I want to continue using Teams with my students after course rollover, do I need to do anything?

Students previously enrolled in a Team:

These students can continue using the Team, however, if it was a Blackboard linked Team the integration will no longer exist after annual rollover. Enrolments in Blackboard linked Teams will not continue to reflect enrolments to the module, they will need to be manually administered within the Team.

New student cohorts requiring access to a Team:

• Option 1: Team owner/s can manually add students to an existing standard Team or Blackboard linked Team. This is administered by owner/s from within the Team. If using a Blackboard linked Team, the integration will no longer over-write manually added users after the annual course rollover.
• Option 2: Request a new standard Team or Blackboard linked Team. Note, it is not possible to switch or add additional modules to a Blackboard linked Team, only one module can be linked to a single Team at point of request. It cannot be retrospectively linked or altered once the Team is created.

Note: Team owner/s may receive an email notification asking if you wish to renew the Team:

• If you have a Blackboard linked Team, you can safely ignore the message and do not need to respond to the email to retain the Team.
• If you were using a standard Microsoft Team with your students, you must respond to the email to retain the Team.
• If in doubt, click the Renew group button in the email or log a Service Desk ticket!

Should I request a standard Team or a Team linked to a Blackboard module?

A standard Team requires manual enrolment of members and any additional owners. A Blackboard linked Team will automatically populate the Team with enrolments from the Blackboard module. This can take time making enrolments but, there are a few limitations when using a Blackboard linked Team:

• The Team will take the name of the module’s group code used in Microsoft Stream, and the Team must not be renamed as this will 1) break the MS Stream integration with Blackboard, and 2) change the name of the corresponding Stream group which can cause confusion when assigning video sharing permissions.
• Any changes to Team membership will be overwritten by the module enrolments from Blackboard (for example, to delete an owner or member from a Team, they would need to be deleted from the Blackboard module else they would be re-added the following day when the integration runs).
• A Blackboard linked Team cannot comprise multiple modules.
• The module convenor should inform all instructors (and any other staff enrolled on the module) of the new Blackboard linked Team, reminding them not to delete or rename it. It may be useful for inactive users to ‘Hide’ the Team to avoid unwanted notifications, if they also need to retain access to the Team and/or Blackboard module.  

For these reasons, a standard Team may give you greater flexibility.

Essential practices when using Teams with students

Whether you are using a standard Team or a Blackboard linked Team, you should:

• add multiple staff team owners, if there is only one.
• manage team settings and permissions; check and customise student membership permissions to prevent students from deleting or renaming channels or the Team name
• create channels within the Team for students to work in groups and to provide specific spaces for topic collaboration
• display a link in Blackboard for students to access the Team

For further guidance about appropriate use of Teams with students see information about using Microsoft Teams in Teaching and Learning.

Page last updated on July 27, 2021 by jackiefairbairn