How do I assign a graded discussion to a course group?

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You can create a graded discussion for a course group by using the Group Discussion checkbox. Canvas uses group sets to assign group discussions, and each group within the group set that is assigned to the discussion is required to complete the discussion.

You will need to assign a group set as part of the discussion. You can add an existing group set, or you can create a new group set as part of the assignment and add students to groups later. However, if you create a group set with self sign-up or manual group assignments, you will not be able to use the group set until users have been added to the subgroups.

When differentiating groups in graded discussions, students can only view the discussion if they are a member of an assigned group. Otherwise the discussion does not appear in the group's discussions page. Grades cannot be assigned for students who have not been included in the graded discussion, and graded discussions that are not assigned to a student are not factored into overall grades.

You can still view the links to all groups that are in the group set (as with any other group discussion). However, if you do not select a group in the differentiated assignments list, the group does not show a differentiated due date.

When Multiple Grading Periods are enabled in a course, graded discussions are also respected against closed grading periods.

Note: Please ensure all students have been added to a group before assigning a group set to the group discussion. If a student is not added to a group and replies to the discussion, the student's reply will be part of the original discussion topic. Replies on the original discussion topic can be viewed by clicking the View the full discussion link in SpeedGrader.

Open Discussions

In Course Navigation, click the Discussions link.

Add Discussion

Click the Add Discussion button.

Enter Discussion Details

Enter a title [1] and add content [2] to your discussion.

Select Graded Discussion

Click the Graded checkbox.

Select Group Discussion

Click the This is a Group Discussion checkbox.

Select Group Set

Click the Group Set drop-down menu to select which groups will be assigned [1] or create a new group category [2].

Note: Groups created by students cannot be used for Group Discussions and do not appear in the drop-down menu.

Assign to Everyone

By default, Canvas will set your discussion for everyone in your course. This option means all users in the course regardless of section will be assigned the assignment. All students will still be assigned to a group based on the previously selected group set.

Assign to Group

To create the discussion for a specific group in the group set, click the Everyone remove icon [1], then start to type in the name of a group [2]. Search fields are dynamic; when the group name appears, click the name. Lists are not scrollable.

You can include more than one group in the To field, as long as they are to be assigned the same due and availability dates.

Edit Due and Availability Dates

In the date fields, add your preferred date(s) with the following options:

Due [1]: Set the date and time that the discussion is due. The due date will already be populated for you if you created an assignment shell, but you can change it if necessary.
Available From [2]: Set the date and time when the discussion will become available.
Until [3]: Set the date and time when the discussion will no longer be available.

Note: Beneath the Due Date and Availability date fields, Canvas will display the time zone date and time according to context. If you manage courses in a time zone other than your local time zone and create or edit a due date for a discussion, the course and local times are displayed for reference.

Add Additional Dates

To add new Due and Availability Dates for other users in your course, click the Add Date button.

Remove Dates

You can also delete additional dates by clicking the remove icon next to the appropriate date.

Save and Publish

If you are ready to publish your discussion, click the Save & Publish button [1]. If you want to create a draft of your discussion and publish it later, click the Save button [2].

View Due Date Warning

Even when you aren't adding sections, you will see a warning message asking you if you want to add sections.

You can click the Continue button [1] if you don't want to add any other sections to the assignment, or click the Go Back button [2] to go back and add sections.

Note: This warning message will not appear if everyone in the course or all course sections are assigned.

View Date Error

If you submit an invalid string of due dates and try to save the assignment, Canvas generates an error notification. Such invalid entries include not unlocking the assignment before it is due, not placing the due date inside the range of availability dates, or assigning a date that is outside the course or term dates.

Correct the date and then update the graded discussion again.

Notes:

If the course does not include specified course start and end dates, Canvas validates the graded discussion against the term date set for the course.
If your course is using Multiple Grading Periods, the Assign field validates the due date against the closed grading period and requires the discussion due date to be past the date of the closed grading period.

View Assignment Dates

View the dates and users assigned to the assignment.

View Dates in Discussions Redesign

To view due dates and availability dates for a discussion in Discussions Redesign, click the Show Due Dates link.

View Dates in Discussions Redesign

View the dates assigned to the graded discussion.