Introducing the "non_collaborative" Column in CD2 Groups and Group Categories

[sgergely]

We're excited to announce the upcoming release of a new column, non_collaborative, in the Canvas Data 2 (CD2) Query API's groups and group_categories tables. This column helps clearly distinguish between standard collaborative groups and the newly introduced "tags," providing enhanced clarity and control for institutions.

What is the "non_collaborative" Column?

The new non_collaborative column is a boolean indicator that clearly identifies whether a group or group category is used for collaborative activities (regular groups) or serves as a tagging mechanism (non-collaborative tags).

• Collaborative groups (traditional groups) are designed for student collaboration and interaction.
• Non-collaborative tags allow educators to group learners by specific attributes or labels without fostering direct student-to-student collaboration.

Why this Matters

The introduction of tags (non-collaborative groups) in Canvas offers educators greater flexibility in organizing and identifying learners based on various criteria such as academic progress, participation levels, or specific learning needs. The explicit identification of these tags via the non_collaborative column in CD2 facilitates accurate analytics and reporting, enabling institutions to better understand their learners and customize educational experiences.

Leveraging Tags for Enhanced Educational Insights

With the new tagging functionality, educators can:

• Personalize Instruction: Tailor teaching strategies to meet diverse student needs identified through tags.
• Simplify Management: Easily categorize students without triggering unnecessary collaborative features.
• Improve Analytics: Generate precise analytics by clearly distinguishing between interactive groups and organizational tags.

Technical Details

Table: groups

• Column: non_collaborative
• Type: boolean

Table: group_categories

• Column: non_collaborative
• Type: boolean

Example Usage

Here's how the new non_collaborative column appears in your dataset:

• Groups Table:
• non_collaborative: true – Indicates a group created purely as a tag for administrative or reporting purposes.
• non_collaborative: false – Denotes a traditional, interactive group used for student collaboration.
• Group Categories Table:
• non_collaborative: true – Marks the entire category as non-collaborative (used for tagging only).
• non_collaborative: false – Indicates categories containing traditional collaborative groups.

Getting Started

This new column is scheduled to be available on 2025-06-17 through the CD2 Query API. No additional configuration or action is required for DAP CLI users—the CLI handles new columns and values automatically.