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Activate Class Teams

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School Data Sync (SDS) is improving its Class Teams provisioning process!

When classes are synced, SDS creates a Microsoft 365 group for each class synced. SDS also adds the students as group members, and the teachers as group owners. As student rosters change in the SIS, SDS also updates the rosters in the Groups, to reflect the SIS. This portion of the process stays the same.

Previously, when the Teacher logged into Teams for the first time, a Class Team would be created on demand. If the Teacher never logged in to Teams, the Class Team wouldn’t be created. Once the Class Team was enabled by the teacher, all students would sync from the Microsoft 365 group to the Class Team, enabling access for students.

Feedback from SDS customers identified two key issues with this process:

  1. If the Teacher logged in to Teams unintentionally, students may have been granted access unintentionally, and allow students to use the team in an unmonitored state.

  2. The sync process between Microsoft Entra ID and Teams could trigger a massive amount of Team syncs at once, causing team provisioning delays in the on-demand team provisioning process.

We’re happy to announce, our new Class Team sync process addresses both issues!

SDS continues to create the Microsoft 365 group, as it does today. SDS provisions the Class Team and add the Teacher, when the class is initially synced. The feature gives the Teacher immediate access to the Team, to set up and add their Class Notebook, apps, settings, and class content. Students however aren't granted access immediately.

  • Instead, they sync as pending users, and can't see or access the Team before the Teacher selects the “Active” button. Once activated, the students convert from pending users to regular users and may then (and only then) begin using the Class Team.

This change is now live and will be the default behavior for all new SDS Class Groups created when the option Team creation is checked as part of Managed data to Microsoft 365 for Class groups provisioning type.

  • Team creation: If Checked, when the Class group is created a request is sent for Teams to create a Class Team based on the Class group.
    • If option is Checked:
      • For Educators, or group owners that are using the created Class Teams from SDS they have early access before the students and other group members. When the educator is ready, they can select Activate to allow students and other group members access.
    • If option is Not Checked:
      • For Educators, or group owners, where SDS isn't creating Class Teams, they can create Class Teams from SDS Groups. When the educator is ready, they can select Activate to allow students and other group members access.

For more information on the Teacher's perspective and what they need to do, see Activate Early Access class teams created with School Data Sync.