Students within a course can be grouped. Once students have been grouped, content, interactive tools and Blackboard assignments can be created specific to those groups. Emails can also be sent specific to users within the group rather sending an announcement which will email everyone in the course.

There are two types of groups in Blackboard, self-enrol and manual-enrol. Self-enrol groups allow students to use a sign-up sheet in order to join a group themselves.  A manual enrol group is a Blackboard group into which you the instructor manually add users. You say who should be in the group.