Creating, Modifying, and Deleting Groups
As an administrator, you can create a group using either of the following methods:
Creating a group using the Manage Groups screen.
Approving an application, as described in Reviewing, Approving, and Declining Applications.
Note that besides members of the Administrators role, the only people who can create groups are members of roles with the Can Admin permission in the Campus Groups subsection. All other users have to apply to create a group and wait for the application to be approved.
Related to this, at times you may also want to modify or delete a group, as described in Modify a Group and Delete a Group.
Further, when creating and modifying groups, you generally have the option of setting values for the same standard list of attributes, which are described in “Attributes of a group,” below.
Attributes of a Group
This section describes the attributes that a group has. When you review group applications, create groups and modify groups, you will work with these values.
Group Name
Group name is a required field. The name will be used to identify the group in notifications sent to users, in the context created for the group, and, if the group is public, in the Campus Groups Directory.
Note that groups names usually are seen outside the context of the category to which the group belongs. So it is the responsibility of the Campus Groups administrator to make sure that the name makes sense on its own.
Note that once the group is created, the name can only be changed through Context Manager, and only a Campus Groups administrator is allowed to make this type of change.
Group Leader
This person named as Group leader will be a member of the Leaders role in the group’s context. This user will have the ability to add or invite other members, and to otherwise manage the group.
Note that when you create a group using the Manage Groups screen, the Group leader field will be set to your name and cannot be changed. However, if desired, after the group is created, you can make another user (or users) the Leader(s) and remove yourself from the Leader role. The process of assigning a user to a group role is described in Change a Member’s Role.
Group Category
Each group must be assigned to a category that describes the general purpose of the group. If it is a public group, the Category classification will help other users find the group when they are browsing the Campus Groups Directory.
Public or Private
Each group must be classified as either public or private. This designation affects whether the group is listed in the Campus Groups Directory, and how people become members in the group.
This designation may also affect the layout of the group’s context—for details, see Templates for the Group Contexts.
Public Groups
A public group is one that is listed in the Campus Groups Directory and which can have any of several membership options. These options are described in Public Group Enrollment.
Private Groups
A private group is one that is not listed in the Campus Groups Directory and which has only one style of membership, which is that members are added manually by the leaders. This is similar to the “invitation” style of membership seen in public groups, except that people added to private groups do not have to actively accept an invitation—when they are added by the leader, they simply receive a notification that they have been added.
Public Group Enrollment
Public group enrollment is relevant only if the group is public. The options are as follows:
Open, no application required—Any user can proactively join the group and instantly become a member. Each time this happens, the leader gets a notification indicating who has joined.
Open, by membership application—Any user can submit an application for membership, and if the application is approved by the group’s leader, the applicant becomes a member. Note that the system always presents the same application; it is essentially a form that asks why the user wants to join. However, for each group, the application’s introductory text can be customized (by changing the Application to Join template, as described in Working with Message Templates for a Group). If the group leader needs to collect specific data as part of the application, it might be a good idea to provide a detailed list in the introductory text.
Open, by invitation only—A user can become a member only if he or she receives an invitation from the group’s leader. The invitee then must accept the invitation to become a member, by visiting the Join Group feature on the inviting group’s Public Page, or visiting a Campus Groups feature listing the user’s current groups and clicking on the Join Now link provided there. Note that each group has an invitation template that can be customized on a case-by-case basis (the Invitation to Join template, described in Working with Message Templates for a Group).
Closed to new members—No one can join the group. At the time the group is created, this might be an appropriate choice if the leader(s) need time to set up the group’s pages or if they want to do some other prep work prior to accepting members.
Maximum Number of Members
When the maximum number of members has joined a group, the system automatically closes the group to new members. You can also manually close a group at any time by editing its membership settings (described in the Manage Membership Settings section). This is an optional setting.
Description
This description offers more details about the group. This description is displayed only to administrators reviewing the group’s data.
Reviewing, Approving, and Declining Applications
When a user submits an application, it must be approved by an administrative user before the group is created.
Administrators who want to create groups should use the following this procedure. Using this method means the group will be created instantly (no approval will be required by anyone else).
Log in to the portal and navigate to the Manage Groups screen, as described in Navigate to the Manage Groups Screen.
Click Add group.
The system displays the Manage - Create Group screen.
Fill out the form as appropriate. If you need help with any field, see the Attributes of a Group section.
Click Create group.
The system creates the group, with you as the leader.
This procedure explains how to review the details of an application, then approve it with or without changes, decline it, or set it aside.
Log in to the portal and navigate to the Manage Groups screen, as described in Navigate to the Manage Groups Screen.
Click the Requested groups link.
The system displays a screen that shows all outstanding applications.
Click the name of the application you want to review.
The system displays a read-only summary of the application.
Do one of the following:
To decline it, click Decline group.
To set the application aside for now, click Cancel.
To approve it, click Create this group. In response, the system displays the Manage - Create Group screen. You can use this screen to make changes to the details submitted, such as the name of the group and so forth. You can also customize the email the applicant will receive explaining that the group was created. After you’ve made all necessary modifications, click Create group.
If you know that you want to accept or decline an application without taking a look at it, use this procedure. This strategy is faster than other methods of declining applications.
Log in to the portal and navigate to the Manage Groups screen, as described in Navigate to the Manage Groups Screen.
Click the Requested groups link.
The system displays a screen that lists all outstanding applications.
Do either of the following as appropriate:
Locate the application you want to approve, and click the corresponding Accept icon, which appears as a green check mark. The system displays the Manage - Create Group screen. You can use this screen to make changes to the details submitted, such as the name of the group and so forth. You can also customize the email the applicant will receive explaining that the group was created. After you’ve made all necessary modifications, click Create group.
Locate the application you want to decline, and click the corresponding Decline icon, which appears as a red circle with a white horizontal line through it. The system displays a dialog asking if you are sure you want to decline the application. Click OK.
Use this procedure to make changes to an existing group, such as any of the following:
Changing the maximum number of group members
Changing the category to which the group belongs
Making the group public or private
If the group is public, changing the requirements for enrolling in the group
Changing its description
Note that you cannot change the name of a group using the procedure below, but you can do so through Context Manager.
Further, you can change the leader of the group, but not using this procedure. (For details on changing the roles that different people have, see Change a Member’s Role.)
To modify a group:
Log in to the portal and navigate to the Manage Groups screen, as described in Navigate to the Manage Groups Screen.
Locate the group you want to modify and click the corresponding Edit button.
The system displays a form.
Make any changes that are appropriate. If you need help with any particular field, see the Attributes of a Group section.
When you delete a group, the system removes the group’s context and sends a notice to all group members that the group has been removed.
Log in to the portal and navigate to the Manage Groups screen, as described in Navigate to the Manage Groups Screen.
The system displays the default view, which lists all categories and groups.
Locate the group you want to delete and click the corresponding Delete button.
The system displays a dialog asking if you are sure you want to delete the group.
Click OK.
The system displays the Manage - Delete Group screen, which lets you customize the email that will be sent to group members. (The suggested text comes from the Existing Group Deleted template, described in Working with Message Templates for a Group.)
Make any changes that are necessary to the email and click Delete group.