed up for which group?
A: There are 3 ways to view which students are within a group:
- Via Groups: Click on the number in the Members column to see which students are enrolled in a group.
- Via the Classlist: How can I see which students are in which group/section?
- Via the Export functionality: How do I export the Classlist, including group enrollments?
Q: Am I able to move students between groups?
A: Yes, you are! As an Instructor you are able to change student enrollments in groups.
Q: How do students enroll themselves in the group?
A: Please see the student manual on enrolling for Groups.
Q: Am I able to copy Lecture Attendance Group Categories and Groups to other courses?
A: Yes, you are! You can perform a Course Copy and select only Groups under Copy Components.