Make sure Edit mode is on

Go to the Participants course tab

Go to the dropdown menu below the course tabs and select Groups

On the Groups page, click the Auto-create groups button at the bottom of the page

In the Naming scheme box, name the group while leaving the @ symbol so groups will be organized by A, B, C.... If you want Groups organized by number, change the @ sign to the # sign

In the Auto create based on row, decide if you want groups based on numbers or groups or based on members

Add in the Group/member count number

Select how you want members allocated using the dropdown menu

Keep the Include active enrollments box checked to prevent suspended students who are no longer visible from being assigned

You can name the new grouping or just select No grouping from the dropdown menu

Click the Submit button

Moodle will auto-assign members to different groups

If you click on a specific group in the left box with the list of groups, the members of that groups will display in the right box

Now you can create the Grouping. Select Groupings from the dropdown menu

Click the Create grouping button

Name your grouping. Adding additional information in the description box is optional

Save your changes

Find your new grouping and follow the row all the way to the right to find the user icon

Highlight all groups you want included in the Discussion 1 grouping

Click the Add button

By clicking the Back to groupings button, you will be able to see the new grouping and can move on to apply it to your course activity

Return to your course home page by clicking the Course tab

Choose the activity – in this case a forum

Click the Settings tab for the activity

Scroll down to the Common module settings section and select your Group mode and Grouping

Save your changes

Now, after the activity link is clicked on the course page, it is possible to see the separate groups settings and all the groups

In this case, the student will only post to the randomly assigned forum group