How to manage break out groups

Option 1 Groups managed by the moderator

The moderator starts and stops the groups, participants are moved between the main room and their predetermined break-out group by the moderator. This method is good for large groups as participants cannot get lost or drift away, they go where and when they are told.

Workflow

1. You enter the Collaborate session and create however many groups are needed.
2. Allocate your students to a group using either Custom or Random Allocation. *Look out for students who join the Collaborate session after you have created your group structure*
3. When you are ready to start the groups, you press Start and the participants are automatically moved from the main room and into their breakout group.
4. You can communicate with the breakout groups via the Everybody chat or by moving yourself into a breakout group.
5. When you are ready to end the breakout session you press Stop and the participants are automatically moved back into the main room.
6. When you Stop the breakout groups the group structure is deleted and the groups will close. If you need the breakout groups again you have to re-create the structure.
7. Also, the work done in that group space is deleted.

This method is good for large groups as participants cannot get lost or drift away, they go where and when they are told.

Option 2 Groups managed by the participant

The participant move themselves between the main room and their breakout group and have the freedom to move at will. This method is good for replicating known groups such as seminar groups in the Collaborate session. Participants must know their group name in advance.

Workflow

1. You enter the Collaborate session and create the groups that you need.
2. Ensure you choose Custom Assignment and allocate the students into a group. *Look out for students who join the Collaborate session after you have created your group structure*.
3. If you are replicating a known group structure, make sure you name the breakout groups with names that the students will recognise – the default name given by Collaborate is Group 1….etc.
4. Tick Allow participants to move themselves between groups.
5. Press Start. Nobody will move from the main room as you have allowed them to move themselves.
6. Ensure your participants what group they are in – this may be a known group such as a Seminar group.
7. When you are ready to start the groups, explain what to do and the participants move themselves into their breakout group
8. You communicate with them in their breakout groups via the Everybody chat or by moving yourself into that breakout group.
9. When you are ready to end the groups you communicate with them via the Everybody chat, participants move themselves back into the main room.
10. The group structure remains intact to be used again within that session.
11. Work that has been done in the breakout group remains intact in the group space until the Collaborate session is ended.

This is more engaging and fun for the participants. Make sure you allow time for them to move, especially the first time this happens. Provide very clear instructions and be prepared to help stragglers.

Option 3 Combination of the Options 1 and 2

You can use a combination of the two methods. You group the participants and start up the breakout groups and then hand the control to the participants. This method means you can randomly group the participants on the day. Participants will not need to know their group in advance.

Workflow

1. You enter the meeting and create the group structure.
2. Ensure you choose Randon Assignment. *Look out for students who join the Collaborate session after you have created your group structure*.
3. Do not tick Allow participants to move themselves between groups at this point. Keep the control with the moderator.
4. When you are ready to start the groups press Start.
5. Participants are automatically moved into their randomly assigned but pre-determined group.
6. Whilst the groups are in operation return to the Breakout groups control panel and put a tick in the Allow participants to move themselves between groups box. The control to move between rooms is now passed to the participants.
7. You communicate with them in their breakout groups via the Everybody chat or by moving yourself into that breakout group.
8. When the breakout group session is over, participants move themselves back into the main room.
9. The group structure remains intact to be used again within that session.
10. Group work remains intact in the group space until the session is ended.