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Canvas Sections and Groups Comparison
Definitions
Section - In a Canvas class, a section is simply a segment of the class roster used for administrative purposes. Sections in Canvas are created automatically and students are added to sections when courses are crosslisted in PAWS. Note that instructors cannot manually add students to sections in Canvas.
Instructors can assign assignments to a specific section of students, assign different due dates to different sections, and can take attendance by section.
Group - Groups function like a smaller version of your Canvas class and are typically used for collaboration, group discussions, and group assignments. Instructors can create multiple groups in a Canvas class and can add students to the groups.
Comparison of Groups and Sections
The following video provides an overview and comparison of Canvas Groups and Sections.
Tasks |
Group |
Section |
Associated Procedures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instructor needs to assign different assignments to different sets of students (e.g., only grad students should complete this assignment) | No | Yes | Assign Assignment to Section |
| Instructor needs to assign different due dates for the same assignment to different sets of students (e.g., undergrads have different due dates than grads) | No | Yes | |
| Instructor needs to send announcements or messages to different sets of students | Yes | Yes | |
| Provides a team space to post discussions and to collaborate on pages and files. | Yes | No | |
| Instructor can create group assignments, and students can turn in a single submission as a group and receive group feedback. | Yes | No | |
| Students need to select membership in a team (e.g., self-enroll in a group for group presentations) | Yes | No | Create Self Sign Up Groups |
| Take attendance for a specific set of students. | No | Yes | Take Attendance by Section |
| Filter gradebook by a specific set of students. | Yes | Yes | Filter Gradebook by Group or Section |
| Filter Speedgrader by a specific set of students. | Yes | Yes | |
| Create Canvas Calendar events for a specific set of students | Yes | Yes | View a Group Calendar |