Groups and sections have different purposes in the Canvas LMS. Sections are used to segment the population of class (for example, to assign certain assignments to specific sections and not others, or to offer differentiated due dates based on section). Groups are a collaborative tool where a minimum of two students can work together on group projects and assignments. When a Group is set up and students are added to it, the students get a Group "space" (Homepage) where they can upload files, have Discussions, etc. Teachers can also designate Assignments as Group Assignments, such that one student can submit on behalf of the entire group.
Note: "Group Assignment" is different than "Assignment Group." Assignment Groups (which should be called "Categories") are categories of different types of assignments (exam, homework, etc) that can be defined by the Teacher. The gradebook can be filtered either by Assignment Groups (which would filter columns) or by [Student] Groups (which would filter rows).
This information is up to date as of 7/16/2024. Significant changes to Groups functionality is proposed as on of Instructure's Prioritized Themes.
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Sections |
Groups |
| Can be created by instructors? |
No - admins only |
Yes |
| Can be hidden from students? |
Yes (in course settings) |
No |
| Do they course copy? |
No (sections are linked to enrollments, not courses)
|
yes* |
| Can be used to filter the gradebook? |
Yes |
Yes |
| Can be used to differentiate "Assign To" and/or Assignment Due Dates |
Yes |
No |
| Can be used to target announcements? |
Yes |
No (but teacher could post announcements inside group space) |
| Can be used to target Inbox messages |
Yes |
Yes |
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*As of 11/16/2024, group sets will copy during course copy: When copying a group assignment from one course to another, a new group set with the same name as the original is now created in the destination course if no matching group set exists. Note that the group sets will copy over, but students in the new course will not automatically be assigned to groups