how to add assignments to teams channel

How to Use Assignments in Microsoft Teams: Quick 12-Minute Tutorial for Teachers

Sara Wanasek

Using Microsoft Teams in the classroom gained popularity during the pandemic. However, it can, and is, being used in both online and physical classrooms today. As a learning management tool, Teams works seamlessly with other Microsoft products like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint which are classic favorites for students and teachers alike.

This multi-functional tool allows you to stay in touch with your students not only through video calls, but with chats, files, and assignments in Microsoft Teams. Teams can seem daunting when you first begin to use it, but it really is quite simple and easy to use. To make it seem less intimidating, we have broken down and explained some main features of Teams separately. Here are links to our other guides on features of Microsoft Teams:

• Microsoft Teams for Online Teaching – A Guide for Teachers
• Using Breakout Rooms in Microsoft Teams  
• Assignments in Teams
• Class Notebook in Microsoft Teams
• 15 of the Best Teams Tips and Tricks .

Below is a quick, everything-you-need-to-know guide on assignments in Microsoft Teams. Let’s get started!

Create an Assignment in Microsoft Teams

To begin creating assignments in Microsoft Teams, you first need to be sure of two things:

• You are logged in with a Microsoft EDU account
• The Team you have created is a Class Team type

If both of those things are complete you will be able to see the Assignments tab on the side ribbon and on the top ribbon in the General channel. If you need help getting to know the interface and basics of Teams, check out our Teams Guide for Teachers.

Start a New Assignment

Now, to create your assignment, click on the Assignments tab from the top ribbon under your General Channel. Click Create , and then Assignment , to begin your first assignment. You can explore creating a quiz with the help of Microsoft Forms and creating an assignment based on a pre-existing assignment another time.

Add Assignment Details

In your new assignment, add a title and a description to let your students know what to do to complete the assignment.

If you prefer to attach the instructions as a document, or have supporting materials to the assignment, you can attach them under the Add Resources link. Teams allows you to attach files in many different ways: through your OneDrive, ClassNoteBook, from a link, by creating a new file, or from uploading a document from your computer.

When you attach a resource, you have the option to allow students to edit it or not. By default, they cannot edit; however, if you prefer to change this, just click on the three dots at the end of the resource and click, Students edit their own copy. Now, when students edit this file, a new copy will be made for them, and it is automatically attached to this assignment for an easy turn-in.

Set Points and a Rubric

To easily grade this assignment in Teams, assign the number of points it is worth, or add a rubric . Similar to creating assignments, you can use a pre-existing rubric, upload one, or create a new one.

Creating a new rubric is very customizable so you are able to add all the information your students need to complete the assignment. Just add a title , and a description , then fill in the rest of the rubric. If you need more categories , just click the plus button at the end of the columns, or after the bottom row. In addition, you can assign points to each category of the rubric.

Choose Students to Assign the Work to

The next step in creating an assignment is to assign it to your students. You can assign it to all of them, or a certain student(s) for more individualized work. Just click Assign to All, or go through the list and click the students you would like to assign this to.

Give a Due Date & Close Date

In Teams, there are two different categories of dates for when the assignment is due.

Due Date: This is when the assignment is due, however, students are still able to turn in the assignment late, after the due date has passed.

Close Date: This is when the assignment closes and no more submissions are allowed.

To set both of these, and schedule this assignment for the future, click Edit under the Due Date section. To set a Close Date , click the checkbox on the side and set the date.

When all of your setups are complete, back at the top of the page, click assign, or save for later if it still needs a bit more work.

How Students Can Turn in Assignments

After you assign an assignment, students will receive a notification. They are able to view the assignment in the General Channel or on the Assignment tabs.

The student’s view of the assignment is very similar to the teacher’s view. They will see the Due Date and Close Date, the instructions, any files you have attached, and a rubric if there is one.

Students can begin their assignments right away in Teams if you have attached a document for them to work on. In the example below, students would be using PowerPoint on their desktops simultaneously with ClassPoint to make their presentations more interactive. As they work, their changes will be saved automatically. If you don’t have a document attached, students can upload and attach their work instead.

When they have completed their work, they just need to click Turn In. They will see a fun animation appear indicating the turn-in is successful.

How to Grade Assignments

Once students have turned in their work, you will receive a notification. Now, you can easily look over and grade their work. Click into an assignment to view how many students have turned in their work, how many need grading, and how many you have already graded.

To grade an assignment, click on the Turned in status. Here, you are able to view their work alongside a tab for you to give them feedback. If you have a rubric , it will open for you to assign the points for each category. Scrolling down, you can leave feedback to let them know what they excelled at and what needs more work.

When the grading is completed, you can return it to the student. They can view your feedback, make changes, and turn it in again if necessary.

To easily jump between students for a continuous grading experience, click the arrows on the side of the student’s name, or click on the student’s name for a drop-down menu of your other students.

Export Grade Data

In Teams, it is really easy to export data, especially for assignments. You can export data for certain assignments, in addition to exporting all assignments and student grade data. This can be done from the Grades pivot on the top toolbar. You will see a complete list of your students, and of each assignment on this tab that you have assigned throughout the year.

Frequently Asked Questions

And that completes this tutorial on Assignments in Microsoft Teams! There is plenty you can do with this feature on Teams to make it suitable for your students and classroom. Enjoy using it to its fullest potential.

We have put together some frequently asked questions in case you still have some lingering questions before you get started!

What if I don’t see the Assignments tab?

If you don’t see the Assignment tab on the top ribbon in your General channel, or on the side ribbon, you are not logged in with a Microsoft EDU account. Create your own, or get in touch with your IT department for your login.

What is the difference between the Due Date and the Close Date?

Students can still turn in Assignments after the Due Date has passed, but once the Close Date has passed, no more submissions are allowed.

If I return the assignment to my student does that mean I want them to redo it?

Not necessarily. You can return all assignments to the students so that they can see your feedback. If you want a student to redo the assignment, you should let them know in your feedback.

Can I attach a PDF for my students to edit to the assignment?

You can do this through your Class Notebook! Insert the PDF to a Class Notebook page and set it as the background. Then, you can assign this page to your students.

Watch this for a visual guide on how to insert a PDF to a Class Notebook page.

Can I assign an assignment to a certain channel?

Unfortunately, no. You can only assign to the General Channel, which is all your students, or assign to individual students when setting up the assignment.

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When you create a CLASS Team you have the option to create assignments, give feedback and assign grades.

You can find assignments in Microsoft Teams in 2 places. On the left hand side one of the icons is “Assignments.” If you can not find this it is because your Teams account is not an EDU account. The other place to find Teams assignments is on the General channel of the class team. Look at the tabs along the top of the General channel. The Assignments tab may be collapsed, click on the more option to view the tab.

Create Button

Locate the Create button at the bottom of the Assignments page. Choose “Assignment” to create a new assignment. Note that “Quiz” will allow you to add a Microsoft Form as an assignment.

• Name your assignment. Tip: Number the assignments to help bring clarity as to which assignment students should be working on. I use #001 and #002 as my format.
• Adding categories shows on the assignment stripe and helps to organize your assignments in the gradebook.
• Add directions, use rich text and formatting.
• Add resources such as a PowerPoint of directions or add a document that is copied for each student.
• Assign points.
• Create or upload a rubric for assessment within Teams.

• Assign to multiple classes. Click the two rectangles icon to choose another class.
• Assign to a subset of students
• New students will not receive this assignment
• Change the due date
• Change the due time
• Students have a grace period after the due date to submit
• Post to a specific channel
• Integrate the assignment with Turnitin

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Assignments in teams using teams in channels

Currently, this is how I'm planning on setting up my team. It is for a laboratory course at the college level.

Have the general channel for everyone and then set up channels for each group.

To share material with the student groups I envision creating a section in the class notebook in the content library so the original document doesn't get edited/deleted Or a file in the Class Materials folder.

The questions is how to best share the material with the students so they can edit it.

I did find that I could create an assignment and share it with groups. My challenge is, I post all assignments at the beginning of the semester. Using this route is slightly problematic because the groups sometimes change and once the assignment is posted, you can't change the groups.

Is it possible instead to rather than creating an assignment, share it with the channels for each team? If that is possible, can the students then edit the notebook or document in the group's channel?

Thanks, Ruthanne

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Reported content has been submitted​

• Microsoft Agent |

Hi Ruthanne Paradise,

First, my pleasure to assist you.

As per your description, please don’t worry, we can work together to narrow down and resolve the situation.

If my understanding is right, for the situation you encountered, we do understand the inconvenience caused and apologize for it.

As you mentioned , “ To share material with the student groups I envision creating a section in the class notebook in the content library so the original document doesn't get edited/deleted Or a file in the Class Materials folder ” the Content Library in a class notebook is a read-only space where teachers can share handouts with students. Student can only view Content Library but cannot edit it and Collaboration space is a section where students and teachers can collaborate their work together. Teachers and students can both view and edit the collaboration space.

In OneNote Class Notebook the Student Notebooks is a private space shared between the teacher and each individual student. Teachers can access every student notebook, while students can only see their own.

Here are Class Notebook sections each have their own specific permissions for your reference:

Regarding to, “Is it possible instead to rather than creating an assignment, share it with the channels for each team ?” In Teams, we can create different Channels within the team and based on my test, I can only be assign/share assignment in one  of Team not a channels for each team.

Create assignments for your students in Microsoft Teams, we Select Attach  to attach resources to the assignment. By default, Students can't edit   attached documents, which means the document is read-only. To let students, edit a separate copy of the attached file, we select More options  > Students edit their own copy . This way, students can edit their own copy of the file and turn it in for a grade. Then we choose multiple classes, individual students, or groups of students in one class to assign to.

Your understanding and patience will be highly appreciated. I hope that you are keeping safe and well!

Best regards

Waqas Muhammad

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Create and manage teams and channels with Microsoft Teams

Learn how to create teams and channels, add apps and tools to your teams, and manage team settings as a team owner in Microsoft Teams.

Learning objectives

After completing this module, you should be able to:

• Create a new team in Microsoft Teams
• Add public or private channels to a team in Microsoft Teams
• Manage team and channel settings in Microsoft Teams
• Add members to a team and manage their roles
• Add apps to use in Microsoft Teams
• Use the Tasks app in Microsoft Teams

Module Assessment Results

Answer {percent}% of questions correctly in order to pass.

• Introduction min
• Plan your team min
• Get your team up and running min
• Manage a team min
• Use apps and tools min
• Use the Tasks app in Teams min
• Knowledge check min
• Summary min