Class groups make it easy for an instructor or teaching assistant to contact students in their course using 1 email address. An example of a class email group is zoology152-1-s22@g-groups.wisc.edu. To learn more, see the list of frequently asked questions below.
Questions about…
Class group creation
Q: Do I have to make my own class group?
A: No. Class groups are essentially Google Groups made using data from the Office of the Registrar’s Student Information System (SIS). You do, however, need to activate the group (more on that below).
Q: How do I view my group(s)?
A: To view your class groups, visit the Class Groups admin site (you will need to log in with your NetID and password).
Q: Do I have to do anything to activate the class group(s)?
A: Yes. On the admin site, you’ll see “Classes with email groups” and “Classes without email groups.” Those without email groups haven’t been activated yet. Click the “Create email group” button to make the group.
Q: When is the group created?
A: The class group is made once at least 1 student registers for the course. If you don’t see a class group listed, a possible reason is because no students have registered for the class section yet. You will receive an email notice when a new group is available for you.
Class group membership & permissions
Q: Are instructors automatically added?
A: Yes, if you are listed as the Instructor in SIS, you are automatically added to the group as a manager.
Q: Are teaching assistants (TAs) automatically added?
A: If the TA is listed as an instructor in SIS, they will be automatically added. If they are not a listed instructor, then an existing instructor can add the TA using the “Add or remove guests” feature on the Class Groups admin site.
Q: If a student registers for my class or drops it, do I need to manually add or remove them?
A: No. This information is updated in SIS every few hours. Students will automatically be added or removed.
Q: How do I see who is in the group?
A: You can either log into the Class Groups admin site and click the email address for the class group, or you can view members in Google Groups.
Q: Can anyone email the group?
A: No. The default setting for the group is that instructors are managers and students are members. But those in the manager role can change group permissions to allow students to email the group, too. For more information, see the “Default settings when a class group is created” section of the Class Groups KB article.
Have more questions?
If you have additional questions, see the KB articles linked below or contact the Help Desk.