Sakai Tutorials
Creating Discussion Groups for Forums

Step one:  Create student groups

1. In the Course tab of Sakai, click on the “site roster” item in the navigation menu
   
   
2. In the Site Editor, click “Manage Groups”.
   
   
3. If you do not have any groups, you’ll see a notice with that warning.  Go above the warning and click the “new" button as shown to the right.
   
   
4. This will open up the group editor. To entitle the group, add description, then create the group from your class roster.  Use control-clicks to select multiple students (and yourself, if you want to be a part of the discussion too.)  You should also be able to assign students to more than one group (e.g., to create subgroups within a larger group.)
   

Step two:  Assign Discussion Groups

1. Use the Forums link to find or create your discussion forum and topic. If you do not see the desired list, click the green circle-arrow (reset) button).
   
   
2. If it is already created, select the forum or topic for which you would like to enroll students (enabling them to see and post in the discussion forum), then click on its “Topic settings” link (at above, right).  If you have not yet created the discussion forum or topic, select the “New Forum” or “New Topic” link to create one.
   
   
3. In the “Topic Settings” screen, scroll “Permissions,” near the page bottom.  Next to “Role:” find the name of the first group you wish to “enroll” in the group and click it’s name to highlight.  To the right of “Permission Level:” select “Contributor” if you want to have read and response rights (but no more). Now select Role: “students” and make Permission Level: “none” so that only the discussion group you gave contribution rights to earlier can see and participate.  To make the group semi-permiable, you can assign “Students” a permission level of “reviewer.” To finish, click “Save Settings” at screen bottom (not shown at right.)