The new updates to Microsoft Class Teams Assignments in 2023 have really impressed us, so today we’re going through some of the top changes we know are enhancing both the teacher and student experience.
Joe runs through each feature in this video guide:
New assignment creation layout
The new layout of Create Assignment places a stronger emphasis on instructions and gives more space for teachers to provide clear assignment guidelines for students.
Microsoft has made it even easier to attach resources, which are clearly visible under the instructions box.
Meanwhile, the assignment details are neatly organised into dropdown menus on the right side of the screen, eliminating the need for constant scrolling.
Quick assign to classes
Microsoft has also added the ability to assign tasks to multiple classes simultaneously.
Simply tap the dropdown menu and select the classes you want to assign this assignment to. You can also search specific class names in the search bar.
Attach to Classwork
A new Select a module option has been added to Assignments. This integrates with the brand new Classwork feature in Class Teams.
We have released a full guide on Classwork if you want to find out more.
To select a module for your assignment, tap the Select a module dropdown and select the module(s) you wish to associate this assignment with.
Student preview
At the bottom of Assignments, you can now switch to Student View. This allows teachers to preview how your class will see the assignment when they open it.
It’s a handy way to check everything is in order and nothing is missing.
Schedule shortcut
The Assign button has also had an update and now includes a shortcut.
Tap the arrow to schedule the Assignment for a later date and time.
While the ability to schedule an assignment for the future was already available in Class Teams, it was a bit hidden. So, this new update makes it a lot easier and quicker for teachers to set and schedule assignments.
New tabs layout in Assignments
The layout of Assignments in Teams has been improved with the addition of tabs across the top of the page, which allow you to quickly flick through forthcoming, ready-to-grade, past due, returned and draft assignments.
The Ready to Grade tab is a favourite of ours because if you find that you’ve got a little bit of marking time, you can jump in and see if there are any assignments ready to grade.
The status bar shows you how many pieces of work are ready to grade within that assignment.
Return graded assignments to multiple students
A very small-yet-powerful enhancement to the grading area is the Return to multiple feature.
We can now toggle select students and perform actions for multiple students at once.
Alternatively, if you like to grade everyone’s work before returning it all at the same time, you can check the box at the top of the student list to select all students and then tap Return.
Mark assignments as inactive
Another addition to Microsoft Teams Assignments that has been highly requested by teachers is the option to Mark as inactive.
Tap the three dots (…) in the corner of the selected assignment page and select Mark as inactive.
This allows you to remove assignments from the Due area and it can help clear up the Assignment space for you and your students.
Instead, it’s placed in the Returned tab and can no longer be accessed by students, but we can reactivate it at a later date.
Quick Actions
A further great update is Quick Actions, which you can find by tapping the three dots (…) next to any assignment on the main Assignment page.
From here, you can Edit, Copy Link, Duplicate, Mark as inactive or Delete the assignment.
Grade Weighting
You can now create Weighted grading categories.
You need to switch Weighted grading categories on in Assignment settings.
Weighted grading categories provide your students with an overall percentage grade based on the different weightings and different assignments that you can set.
For example, you can set up homework as making up 20% of a student’s grade, quizzes as 30% and in-class assignments at 50%.
Show average grade
Also, in Assignment Settings, you can allow students to view their average grades and trend over time.
Go to the cog icon to open Assignment settings, scroll to Grade settings and toggle on Average Grade.
Bookmark grade filters
Filters can be used in Grades to narrow down your search to a select time period. For example, Today, This Week, Previous Week etc.
You can bookmark those filters so you can quickly get back to that view the next time you’re in Grades.
Tip: You can also choose to Hide inactive assignments now that you can mark assignments as inactive.
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