how to upload assignments on microsoft teams

How to upload and manage files on Microsoft Teams

Did you start using Microsoft Teams for work? In this guide, we'll help you get started managing files on the platform.

Microsoft Teams isn't just a platform to communicate with colleagues, whether you work from home or the office. It's also a platform to collaborate in real-time and share files without having to break the workflow.

Although, for the most part, uploading, sharing, and collaborating with files (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, pictures, etc.) is a straightforward process, Microsoft Teams uses different storage technologies, including OneDrive for Chat and SharePoint for Teams, which can make tasks a little confusing at first, because of the options and restrictions depending on the experience.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the steps to get started uploading and managing files using Microsoft Teams.

How files storage works on Microsoft Teams

How to upload files on microsoft teams, how to add cloud storage on microsoft teams.

On Microsoft Teams, there two types of storage, including SharePoint and OneDrive for Business.

If you share files on a team (channel), then those files will store in account's SharePoint folder, which can be found using these steps:

• Open Microsoft Teams .
• Click on Files .
• Click on Microsoft Teams .

• (Optional) Click the menu (three-dotted) button next to the file to access the context menu with options to view the file online, download, or get the link to share the file with other colleagues.

Once you complete the steps, the files will appear on the right side. If you don't see a particular file, you can click the Refresh button from the top-right corner.

If you ever download a file to your computer, it'll be accessible from the specified location, but in the "Files" tab of Teams, you'll also find a Downloads section with the history of your downloaded files. If you click the file within this section, it'll open from File Explorer.

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The files stored in the Microsoft Teams section will only be available for all the members of the channel.

OneDrive for Business

If you share a file privately with one or more people, the file will store in the Teams account's OneDrive for Business folder, and they can be found using these steps:

• Click on OneDrive .

• Click the folder containing the files.
• Click to open the file.

The experience is similar to the OneDrive interface available on the web, including options to create a new folder, upload files, sync content, and copy a link for sharing. Also, unlike the Microsoft Teams section, you can use the menu option from the top-right corner to change the view of files to list, compact, or tiles.

Although the uploading and sharing files is a straightforward process, the steps and restrictions will be different depending on whether you're using the chat or team channels.

Upload files to Microsoft Teams folder

Despite the ability to manage files stored in the SharePoint folder (Microsoft Teams) from the "Files" tab, it's not possible to upload files using this interface. Instead, the only way to upload files to this storage is to share the file directly into the group channel.

To upload files to Teams, use these steps:

• Click on Teams .
• Select the team (channel).
• Click the Attach button from the message section.
• Click the Upload from my computer option.

• Select the file.
• Click the Open button.
• Click the Send button.

Once you complete the steps, the files will be visible for anyone in the channel, and will appear in the "Microsoft Teams" section of "Files." After uploading the file, you can refer to the same item by selecting the Microsoft Teams option from the Attach menu.

Upload files to OneDrive folder

On the other hand, you can upload files to the OneDrive folder directly using the "Files" tab, but these files will only be available to you. Also, files you share privately with other colleagues using "Chat" will appear in this folder, but again, they'll only be visible to you.

To upload files to the OneDrive folder using the "Chat" tab, use these steps:

• Click on Chat .
• Select a recent chat (or start a new one).
• Click the Upload from my computer option. (Or the OneDrive option, if the file has been already uploaded.)

After you complete the steps, the recipients will be able to access the file from the chat history, but only you will be able to access the file through the OneDrive folder in "Files." However, you can always use the Files tab inside of "Teams" or "Chat" to quickly access the files shared in those areas.

Uploading files directly without sharing

To upload files directly to the OneDrive folder using the "Files" tab, use these steps:

• Click the OneDrive tab.
• Click the Upload button.

• Select the files.

Using the OneDrive folder, it's also possible to create new Office documents and even connect your work (not personal) OneDrive account to sync files.

Download files

Although files are always available within the experience, you can also download them from anywhere as long as it's visible to you.

To download a file on Microsoft Teams, use these steps:

• Hover over the file and click the three-dotted button.
• Select the Download option.

Once you complete the steps, the document will download automatically in the Downloads folder.

If the button isn't available, you can always click the file to open it on Teams, and then click the Download button from the top-right side.

Share files

You can also create a shareable link of a file, which you can then share with other colleagues.

To share a file available on Teams, use these steps:

• Hover over the file and click the three-dotted button from anywhere.
• Click the Copy link option to copy the link to the clipboard.

• Send the link via email or instant messaging.

After you complete the steps, you can send the link to anyone, but only members of the channel will be able to access the file.

On Microsoft Teams, you can also integrate other cloud storage services, such as Dropbox, Box, ShareFile, and Google Drive.

To add a Google Drive account (for example), use these steps:

• Click the Add cloud storage button.

• Select the storage service. For example, Google Drive .

• Confirm your Google account information.
• Click the Next button.
• Confirm your password.
• Click the Sign in button.
• Confirm your two-factor authentication code (if applicable).
• Click the Done button.
• Click the Allow button.

Once you complete the steps, you'll have access to view and share files from your Google Drive account.

When integrating a third-party storage service to Microsoft Teams, you can share files inside any of your teams, but for some odd (or security) reason, you can't share these files privately using the chat. However, if you must share a Google Drive file privately to one or multiple people, you can always download the file and then upload it manually to the chat session.

Mauro Huculak is technical writer for WindowsCentral.com. His primary focus is to write comprehensive how-tos to help users get the most out of Windows 10 and its many related technologies. He has an IT background with professional certifications from Microsoft, Cisco, and CompTIA, and he's a recognized member of the Microsoft MVP community.

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Simplify your class workflow with new Assignments features from Teams

September 20, 2023.

By Microsoft Education Team

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Whether it’s the beginning of a new school year or mid-winter semester, we know it’s important for you to have the right tools to help prepare, teach, and assess your students more efficiently. With customizable features and options, Microsoft Teams for Education helps you simplify your class workflow and create a quality learning environment for students as well as educators.

Explore four new Assignments features in Microsoft Teams for Education designed to help you make the most of your valuable instruction and assessment time.

1. Duplicate or share assignments in a snap with new quick actions

With the latest updates to quick actions in the Assignment list, you can click on an assignment and choose from these options: Edit, Copy Link, Duplicate, Mark as Inactive, or Delete. With Duplicate, you can copy the assignment to another class. With Copy Link, you can get a direct link to the assignment and share it over chat, email, or any other platform you use to communicate with your students.

With quick actions in the Assignment list in Teams, you can choose these options for assignments: Edit, Copy Link, Duplicate, Mark as Inactive, or Delete.

2. Set individual assignment due dates for multiple classes

If you have multiple classes to publish an assignment to, you can now set individual schedule, due, and close dates for each class with new multi-publish support. With new multi-class assignment options, you can quickly make one or more changes and publish to all your classes in one action, saving you time and streamlining the management of your assignment timelines.

3. Configure quiz time limits directly in Assignments

Timed Quiz is a popular feature in Microsoft Forms, enabling you to set the amount of time students have for a quiz. Now, you can configure and change the time for each quiz directly inside of Assignments settings in Teams. This new capability allows you to make any quiz a Timed Quiz without having to go into Forms to change the settings.

Configure and change the time for each quiz directly inside of Assignments settings in Teams.

4. Customize your grading with new Grade settings

In Assignments and Grades, the Grade settings now support multiple grading schemes. Use this feature to map to your grading schemes for grading inside Teams . Once configured, you can either use points or a new scheme of your choice in your grading and reporting. The system is flexible to support a variety of needs—you can even use emojis for your grading!

In Assignments and Grades, use the Grade settings to customize your grading schemes for grading inside Teams.

With the latest updates from Microsoft Teams for Education , you’ll find simplified ways to help streamline, manage, and customize your class workflow. Discover all the newest updates to Microsoft Teams in What’s New in Teams for Education | August 2023 .

Ready to go deeper? Take the free, online training Master Microsoft Teams for any learning environment from Microsoft Learn.

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How to Post Assignments to Specific Channels in Teams

Sara Wanasek

Keeping your students organized and on top of their work can get a little chaotic – especially when there is a mix of digital and paper assignments. When working within Microsoft Teams , the General Channel is the default for posting any assignments and updates to students. This leads to a messy Channel if you are posting often. However, we can help you to stay more organized and fix this up – try to post assignments to specific channels instead.

If you have assignments for specific units or groups of students, you can now post these notifications on that specific channel. Unfortunately, Teams doesn’t allow you to do this for private channels, so make sure they are open! If you do have an assignment that is only for a few specific students, you will have to assign the work to them separately. We go through how to post assignments to specific channels and students below. If you are ready to get your Teams organized, start reading!

Assign to a Specific Channel

To start to post assignments to specific channels, go into your Assignments tab in Microsoft Teams and create a new assignment. Fill out all of the assignment details that you want to add. At the bottom of the page, you will notice a line that reads “ Post Assignment Notifications to this Channel: General .” Next to it, click on the Edit button.

You will see the different channel options that you can choose. Choose which channel you will want the assignment notifications to go to, and click done . Then, don’t forget to click Assign to send the assignment to your students. You can go into the channel you chose and see the assignment notification there.

Don’t see all your channels when editing where to post the assignment notifications? Note that you are unable to choose private channels. For a workaround here, you can instead assign work to specific students.

Assign to Specific Students

Many teachers create private channels for students to do group work or to easily separate students and give them different versions of the same assignments. When assigning work, it would be nice to also post the assignment notifications to that channel, but unfortunately, Teams doesn’t allow you to do this in private channels. Instead, we will have to manually choose and assign the work to these groups of students.

To begin, we will create a new assignment from the Assignments tab in your Team. Once all the details are added in, you can choose which Team and which students to assign this to. Instead of choosing All Students , you can pick and choose which students will receive this assignment. You can go through your class list and choose the students. You will notice that you are not able to edit where the notifications are posted after you have done this.

Once the work has been assigned, students will receive a notification on their end that they must complete the work. Unfortunately, they won’t receive a notification in any of their channels, but they will know they still must do the assignment.

There are many different ways to use Teams and make it easier for you and your students to stay on top of their work. Hopefully, to post assignments to specific channels and to specific students are 2 ways that you can implement them in your routine. For other Teams Tips & Tricks, check out the articles below:

• Microsoft Teams For Online Teaching – A Guide For Teachers
• Step-By-Step Tutorial For Using Class Notebook In Microsoft Teams
• Creating An Assignment With a Class Notebook Page
• Best Ways To Use The Collaboration Space in Class Notebook
• How to Use the Brand New Breakout Rooms Feature in Microsoft Teams
• 15 Microsoft Teams Tips and Tricks for Teachers

About Sara Wanasek

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Configure assignments for Teams

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The content stored in SharePoint includes metadata and details about Assignments and Submissions that's stored for Assignments. The export user data is supported for both Student and Teacher users. However, delete data is only supported for Students due to co-mingling and data retention compliance. Teachers can delete their data in app by deleting assignments or classes. For more information, review the Assignments Admin documentation .

There are three scripts to use depending upon the scenario:

Shared common step for Export and Delete user data scenario:

Use the Get-UserClasses.ps1 script to create a list of classes that user is part of. If the user has left the class, then a text file containing those class Ids can be provided to include data from those classes. Otherwise data won't be exported or deleted from those classes. Running this script creates a csv file that contains a list of classes, the role of the user in class, and whether or not export or delete for the user was processed (which is set to false by default).

Exporting User data:

Use the Export-EDUAssignments.ps1 script to export data for the user. The csv file generated in the above step is input to this script. Running this script will get assignments and submissions of each assignment and generates two files. The assignment file (assignment.json) contains assignments and submissions and report file(GetAssignmentsReport.csv) - status of running the script. After running the script, it updates the GetSubmissionsProcessed column in the csv input file to true for that specific class so that if there's a failure the script can be rerun.

Deleting User data:

Use the Delete-EDUAssignments.ps1 script to delete data for the user. The script reads the class details of user from input csv file generated in the previous shared step. It then deletes the submissions, and generates a report file(DeleteAssignmentsReport.csv) for status of running the script. When the deletion of submission is done it updates the DeleteSubmissionsProcessed column to true for that specific class, so that if there's a failure the script can be rerun. The script also removes students from the class unless optionally specified to not do so by the Tenant Admin, failing that the student will get all the assignments applicable to them be redistributed to them.

Additional resources

Create an assignment in Microsoft Teams

Create  assignments for your students in Microsoft Teams for Education . Manage assignment timelines, add instructions, create resources to turn in, and more.

Note:  Assignments is only available in class teams . You can assign assignments to classes of up to 1000 students. Classes larger than 300 can't use a Class Notebook or Makecode.

In this article

Create a new assignment, title and category, instructions and attachments.

Points, rubrics, and grading

Assigning to students or groups

Due dates and scheduling, assign, save, or discard, classwork modules.

Navigating the Grades tab

Navigate to the desired class team, then select Assignments .

Select Create >   New   Assignment .

At a minimum, you must give the assignment a title. This is required. You can optionally add a tag, which will make this assignment easier to search for in the future. 

Assignments only supports the following image file types: .png, .jpeg, and .gif. 

On mobile, Images will resize to the screen. 

On desktop, you can use sizing handles on images to resize them.  

You can also attach existing files, links, or assignment integrations and create and name a new file right from here for students to turn in.

Note:  You can add up to five files for students to edit. The total number of resources you can add to an assignment is 10, whether editable or non-editable. Read-only reference files can be up to 500 MB in size. Files for students to edit can be up to 50 MB in size.

Select Attach  to attach resources to the assignment. Choose a file from your OneDrive, upload a file from your device, or choose one of the other options set by your admin, such as MakeCode.

Note:  If you're assigning a Class Notebook page, check what version of OneNote your students are using to ensure that their assignment pages will lock after the assignment due date passes.

Select +New  to create a blank Word (.docx), Excel (.xlsx), PowerPoint (.pptx), or Whiteboard document, or a new video recording to hand out to your students.

Select  Apps  to attach content from an app to the assignment. Admins can  manage Teams apps in the Microsoft Teams admin center .

Select Learning Accelerators  to add Reading Progress , Search Progress and other Learning Accelerators to the Assignment.

By default, Students can't edit  attached documents, meaning the document is read-only. This is a great option for reference materials.

Note:  If you have older documents with the file extension .doc, .xls, or .ppt, students won't be able to edit them. You can either attach them as read-only reference material or create a new file in Teams, copy in the old content, and save it. All new files you create in Teams or other Microsoft 365 apps will have the correct extension.

The Assign to field is where you choose the class for this assignment. By default, the class team you are in will be selected. 

Multiclass Publish

Multiclass publish allows educators to create an assignment for multiple classes with the same due date. 

Do this by navigating to the Assign to field and check the boxes for classes the assignment will be published to. 

Points and rubrics

You can select which grading scheme,  grading categories , and points the assignment is worth. 

If you have configured the class to use Grading Categories, you need to select a Grading Category for assignment with points.

Select the amount of points this assignment is worth, if any. You can use points on any number-based scale including whole numbers of 100 and set your own denominator. Examples:  88/100 or decimals 3.7/4.0.

Select  Add rubric  to  create a rubric .

Select  Manage grading categories  to create or edit the grading categories for the class.

Setting up Grading Schemes

Letter grading and grading categories must be set as a Grading Scheme in the Grade settings section to display these options.

2. Navigate down to Grade settings .

3. Choose Add Schemes or  Manage schemes .

Note:  If no other grading schemes other than "Points" have been set, this link will read  Add Schemes . Once you have gone through the steps to add a new scheme, the link will change to  Manage schemes. 

5. Set the grading levels. Letter grades will be the normal A, B, C, D, F, scheme. Ensure that there are enough levels to cover the entire 0-100 percent range.

6. Select the Save button when complete. 

Finish by choosing the  Done  button. 

Choose multiple classes, individual students, or groups of students  in one class to assign to.

By default, only students who are in your class now will receive this assignment. Change this by selecting an option from the dropdown menu.

Note:  If you choose a close date, any student who joins will receive this assignment until the close date.

Select a time and date for the assignment to be due. To schedule an assignment, next to  Assignment will post immediately with late turn-ins allowed  select Edit assignment timeline . Here, you can customize when your assignment will be posted to students and when it will close for turn-ins. By default, no close date will be selected, which allows students to turn in assignments late.

Note: If you choose multiple classes to publish the assignment to, you can select Set due date per class to set individual schedule , due and close date for each class

You can choose whether to add this assignment to your calendar on Outlook, students' calendars, and other educators or staff in your class team. Set this preference for all assignments in Assignments Settings .

Next to Add assignment to calendars , select the dropdown and pick one of the following options:

Students only  adds the assignment to just student calendars.

Students and me adds the assignment to both student calendars and your calendar.

Students and team owners to adds the assignment to both student and other educators or staff in the class team calendars.

Choose the channel where you'd like notifications for this assignment to post. This allows you to keep student work and discussion organized by unit, topic, or subject. By default, assignments will be posted in the General channel or your selection in Assignments Settings.

To choose a channel to post in, next to Post assignment notifications to:  select the down arrow for a list of available channels. 

Pick the channel you’d like this assignment notification to post in, your selection will be applied immediately.

To post assignment notifications to a channel, make sure bot posting is enabled. You can check that here  or ask your IT Admin for help.

Assignments will post to channels that are visible to all students. Private channels will not appear during this step.

If you have selected multiple classes, select Set per Class to set which channel to use or just use the General channel. Assignments to individual students do not post to channels.

When you're ready, you can finish the process of creating your new assignment by assigning it to students.

Note:  If your school uses Turnitin, you can sync assignment turn-ins to Turnitin .

Assign  will immediately publish the assignment and your students will be notified of the new assignment on the day you specified and the notification linking to this assignment will post in the channel you selected. They'll also have an entry on their Teams and Outlooks calendars if you've selected that option.

Save  will save a draft of the assignment. Students will not receive any notification, and nothing will be added to any calendar. 

Discard  will delete the draft of the assignment. Students will not receive any notification, and nothing will be added to any calendar. 

Create a New Module

1. Navigate to the desired Class Team, then select Classwork.

2. Select Add module. 

3. Enter a title for the new module.

4. Optionally, enter a description.

5. Select Save to save the module as a draft.

Note: Draft modules are only visible to Team owners (teachers) until published. All new modules are created in draft states. 

Learn more about managing classwork modules in Microsoft Teams.

Navigate the Grades tab

To open the Grades tab, navigate to your desired class team and select Grades .

You'll see that students appear in a column, with their assignments in a row next to their name. Assignments are listed in order by due date with the nearest date at the beginning. 

Learn more about the Grades tab. 

Create a group assignment

Edit an assignment

Save an assignment as a draft

Grade, return, and reassign assignments

Additional resources for educators

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Turn in an assignment in Microsoft Teams

Review and submit assignments directly in Microsoft Teams for Education ! 

How to turn in an assignment

To turn in an assignment:

Navigate to the desired class team, then select Assignments . You can also use your search bar to search for an assignment by keyword.

Tip:  Select the Expansion icon (diagonal, double sided arrow) to work in full-screen mode.

If your educator specified a document for you to turn in, or if you have other files to attach to this assignment, select +Add work and upload your file. You can attach up to 10 resources to an assignment. 500mb is the maximum file size for a resource.  

Tip:  Work on Office files associated with this assignment right from here—no need to leave the app. Older files with .doc, .xls, and .ppt file extensions can only be edited in the desktop versions of those apps. You can copy content into a new file created in Teams to edit them again.

Select  Turn in  to submit an assignment before its deadline. This button will change depending on the status:

Turn in for group  if you're working on a group assignment. Only one member of the group needs to turn in the assignment.

Turn in again if you’re editing an assignment you’ve already turned in and need to submit work again.

Turn in late if you’re turning in your assignment after the due date, but your educator has allowed late turn-ins or asked for a revision.

Not turned in if the assignment is past due and your educator is no longer accepting turn-ins. You cannot turn in work.

Undo turn in if you decide you want to edit your assignment before the due date. You'll need to turn it in again after you make your edits.

After submitting your assignments, track your progress in the Grades tab to review points earned and educator feedback.

View assignments across classes

View assignment details

Additional resources for educators

Ask the community

Need more help?

Want more options.

Explore subscription benefits, browse training courses, learn how to secure your device, and more.

Microsoft 365 subscription benefits

Microsoft 365 training

Microsoft security

Accessibility center

Communities help you ask and answer questions, give feedback, and hear from experts with rich knowledge.

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New Copilot integration: Access Backlog issues from Teams

We’re thrilled to announce a new integration for your workflows: Backlog is now fully compatible with Microsoft Copilot in Teams, making project management smoother and more efficient than ever before.

While Backlog has already been integrated with Teams, by leveraging Copilot’s natural language capabilities, users can now perform tasks such as searching for issues, adding comments, and updating assignments, all without leaving Teams.

Benefits of using Copilot

With the Copilot integration for Backlog, you can seamlessly search for Backlog issues directly from within Teams. No more toggling between tabs or losing your train of thought. This streamlined process ensures that you stay focused and productive — with all your project information right at your fingertips. Here’s how you can leverage the integration to enhance your project management experience:

Search Backlog issues

Gone are the days of juggling multiple applications. Now, you can simply use the search bar in Teams to look up Backlog issues using Copilot. Whether you need to find a specific assignment or browse through tasks related to a certain project, just ask Copilot to fetch it for you.

Add comments and updates

Need to update or leave a comment on a Backlog issue? With the Copilot integration, you can do all that without leaving Teams. Simply fetch the issue using the search bar and add your comments or updates directly within the Teams chat. It’s quick, convenient, and keeps your team in the loop in real time.

Utilize Copilot’s natural language capabilities

Copilot’s natural language processing makes searching for Backlog issues a breeze. Whether you’re asking for assignments related to a specific project, assigned to a particular team member, or with a deadline within a certain timeframe, Copilot understands your queries and fetches the relevant information instantly. 

• Slack integration update: add issues directly from Slack

For example, you could enter a query like, “Please tell me which Backlog assignments related to Copilot have due dates between January 1, 2024, and January 31, 2024,” and Copilot will fetch the relevant information for you.b

Ready to get started?

To take full advantage of this new integration between Backlog and Microsoft Copilot for Teams, check out our comprehensive support article . 

Should you encounter any questions or require assistance along the way, our dedicated support team is here to help . Don’t hesitate to reach out—we’re committed to ensuring your Backlog experience is as smooth and productive as possible. 

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A Pedagogical Guide to Using Microsoft OneNote

A teacher who has used OneNote for years describes how he organizes reading materials, assignments, and other student-facing content.

Covid-19 brought with it huge changes for the teaching community. In the space of weeks, classrooms once filled with the excited chatter of students were transformed into a succession of online meetings. I was one of the lucky ones. My school had been pursuing an agenda of digital learning for several years before the pandemic struck. Our teachers were equipped to use applications such as Microsoft Teams and OneNote, and now that the pandemic has abated, they still are. 

I want to offer a snapshot of how I organize and use Microsoft OneNote . This won’t be a technical how-to—which you could easily find online—but instead a pedagogic guide to provide insight into the teaching rationale underpinning how I set up, organize, and use OneNote within my English lessons. 

The Content Library in Microsoft OneNote

Think of the Content Library as the traditional physical binder that students would carry from lesson to lesson. As with file dividers, we can categorize the Content Library according to different topics. In my subject of English, the most natural structural principle is to divide content by literary text. Therefore, I have a separate section for each text that we study together, like this: 

• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• Much Ado About Nothing 
• Poetry Anthology 
• An Inspector Calls
• Unseen Poetry

Other subjects might adopt slightly different structures, perhaps dividing by topic (such as photosynthesis) or even examination (such as Module 205, Paper 1). The key thing is that these top-level categories are easy to navigate and not too numerous, perhaps being capped at just a handful. If there are too many, it becomes unwieldy. 

Still, OneNote does allow us to subdivide within these categories. If you clicked into my Much Ado About Nothing section, for instance, you’d find the following subcategories: 

• The Book: A digital version of the play.
• Plot Timeline: Depending on the class, sometimes I’ll pre-fill this outline, while other times we’ll complete it together as we read.
• Prereading: Here, you’ll find a range of different activities such as movie poster images or book covers that we can discuss as a group, helping to predict what the novel might explore.
• Class Annotation: A copy of the play I annotate as we read together. 
• Key Quotations: As with the plot timeline, sometimes these quotations will be filled in by the teachers, but other times we’ll spend a lesson discussing and sharing which quotations we feel are most significant. 
• Model Responses: A great feature of Microsoft OneNote is just how easily you can copy and paste material. This means I can collate model responses year on year, copying and pasting the whole collection into a new Notebook at the start of a new academic year.
• Practice Questions: These are typically past paper questions that students can complete on their own in order to rehearse and practice their skills.

In addition to the text-specific activities, I include exemplar materials and practice questions within the overall Much Ado About Nothing section. I could have created an entirely separate section that listed model responses and practice questions for all the texts I teach. However, it’s easier for students to find these materials if they are anchored to the context in which they’ll use them. If they want to complete a practice question for Much Ado About Nothing , for instance, it makes more sense for them to go to this specific section rather than scrolling through a generic list.

Much of the teaching I do in a given lesson revolves around whichever page within OneNote includes the text itself, so that I annotate as we discuss. This becomes our Class Annotation Page. However, a more modular subject in which students move from topic to topic across successive lessons may prefer a more hierarchical structure. In this model, you might include a topic heading but then underneath this list out Lesson 1 , Lesson 2 , Lesson 3 , and so on. The danger is that it’s unlikely that students will remember what was actually covered in Lesson 2. In this scenario, it’s much better to title each new page with a relevant subject-specific heading. 

Teacher Only

Microsoft OneNote includes a space that only teachers, and not students, can access. This is marked as “Teacher Only.” This becomes the perfect place to store materials that you don’t intend to release just yet. Therefore, I copy in bulk all the materials I need for the entire course into this area but only place them in the Content Library at the relevant moment. 

The alternative would be to release all materials before the course starts so that the class can access everything from the first day. The downside to doing this is that it can appear quite overwhelming to students to see everything at once, possibly inducing a certain level of cognitive overload. I think it’s much better to allow the material to accrue gradually and organically over time. 

Student Section

When you create a new Class Notebook, each student gets their own personal space. The default that Microsoft offers is some variation  of “Handouts, Notes, Quizzes, Homework,” and so on. Because this arrangement is so generic, I don’t find it to be especially effective. 

Instead, I like to make sure that my student sections match the structure of the Content Library. This way, students can easily copy relevant material from the Content Library into their personal section and add their own notes or even more resources. The one exception to this structure is that I include a space for students to upload or complete their homework.  

This way of using and organizing Microsoft OneNote has been honed after many years of trial and error. Feel free to use this approach to help you adapt and create your own structure that works for your subject and your students. There is no perfect structure, but hopefully these suggestions offer a helpful starting point for future refinement of your digital classroom.

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April 17, 2024

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Reading Progress Missing in Teams Assigment

I follow the step to setup the Reading Progress under Assignments > Create > Attached. In the list ' Reading Progress ' is missing. Where do I go to turn it on or add it back, please. It is the same for app and web Teams

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• Independent Advisor

Hi Kenneth, My name is Umar and I'd be happy to help you out with your question. Please note: This is a user-to-user community forum. We are users just like you who help others. We are not employees of Microsoft. The "Reading Progress" feature in Microsoft Teams is a built-in tool designed to support and track reading fluency in classes. If you are unable to find it under "Assignments > Create > Attach," it is likely that it is not enabled or configured correctly. Here are some steps to help you troubleshoot and potentially resolve the issue: Check if the "Reading Progress" feature is enabled for your organization or school. If it's not, you might need to contact your IT administrator or the person responsible for managing Microsoft Teams settings in your organization. Also, Ensure that your Microsoft Teams app is updated to the latest version. Sometimes, updates can resolve issues like this. For more information: https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/topic/getting-started-with-reading-progress-in-teams-7617c11c-d685-4cb7-8b75-3917b297c407 I hope this information is helpful. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Help the next person who has this issue by indicating if this reply solved your problem. Click Yes or No below. Best Regards, Umar Majeed

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Thanks Umar - much appreciated.

We are running if not the latest, just one version behind teams. As an admin, I've checked the Teams Admin Center and Manage apps. I could not find Reading Progress. Do it mean it is not available to us. We are on A3 license and an educational institution.

Where else I should check and look for enabling the Reading Progress

Thanks for the update! You are welcome. If you are running a version of Microsoft Teams that is not the latest, and you are unable to find the "Reading Progress" feature in the Teams Admin Center or Manage apps, it is likely that the feature is not available to you. However, as an educational institution with an A3 license, you should be able to access the feature. Here are some additional steps you can take to troubleshoot and potentially enable the feature. Double-check that you have correctly followed the steps to set up "Reading Progress" under "Assignments > Create > Attach." Ensure that you have selected the correct option from the dropdown menu. https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/topic/reading-progress-data-in-education-insights-premium-a5ecdf73-8e88-4ed2-8a82-cc4be29fed5d If you are using the web version of Teams, try clearing your browser cache and cookies. If you are using the app, try reinstalling it or checking for any updates. Regards Umar Majeed

I have ensured that I am on the latest version of Teams. Reading Progress still not appear. I think I will have to enable it from Teams Admin > Education > Assignments settings, but unfortunately, I don't see 'Reading Progress" is available there.

Any suggestions are much appreciated.

If you have ensured that you are on the latest version of Teams and still cannot find the 'Reading Progress' option, it is likely that the feature is not available in your setup or supported in your current version. Additionally, the 'Reading Progress' feature might not be included in your A3 license or might be restricted in your educational institution's setup. Regards Umar

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