What are auto-managed groups?

'Auto-managed groups'—an abbreviation for 'automatically managed groups'—are specific kinds of groups based on a Course Reference Number (CRN) defined in Banner. The auto-managed group corresponding to a CRN indicates which students are enrolled for that CRN. 

These groups are auto-managed such that the instructor is freed from having to maintain the membership of these groups in order to keep current with who is enrolled in which CRN. In other words, students who enroll in your course after your Sakai course has been created will be automatically added to your course and also become a member of the appropriate auto-managed group for the CRN in which they are enrolled. This automation occurs once a day.

As a rule, you should not edit auto-managed groups in Sakai. (An exception to this would occur for some cases where you may want to grant Teaching Assistants grading permissions.)

Auto-managed groups are created and managed on your behalf when you request a course site with one or more CRNs via the Request Course form.

How can I distinguish auto-managed groups from the groups that I create manually in Sakai?

Go to the Site Info tool and look for the light gray section labeled 'Groups'. Click to expand this section. Refer to the screenshot below. 

Groups that are auto-managed will have a 'key' named 'auto.managed.group' in the group description below the group name. Without the 'auto.managed.group' key and its associated value, the group is not auto-managed, meaning that group membership is not managed automatically on your behalf. Refer to the screenshot below.

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