Groupings in Moodle 2.7

Groupings in Moodle 2.7

by Richard Hall -
Number of replies: 10

With the excellent improvements to the Conditional Access functionality in Moodle 2.7, I wondered if Groupings was now a redundant feature. 

Prior to 2.7, you would use groupings if you wanted only a certain set of users to have access to a resource or activity; this can now be achieved by configuring a "Restriction Set" in the resource/activity's settings to restrict access to a group or multiple groups.

I wondered if anybody can suggest any use cases for Groupings in Moodle 2.7 which can't now be satisfied using the updated Conditional Access functionality?

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In reply to Richard Hall

Re: Groupings in Moodle 2.7

by Dave Emsley -
There are so many, where to start?

  • Who sees whose posts in a forum.
  • Who can mark whose work in a workshop.
  • Different classes taking same course so teacher can filter to their own class
  • Generating reports
  • basic organisation
  • enrollment on courses

Just the first few that spring to mind.


HTH
Dave


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In reply to Richard Hall

Re: Groupings in Moodle 2.7

by Tim Hunt -
Picture of Core developers Picture of Documentation writers Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Peer reviewers Picture of Plugin developers

As Dave says, groupings still have many uses.

But you are right, Groupings as a way to restrict access to activities is now redundant. The plan was always to remove that option, and sam is working on that now. See MDL-44725

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In reply to Richard Hall

Re: Groupings in Moodle 2.7

by Richard Hall -

Thanks for the replies but aren't the uses Dave has suggested referencing groups rather than groupings?

I can see the value of groups but, in Moodle 2.7, not groupings.

As the restrict access purpose of groupings is being removed (as you say, Tim) then I'm just wondering what remaining purpose groupings serve that can't be achieved by simply using groups?

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In reply to Richard Hall

Re: Groupings in Moodle 2.7

by dawn alderson -

given it some thought. Yep, bit blurry from a practitioner's stand-point...could be wrong mind you. But blurry is tricky to work with.  Demarcation not clear anymore....group, groupings, groupettes, groupees, groupsome, groupdome (laughing here, sorry!)

Sam crack on-TBH.  Dawn's Dictionary def: groupings=obsolesence (here-anyway)

smile

D

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In reply to Richard Hall

Re: Groupings in Moodle 2.7

by Tim Hunt -
Picture of Core developers Picture of Documentation writers Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Peer reviewers Picture of Plugin developers

But you might want different sets of groups to apply to different forums.

For example, you might have two groupings:

  • Tutor groups, where each set of 16 students is in a group with their Tutor.
  • Regional groups, where people are grouped by geographical area.

(I am thinking of a typical OU course with hundreds of students, all of who are studying remotely.)

And you might want two different forums, both in separate groups mode, one with students divided into Regional groups (e.g. "Let's meet up" forum), and another divided into Tutor groups (e.g. "Ask your tutor for help").

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In reply to Tim Hunt

Re: Groupings in Moodle 2.7

by dawn alderson -

yes, yes-got you. But, surely one can have tutor group 1; student group 1 etc...groupings is blurry to me Tim-to be honest-sounds a bit sub-device...I am not sure I would be that engaged in a grouping as opposed to a student group B, X or Tutor group 1, 2 etc....but tis about words and meaning and I get your point...need to meet a shared understanding across the board-that said...groupings I still have an itch about it.

D

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In reply to Richard Hall

Re: Groupings in Moodle 2.7

by Joshua Bragg -
I believe that groupings are used to define what groups are used for Assignments that are done in groups. 
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In reply to Joshua Bragg

Re: Groupings in Moodle 2.7

by dawn alderson -

Morning,

having slept on this, I next want to consider it from a student perspective.  Back soon-you might even get a pretty picture/diagram! smile

D

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In reply to dawn alderson

Re: Groupings in Moodle 2.7

by dawn alderson -

The diagram represents a cohort (one year group) for a BSc degree, say-I could have gone on and on designing boxes for groups with substantiated reason by the way.

Now say the lines joining the boxes stand for the word groupings-well this makes sense eh.But, look at say forum for Blue sage group C...how far away from the cohort within the hierarchy is that group?

I think the more groupings that emerge across a course, then the more isolated and disconnected a student can feel, and this can have implications for engagement when the camaraderie is shredded to pieces by several groupings-it seems to make pedagogical sense and ease of direction for the student to keep groups to bare min for necessity.

As a student I would like to be able to share ideas with peeps in the forum Candytuft group A as well as Blue sage A-I mean why not eh-we are all on the same course and in the same cohort....once there is a feeling of lost identity with the major group-this can affect motivation and interest to engage. D

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In reply to Joshua Bragg

Re: Groupings in Moodle 2.7

by David Morrow -

Yes. That is one use for Groupings. That is the main use that I see for groupings in my k-12 school district's Moodle. Many teachers use Groups to manage multiple blocks/periods of one course. In order to use the "Students submit in groups" feature of the Assignment activity, the teacher sets up "project groups" (Block 1 Group A, Block 1 Group B...Block 2 Group A, etc. Those project groups are then added to a Grouping (Project Grouping). That Grouping is indicated in the group work options when setting up an Assignment.

One thing that I am curious about - if a teacher has such a collection of groups set up in  grouping, uses that grouping in an assignment for group work, grades the assignment, and then changes the membership of each group for a new assignment (rather than continuing to create new groups) - does that affect the grades on the previous assignment?

David

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