Using Microsoft 365 to collaborate with students

Students will now get the same access to Microsoft 365 as staff. This means that students and teachers will have access to collaboration tools that can be useful for group and project work. Read more about how you can use the tools to collaborate with students and what you need to consider.


New opportunities for collaboration

Both students and teachers have asked for a system that supports better collaboration between:

  • students
  • students and teachers
  • students/teachers and external partners – e.g. internship hosts and businesses

Microsoft 365 is a collaboration platform that allows users to share files, co-edit documents and communicate in chats and online meetings related to teaching activities.

Students’ mailboxes will also move from post.au.dk to Microsoft Exchange (Outlook). Students emailadresses will remain the same.

Below, you can find answers to relevant questions and guides for the many features in Microsoft 365.

Key principles for using Brightspace and Teams to communicate with students

  • Although we are introducing Teams, this will not affect how you use Brightspace to communicate with students in connection with your teaching. Brightspace will continue to be the primary platform for course information.   
  • You cannot require students to use Teams to obtain information that is critically relevant to their degree or courses. 
  • You can use Teams to communicate information about specific teaching activities and information about topics that are not critically relevant to the students’ studies.  

As a teacher, you should clearly define how you expect Teams and Brightspace to be used in your course(s).

Overview

Studies Administration has prepared a detailed overview of administrative communication with students – See communication with students. (In Danish only).


Questions and answers

General information

Students and staff will have access to the same features in Outlook. Students will get a new calendar function, which wasn’t a feature on post.au.dk.

We have configured Outlook so that you can still use your email to communicate with your colleagues, separately from the students’ Outlook functions.

Students on Microsoft Exchange (Outlook)

Will students' emailadresses change?

No. The students' emailadresses will remain the same.


How does the address book work in Outlook?

You can search for other users in the address book if you need to write an email or chat with them on Teams.

When the students get their new Microsoft Exchange (Outlook) email, the address book will be split into two:

  • One for employees, including student assistants.
  • One for students.

As an employee, you will see the staff address book by default, and only other staff members will appear in your searches. If required, you can change the address book to search for students.

Students will see the students’ address book by default and cannot write to mailing lists.

In Teams, the address book cannot be split into two, so all AU users will appear in your searches.

See how to change address books in Outlook here


Can students view my calendar?

Students do not have access to employee calendars, but your colleagues, including student assistants, can see the title and location of your meetings, unless you change this in your settings.

You can change the settings so that one or more students can view your calendar.

The students’ calendars are private, and you cannot view them unless they grant you permission.  

See how to change your calendar settings.

For teaching staff: Microsoft 365 as a collaboration platform with students

What is expected of me as a teacher?

  • You are not required to use the Microsoft 365 tools in your teaching. You may choose to do so depending on the teaching activities that are relevant to your course.
  • You should always clarify with your students how and when to use the various communications channels available to you: Brightspace, Teams and email.

How can I use Microsoft 365 in my teaching?

Employees and students alike have demanded better opportunities for collaboration, which they will now have with Teams and the other Microsoft 365 tools.

Students will have the same access to M365 as teachers, which gives them more opportunities to initiate and participate in online activities. Students can share files, chat and work together on products in Word, Whiteboard, Loop and other Microsoft 365 programs.

External people can receive shared files and access Teams, which will allow students and teachers to collaborate with businesses, for example related to internships and clinical placements.

Read more about using M365 in your teaching here.

Further information at AU Educate.


Guidelines for communicating with students in Brightspace and Microsoft 365

For teaching staff

It is important that you remember to use the right channel when communicating with students.

  • As a teacher, you must continue to post messages in the activity feed on Brightspace. These messages are also shown on Mitstudie (mystudies.au.dk) and pushed with notifications through the Pulse app.
  • You must continue to build learning spaces in Brightspace with materials such as syllabi, slides and learning activities.
  • As a teacher, you can use Teams as a tool for collaborative activities in your teaching, for example for activities in which students have to work together on a file or give feedback to each other in groups.

As a teacher, you should always clearly define what will happen in Brightspace, on Teams and over email. You cannot expect students to keep an eye on various Teams rooms and channels.


For administrative staff

  • Administrative staff affiliated with individual courses must continue to use Brightspace for course-specific announcements, for example if a class is cancelled, if there is a room change, or if a course excursion is being planned, so that these announcements appear in the message feed. These announcements are also shown on Mitstudie (mystudies.au.dk) and pushed with notifications through the Pulse app.
  • If you are an administrative staff member, you can use Teams to communicate with students about services, activities and other social events – and Teams can provide an online social meeting room as an alternative to groups on social media platforms such as Facebook.
  • It is important that you are critical of what is communicated to students and can make clear distinctions between news feeds on studerende.au.dk, Mitstudie (mystudies.au.dk) and Teams. Messages in Teams fall under the category of Other information in the overview of communication to students.
  • News and events should still be posted in the Community or course feed in order to appear on the students’ Mitstudie (mystudies.au.dk).

For AU-employed students

  • Instructors and other students employed at AU in connection with courses must continue to use Brightspace for messages about course information, so that the messages appear in the activity feed. These messages are also shown on Mitstudie (mystudies.au.dk) and pushed with notifications through the Pulse app.
  • You must continue to build learning spaces in Brightspace with materials such as syllabi, slides and learning activities.
  • You can use Teams in your teaching where it makes sense and is meaningful, for example for activities in which students have to work together on a file or give feedback to each other in groups. 
  • Mentors, student counsellors and other student employees that support or counsel individuals or groups of students may continue to communicate via email or choose to use Teams as an alternative to social media or messaging services.

More about Microsoft 365 features

On medarbejdere.au.dk you can find guides on how to use Microsoft 365. Find them here.

Microsoft also has a learning portal with short video introductions to the Microsoft 365 features. Go to the learning portal.