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Groups (Planned)
Groups are not yet implemented on ikigize. This page describes the planned functionality. Access control today is role-based with direct membership, invitations, and join requests at each entity level (organisation, campus, course, module, session, task). When groups are implemented, they will complement this system for people organization and social collaboration—not replace it for access control.
Welcome to the planned groups system for ikigize. When implemented, groups will provide the organizational and social structure that brings people together around shared learning goals, projects, and interests.
Overview
When implemented, groups on ikigize will be powerful organizational tools for managing people and facilitating collaboration. Whether assigning cohorts of students to courses, creating study groups within campuses, organizing project teams, or building learning communities, groups will provide the structure and social features needed to bring people together effectively.
When implemented, groups will organize people into teams, cohorts, communities, and collaborations. They will enable efficient people management (like assigning entire cohorts to courses), facilitate social learning through dedicated channels, and support hierarchical structures with sub-groups and nested communities. Access control will remain role-based.
What Will Groups Be?
Groups will be collections of people organized around shared purposes, interests, or organizational structures. They will serve as a way to organize people on the platform for both practical management and social collaboration—complementing the existing role-based access control system.
Planned Core Features
People Organization: Create groups for any purpose - from course cohorts and project teams to interest-based communities and study groups.
Social Channels: Every group will have built-in communication and collaboration features, including chat channels, discussion forums, and shared resources.
Hierarchical Structure: Groups will be able to contain sub-groups, enabling complex organizational hierarchies and nested communities (e.g., campus with department sub-groups).
Efficient Management: Assign entire groups of people to courses, campuses, or sessions at once, rather than managing individuals one-by-one.
Collaboration Tools: Built-in tools for group discussions, resource sharing, project coordination, and peer learning.
Why Groups Will Matter
Traditional learning platforms often struggle with efficiently managing large numbers of learners and facilitating meaningful collaboration. When implemented, groups on ikigize will help address these challenges by providing:
Efficient People Management: Assign entire cohorts or teams to learning experiences in one action, saving time and reducing administrative overhead.
Natural Collaboration: Groups will reflect how people actually work and learn together in real-world settings, with built-in social features.
Scalable Structure: As communities grow and evolve, group structures will adapt without requiring system overhauls.
Flexible Membership: People will be able to belong to multiple groups simultaneously, reflecting the complex nature of modern work and learning.
Social Learning: Every group will have its own social channels, discussions, and collaborative spaces—transforming isolated learning into community experiences.
Group Types and Organizational Levels (Planned)
When implemented, groups will be creatable at different organizational levels, each serving specific purposes and enabling different types of collaboration and organization.
Platform-wide groups that can include members from any organisation. Perfect for cross-organisational communities, special interest groups, and global professional networks.
Groups within a single organisation for teams, departments, and company-wide initiatives. Enables internal collaboration and organisational structure management.
Learning community groups within campuses for study groups, interest-based communities, and peer support networks. Can include nested subgroups for complex hierarchies.
Course-specific groups for student cohorts, teaching teams, and course assistants. Supports batch-based learning, study groups, and course-related collaboration.
Module-level groups for focused learning units, specialized topics, and module-specific discussions. Ideal for deep-dive learning and topic-based collaboration.
Session-specific groups for live learning activities, workshops, and interactive sessions. Supports real-time collaboration and session-based learning experiences.
When groups are available, create them at the level that makes sense for your organizational needs. Campus groups can have department sub-groups, courses can have cohort groups, and organizations can have team groups—all working together to organize your community.
Common Group Purposes and Use Cases
When implemented, groups will serve a wide variety of organizational and collaborative purposes. Here are some of the most common ways groups are planned to be used:
Organise users into functional teams, departments, or working groups within organisations. Perfect for project teams, cross-functional groups, and departmental collaboration.
Group students by enrollment periods, cohorts, or learning tracks. Enables batch-specific communication, progress tracking, and cohort-based learning experiences.
Create smaller learning groups within larger courses for focused discussions, peer learning, and specialized instruction. Ideal for breakout sessions and study groups.
Organize participants within learning sessions for collaborative activities, group projects, and interactive exercises. Supports dynamic group formation during live sessions.
Form learning communities within campuses, including study groups, interest-based communities, and peer support networks. Can include nested subgroups for complex hierarchies.
Organize platform administrators, moderators, and support staff into specialized groups based on their responsibilities and areas of expertise.
Group community moderators and leaders who facilitate discussions, maintain community standards, and support member engagement across different areas.
Bring together users with shared interests, expertise areas, or professional focus. Enables knowledge sharing, networking, and collaborative learning around specific topics.
These examples represent just a fraction of how groups can be used when implemented. The system's flexibility will allow you to create groups for any organizational need, from formal cohort management to informal learning communities.
Groups for People Management (Planned)
One of the most powerful planned features of groups is their ability to simplify people management across the platform. Instead of managing individuals one-by-one, you will be able to manage entire groups efficiently.
Bulk Course Assignments (Planned)
Assign Entire Cohorts: Add all members of a group to a course with a single action, perfect for enrolling student cohorts or training groups.
Multiple Groups per Course: Assign several groups to the same course, useful for combining cohorts from different campuses or departments.
Bulk Role Assignment: Assign roles (like Student or Teaching Assistant) to all group members at once.
Progress Tracking by Group: Monitor learning progress across entire groups, identifying which cohorts need additional support.
Sub-Groups and Nested Structures (Planned)
Campus Sub-Groups: Create department groups within a campus, then further divide into program or year-level groups.
Course Sub-Groups: Divide large course cohorts into smaller study groups or project teams for more intimate collaboration.
Project Teams: Organize groups into project sub-groups, each working on different aspects of a larger initiative.
Flexible Hierarchies: Create any organizational structure that matches your real-world needs.
People Management Features (Planned)
Bulk Operations: Add, remove, or update multiple members simultaneously through group management.
Role Templates: Apply standard role combinations to all group members based on group purpose.
Communication: Send announcements or messages to entire groups at once.
Analytics: Track group performance, engagement, and progress as a unit.
When implemented, groups will transform administrative tasks from tedious individual operations to simple bulk actions. Assign 100 students to a course in seconds, create sub-groups for project work, and manage entire cohorts as efficiently as single users.
Social Features and Collaboration Tools (Planned)
When implemented, every group will come with a comprehensive set of social and collaboration features designed to facilitate communication, knowledge sharing, and community building.
Real-time messaging and communication channels for each group. Support for text, file sharing, and multimedia content. Perfect for quick updates, discussions, and collaboration.
Broadcast important messages to all group members. Ideal for updates, policy changes, event notifications, and organisational communications.
Structured discussion spaces for deeper conversations, Q&A sessions, and knowledge sharing. Topics can be organized by categories and pinned for easy reference.
Plan and coordinate group events, meetings, and activities. Includes scheduling tools, RSVP management, and event reminders for seamless coordination.
Collaborative file sharing and resource libraries. Group members can upload, organize, and access shared documents, media, and learning materials.
Discover and connect with other group members. View profiles, expertise areas, and contact information to facilitate networking and collaboration.
Tools for managing group projects, assigning tasks, tracking progress, and coordinating team efforts. Perfect for collaborative learning and work projects.
Insights into group activity, engagement levels, and collaboration patterns. Help group leaders understand member participation and optimize group dynamics.
These social features will transform every group into a vibrant community where members can connect, collaborate, and learn together. The tools will be designed to support both formal organizational needs and informal community building.
Default Groups for Easy Setup (Planned)
To help you get started quickly when groups launch, ikigize will provide a comprehensive set of default groups organized by category. These pre-configured groups will be customizable to match your specific needs while providing a solid foundation for your organizational structure.
Full administrative access to organisation settings and user management
Management-level access to teams and departmental resources
Standard employee access to organisational learning resources
Course creation and teaching capabilities within the organisation
Access to enrolled courses and learning materials
Support instructors and help manage course activities
Community moderation and content oversight capabilities
Guide and support other learners in their development
Lead discussions and foster community engagement
Create and publish learning materials and resources
Provide technical assistance and platform support
Review and ensure quality of content and processes
All default groups will be customizable, renameable, or modifiable to match your specific organizational needs. You will also be able to create entirely custom groups beyond these defaults.
Cross-Entity Collaboration Examples (Planned)
One of the most powerful planned features of groups is the ability to create groups that span multiple organizations. This will enable unprecedented collaboration across organizational boundaries while maintaining security and access control.
Cross-organisational group for healthcare AI professionals
Shared healthcare AI resources, cross-company sessions, collaborative research projects
Multi-company collaboration group
Shared project resources, cross-company sessions, joint development tools
Worldwide educators and learning professionals
Global learning resources, international collaboration, best practice sharing
When implemented, cross-entity groups will enable organizations to collaborate in ways that were previously impossible, creating new opportunities for knowledge sharing, joint projects, and global learning communities.
Groups vs. Roles: Understanding the Difference
When groups are implemented, it will be important to understand how they work alongside the existing role-based access control:
Groups (when implemented) will organize people into teams, cohorts, and communities for collaboration and management.
Roles (current) grant specific permissions that determine what people can do within entities.
Groups and roles are complementary—groups organize people, while roles define what those people can do. Access control today is entirely role-based.
How They Will Work Together
Group Membership: Joining a group will connect you with other members and give you access to group social features and channels.
Role Assignment: Roles (like Student, Instructor, Admin) are assigned at the entity level and grant specific permissions. This is how access control works today.
Group + Role: A typical scenario when groups launch: you're in a "Fall 2024 Cohort" group (for social learning and collaboration) AND have the "Student" role in a course (for permissions to submit work and view content).
Getting Started (When Groups Launch)
When groups are available:
- Identify Your Needs: Review your organizational structure and identify the types of groups you need
- Start with Defaults: Use the default group templates as a starting point for your organization
- Create Your Groups: Set up groups based on your organizational structure and collaboration needs
- Add Members: Invite people to appropriate groups based on their roles and interests
- Enable Social Features: Configure communication channels and collaboration tools for each group
- Assign to Entities: Connect groups to courses, campuses, or sessions for efficient management
- Test and Iterate: Monitor group activity and adjust structure as your needs evolve
Your Next Steps
Until groups are implemented, use the current platform features for people management and collaboration:
Current Alternatives
- People - How individuals participate in the platform today
- Roles & Permissions - Current role-based access control
- Organisations System - Organisational structures
- Campuses System - Learning communities
- Courses System - Course membership and enrollment
- Social Learning - Social features
Ready for Groups?
When groups launch, you'll be able to create effective people management and collaboration structures. Until then, the role-based access control system with direct membership, invitations, and join requests provides the foundation for managing access across all platform entities.