The following guidelines for structuring a Microsoft Teams experience explain the different models and tips for communicating the experience to students. If you feel that you need a quick template to inform students of how things might work, you can skip to the template and adjust as you require – however, the content leading up to the template might help guide you on how you might want to adjust it for your situation.
There are a number of different ways to structure Microsoft Teams for different types of student experiences. The first thing to determine is the model that will work best for your teaching. Below are some suggested models based on the most common user cases. You can request that one of these Teams configurations be set up via a ServiceConnect ticket.
A series of lecture or tutorial classes, each with their own channel for discussions (private) managed by a tutor.
Can create video conferences easily for these private channels.
Several additional general channels for public messaging
Good for: Large class sizes, a focus on interactions between individual tutors and tutor groups (less than 30 tutorials), having video conferences between a tutor and tutor group Not so good for: Supporting monitored group exercises in addition to tutor groups Admin/ monitoring load: High
Channels example:
Model A – tutor groups focus
A series of lecture or tutorial classes, each with their own channel for discussions (private) managed by a tutor.
Can create video conferences easily for these private channels.
Several additional general channels for public messaging
Good for: Large class sizes, a focus on interactions between individual tutors and tutor groups (less than 30 tutorials), having video conferences between a tutor and tutor group Not so good for: Supporting monitored group exercises in addition to tutor groups Admin/ monitoring load: High
Channels example:
Channels for each week to hold discussions or put up class postings
Several additional general channels for public messaging
Weekly channels would be public, so initiating a video conference would invite everyone in the cohort.
Good for: Medium and smaller class sizes, useful if you do not have the resources/capacity to manage individual tutor groups, a focus on full cohort interactions Not so good for: Video conferencing with smaller segments of users requires further configuration (setting up ‘chat’ groups) Admin/ monitoring load: Medium
Channels example:
Model B – weekly discussions
Channels for each week to hold discussions or put up class postings
Several additional general channels for public messaging
Weekly channels would be public, so initiating a video conference would invite everyone in the cohort.
Good for: Medium and smaller class sizes, useful if you do not have the resources/capacity to manage individual tutor groups, a focus on full cohort interactions Not so good for: Video conferencing with smaller segments of users requires further configuration (setting up ‘chat’ groups) Admin/ monitoring load: Medium
Channels example:
A combination of A and B, using both channels for individual tutorial groups (private) and the individual channels (public) for content in relation to each week.
Good for: Different options for communication/interaction Not so good for: Potentially too many avenues for information communication, doubling up with LMS functions, would require clear communication to avoid confusion, high admin load Admin/monitoring load: High
Channels Example:
Model C – tutor groups and weekly discussions
A combination of A and B, using both channels for individual tutorial groups (private) and the individual channels (public) for content in relation to each week.
Good for: Different options for communication/interaction Not so good for: Potentially too many avenues for information communication, doubling up with LMS functions, would require clear communication to avoid confusion, high admin load Admin/monitoring load: High
Channels Example:
Just the default channels present.
Good for: Small cohorts, flexibility, simple way to provide a UTS supported platform for students to interact and do group work Not so good for: Medium or large cohorts, facilitating tutorials or experiences which don’t already possess structure externally Admin/ monitoring load: Low to Medium
Model D – blank slate
Just the default channels present.
Good for: Small cohorts, flexibility, simple way to provide a UTS supported platform for students to interact and do group work Not so good for: Medium or large cohorts, facilitating tutorials or experiences which don’t already possess structure externally Admin/ monitoring load: Low to Medium
Each of the models above provides the opportunity for students to interact and do group work. Rather than being centrally managed, it is most effective if communication channels for this are set up by the individual students.
In Teams, students are able to set up a ‘Chat’ amongst their group members which provides the same general file storage and communication capacity as a channel. Discussions within these ‘Chats’ are private amongst the student members, so if it is important to see group outcomes you might like to suggest that they share the results of their work in a more open tutorial channel or weekly topic channel for comments and feedback.
Another possible addition to each of these modes is a built-in OneNote Class Notebook. If you would like to have this functionality as part of your Team please indicate it as part of your setup request.
Communication
With a format decided you can now move on to using the template to communicate the expectations around this experience.
As with a class at the start of a teaching period it is important to welcome the students to this new digital space. This is a bit new for everyone so if you can set the tone and expectations you can do a lot to put people at ease (and perhaps also yourself). Take a moment to welcome the students and thank them for their patience and understanding as we shift into this new mode of teaching. You might like to include one of the fun working from home share activities listed below to give your students a chance to run through the process of sharing something on a specified channel themselves with a pressure free purpose.
Microsoft Teams guide for students
Download and share this Microsoft Teams guide for students with your students. It covers all the basics like how to download and use Teams, and some tips on how to communicate within it.
With the increasing frequency of online chat and social media there is the expectation that contact and feedback is available 24/7. Teams can give the impression to students that you will be immediately accessible, so it is important to set clear expectations around your own availability on the platform to answer questions and provide support. This expectation for immediacy will probably be heightened due to the current scenario and students’ anxiety. The amount of availability you provide is up to you. The following is a suggestion of how you might communicate this to students:
I will be available between 10-12 on Mondays during our regular tutorial time to answer questions.
I’ll check in on Wednesday and Friday to check for any outstanding questions.
You may also wish to discuss with your teaching team (tutors/demonstrators, etc, if available) how you might like to triage questions or requests. If each of you can check in briefly at certain times during the week you can share the load and answer refer students back to where the question might have been answered elsewhere. You might like to set up a means to arrange 1-1 consultations (view a spreadsheet or other means that allows students to book in slots).
Netiquette
At this point it is also worth highlighting to follow net etiquette. The Microsoft Teams space mirrors many chat interfaces that students are used to from social media. While this means that they will be able to readily engage and interact, it’s probably also worth reinforcing the slightly different nature of this space. The template below highlights what you might like to include (and that you also might like check for your own awareness – we’re looking at you ‘caps lock for emphasis’ users!).
Creating community
People are going to want community in this time, the more we can foster that in some digital space the better. The best thing is that in a community people can provide the energy of interaction themselves, but there is a lot that you can do to allow the community to be active and inclusive.
The first thing is to encourage users to take ownership and to interact with one another (this is done in the template). You may additionally decide to allow or dissuade users from setting up their own channels (as this might confuse information flow, see channels section below), but they are welcome to set up ‘Chats’ between themselves and their peers.
In relation to your own interaction with the space, the more that you can make the students feel that you are present, and that you can encourage meaningful discussion, the better – but it is possible to minimise work by optimising your input. In order to get the most value out of your interactions it’s useful to keep in mind that students will largely be thinking about your class on the day that they have it. If you can focus posting content around this time these materials/efforts will get the most visibility. It’s also worth mentioning that too many different bits of content shared can also be distracting, so there is a balance to hit in relation to shared information.
As with any other form of social media posting an interesting image or link to a contemporary example can be a good way to draw attention and interest. Asking students about something that they would already have an opinion about or interest in as part of their perceived endpoint occupation can be a great way to insight self-sustaining comment and discussion.
Creating a relaxed and well functioning community can also be done through normalising (as much as possible) the current situation. The ‘home workplace sharing activities’ mentioned at the end of the template provide students with an opportunity to see how they are not alone and a chance for them to see how they can share something of their situation. You might decide to spread these individual prompts over numerous weeks to have the most impact.
Question tracking and visibility
Because teams can exist as a stream of numerous conversations, unless everyone reads all the threads it can be hard to be sure that they have absorbed all the available information, and key answers to questions can get lost. It’s recommended to set up a FAQ wiki page, channel or document that you can update as questions come in and then when you get a repeated question you can simply refer them to the FAQ (if you are really lucky the other students in the chat might even do it for you). You might like to separate this into different sections (Assignment 1, Assignment 2,) depending on how you have arranged your course. This might also become a useful resource next year when you update your subject outlines and in this instance will hopefully decrease email other direct contact requests.
As the weeks progress you will probably find the need to adjust what you are doing around Teams to make it work better for your particular course and teaching style. As you decide to change the way that you are running things just make sure that you communicate to students key changes so that they do not become confused.
Summary
Do encourage meaningful discussion
Do invite and allow students to chat and share
Do not use Teams for assessment
Do not use Teams to house grades
Template
Copy, paste and adjust
The content below is a Teams Guidelines Template that you can use to introduce and outline student use of Microsoft Teams. Please copy and adjust this template according to your needs.
Hi Everyone,
Welcome to this brave new world. And most of all thank you for your patience and understanding as we shift into this new mode of teaching. We hope that it’s clear that we are doing the best we can to adjust to these unprecedented circumstances and that the quality of your education is the key concern for us.
We appreciate all efforts to support your peers at this time and we hope that this can be a space where you can connect to them and interact around this subject.
The following goes through some housekeeping for the use of teams for this subject. Please read through this so that you understand the expectations around its use and the best ways to get information and receive contact.
Use of Teams
I have set up channels for each of the weeks in our course. Please make sure that you post your work from the weekly tasks and then tune in for the Zoom session on Monday morning at 10am so that we can discuss the work that you have posted together.
You will also be able to set up chat groups to do your group project later in the semester.
Availability
I will be available between XX-XX on XXX days during our regular tutorial time to answer questions.
I’ll check in on XXX and XXX to check for any outstanding questions.
If you have any more immediate concerns you contact me via email.
Netiquette
While lively discussion is always good please keep in mind that this is still a university teaching space and so a level of internet etiquette is required. As we all know things can lose a lot of context if you are not saying it in person, so please do your best to communicate clearly and respectfully.
If you wouldn’t say it or show it in class don’t post it on Teams. It seems common sense but Teams mimics the more flexible digital social spaces that we are used to. Make sure you keep in mind what this space is replacing.
Writing in all caps is read by many people as shouting, please be respectful around this.
Take care with file size and the resources you add. Adding unnecessarily large files can make things difficult.
Respect people’s privacy/what they share – don’t forward/share information without checking with the original sender first. Teams has levels of privacy and they may have shared that information believing it would stay within the space it was originally posted.
Your space
All that said, this is your space. Please reach out to your friends from class and start Chats with them. While there may be specific group activities please feel free to use this space to interact with your peers and work with one another as you would in class.
Keep an eye on the Random channel and see what things have been found by teaching staff and your peers. Like, comment and use the features within Teams to express your ideas.
Doing things in a purely digital way is different to being in class and it does have its disadvantages, but there are also so many opportunities to learn and share in new ways. I look forward to working on this with you and finding ways to create an interesting and active community around this subject.
Checking for existing answers
Because teams can exist as a stream of numerous conversations we understand that it can be hard to see whether your specific question has already been answered previously. To minimise this, common questions will be tracked on the FAQ so please check to see if there is an answer to your question there first before posting to a channel or enquiring directly to teaching staff.
Also please help out your peers. If you see a simple question from a peer that you know the answer to or you know there is an answer on the FAQ page please politely refer them to it. They will appreciate it and so will I. If there is something that I think I need to clarify further I will comment and if I agree with your assessment I’ll add a quick 👍.
Channels
As we know from our social media lifestyles things can get a bit messy if you don’t communicate through the right channels (ever messaged the wrong friend with a message they weren’t meant to see 😬 ). The below suggests the key use of each of the channels set up here.
General channel – This is a channel for key questions about the course material that you think that everyone would benefit from hearing the answer to. There might be conflicting information between two subject documents or you have a question about the assignment. If it’s a comment of a more ‘hey I found this resource’ type variety, you might like to instead share it on the Random channel. As mentioned above, make sure you check the FAQs before posting here to make sure that your question has not been answered previously. If it is a more specific question that relates to your circumstances, you might like to contact your tutor/me directly.
Module channels – As mentioned above, there is a channel for each of the modules in this subject. The aim of these is to gather specific questions and have discussion around the particular module topics.
Random – This is a channel to share interesting materials that you might find. It’s great to have conversations about interesting things that you might have discovered in relation to the subject matter so this channel’s here so you can do so in a space outside of the Generalchannel.
Your turn!
Ok now it’s your turn! Time to share with us one of the following. Post a picture in the ‘Home Workspace’ channel 🙂
Your work from home setup (what have you done to make it a nice place to work? – Immaculate for focus? Tea for relaxation? Mess aesthetic for multitasking? Enough stuffed toys to make it instagrammable?)
Who are your co-working support animals? (Any pets that won’t leave you alone now?)
What is your favourite study snack (Sweet biscuits? Salty snacks? A regional/cultural delicacy?)
Starting university is an overwhelming prospect at the best of times. Amara Atif takes care to support students as they acclimatise to learning online.
