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Understanding the Hierarchy

Campus uses a two-tier organizational structure to help you manage communities: 
Space (e.g., Computer Science Department)
  └─ Group (e.g., Machine Learning Research)
  └─ Group (e.g., CS 101 - Fall 2026)
  └─ Group (e.g., Capstone Project Team)

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Spaces

Spaces are top-level communities typically representing:
  • Academic departments
  • Research centers
  • Student organizations
  • Administrative units

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Groups

Groups exist within spaces and provide focused collaboration areas for:
  • Specific courses
  • Research project teams
  • Study groups
  • Special interest communities

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Creating a Space

Any authenticated user can create a space:
  1. Navigate to the Spaces page
  2. Click Create Space
  3. Fill in the required information:
    • Name: Your space’s title (e.g., “Biology Department”)
    • Slug: URL-friendly identifier (e.g., “biology”)
    • Description: What the space is about
    • Avatar: Optional image to represent your space
  4. Choose visibility:
    • Public: Anyone can discover and join
    • Private: Invitation or approval required
  5. Click Create
Choose a descriptive slug - it will appear in your space’s URL and cannot be easily changed later.

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Space Management

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Roles and Permissions

Spaces have three membership roles:
RolePermissions
OwnerFull control: edit settings, manage members, create groups, delete space
ModeratorManage content, moderate posts, create groups
MemberView content, create posts, join groups

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Managing Members

As a space owner or moderator:
  1. Navigate to your space
  2. Click Manage in the space header
  3. Access the Members tab
  4. Add moderators, remove members, or adjust permissions
Space owners are set automatically when creating a space. You can add additional owners through the management interface.

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Joining Spaces

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Public Spaces

  1. Browse the Spaces directory
  2. Search for spaces by name or description
  3. Click on a space to view its details
  4. Click Join to become a member instantly

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Private Spaces

For private spaces, you’ll need:
  • A direct invitation link from a space owner
  • Approval from a space owner or moderator after requesting access

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Creating Groups

Groups must be created within an existing space:
  1. Navigate to the parent space
  2. Click Manage (requires owner or moderator role)
  3. Go to the Groups tab
  4. Click Create Group
  5. Enter group details:
    • Name: Group title
    • Description: Purpose and scope
    • Visibility: Public or private within the space
  6. Save your new group
Groups inherit the base privacy level of their parent space. A group in a private space is only visible to space members.

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Group Features

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Focused Discussions

Groups provide isolated conversation areas:
  • Post content specifically to the group
  • Only group members see group posts
  • Searchable within the group context

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Membership Management

Group moderators can:
  • Accept or deny join requests (for private groups)
  • Remove members
  • Promote members to moderators

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Discovering Content

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Space Feed

Each space has its own activity feed showing:
  • Posts made directly to the space
  • Posts from all groups within the space (if you’re a member)
  • Recent activity from space members

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Group Feed

Group pages display:
  • Posts scoped specifically to that group
  • Group-specific announcements
  • Threaded discussions among group members

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Use Cases

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Academic Departments

Space: “Psychology Department”
Groups:
  • Cognitive Science Lab
  • PSYCH 201 - Spring 2026
  • Graduate Student Association
  • Departmental Seminars

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Research Collaboration

Space: “Climate Research Institute”
Groups:
  • Ocean Acidification Project
  • Data Analysis Team
  • Field Study Coordinators
  • Equipment Sharing

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Student Organizations

Space: “Robotics Club”
Groups:
  • Competition Team
  • Workshop Series
  • Beginner’s Circle
  • Parts & Resources

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Privacy and Access Control

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Public vs. Private Spaces

Public Spaces:
  • Visible in the spaces directory
  • Anyone can join immediately
  • Member count is displayed
  • Content searchable by all members
Private Spaces:
  • Hidden from directory search
  • Require invitation or approval
  • Member count can be hidden
  • Content restricted to members

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Member Count Visibility

Space owners can choose to:
  • Display member counts publicly
  • Hide member counts for privacy
Private spaces are ideal for sensitive research, administrative discussions, or exclusive academic programs.

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Best Practices

Naming Conventions
  • Use clear, descriptive names
  • Include academic terms if relevant (e.g., “Fall 2026”)
  • Avoid abbreviations that aren’t widely known
Space Organization
  • Keep spaces focused on a single department or purpose
  • Create groups for sub-topics and projects
  • Archive inactive groups rather than deleting them
Moderation
  • Appoint trusted moderators
  • Set clear guidelines for space conduct
  • Regularly review and update space descriptions

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Leaving Spaces and Groups

You can leave at any time:
  1. Visit the space or group page
  2. Click Leave
  3. Confirm your decision
Space owners cannot leave until they transfer ownership or delete the space.

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