### Group Type

You can choose from a number of options which determine how other users may join your group.

###### Open Membership

Setting your group type to Open Membership will allow any user of the site to become a member simply by visiting your group page and clicking the join button.

###### Request Membership

Setting your group type to Request Membership means that any user can request to join your Group, however as owner you can choose to accept or decline this request. The requesting member will be automatically notified of your decision.

###### Invite Only

Setting your group type to Invite Only means that only users that you have sent an invite to may join your group.

#### Course Groups

Course groups are a special type of group which can only be created by Administrators and Staff of the site.

Course groups can contain tutors as well as ordinary members. All members of course groups can submit their Views to the group for assessment by tutors. When tutors give feedback on a submitted View, they can also attach a file to the feedback which is only visible to the View's author.

There are two types of Course groups:

###### Course: Request Membership

Users may join the group by requesting membership, described under the Request Membership heading above.

###### Course: Controlled Membership

Controlled Membership Course groups are only available to Administrators and Staff, and allow group administators to add and remove people from the group directly.

This is designed to be used for a course-based group where the membership is defined by an external system (such as an institution's enrolment system) and you wish to replicate that membership in the group.

Users cannot remove themselves from a controlled group.