When you enroll in a class, you can chose the option to start a private group. This will enable you to have your friends join the group and enjoy all the advantages of group learning such as a threaded Discussion forum.

The first person should choose the second option. This person will be both the administrator and the facilitator of the group. These roles can be changed later.

When your private group is created, you will be assigned a "Group ID." It will be sent to you by email, and it is available in the cohort dashboard. Just go to your user dashboard and locate the relevant group.

Clicking on the link takes you to the group dashboard, and its Group ID is in the upper left corner of the screen.

Under "My Preferences" you can set two preferences.

• Receive Emails controls whether you receive general mailings from the mentor of this group.
• Auto Subscribe controls whether you are notified by email when a new Discussion item is posted, or when a current Discussion is commented on. You can unfollow individual Discussion items if you wish.

As you scroll down you can see a list of the people in your group.

If you are the mentor, you will be able to send emails to group members. Click on the appropriate names and click Send Message.