Assignments workflow
The workflow for assignment creation in Teams is similar to the process in Google Classroom. From the Class Team, educators begin by selecting Assignments, then selecting Create and Assignment.
On the Assignment screen, the Title field is the only required field. Educators then add tags such as "classwork" or "homework" to categorize the assignment, and they may add more specific tags such as "writing" or "lab report." Tags are very useful, helping educators easily find assignments in the assignment list or the grade book.
Educators also add short instructions for completing the assignment, or they add an attachment of longer, more complicated directions that learners need to have open while finishing the assignment.
Teams offers so many functional options to include more information. Like Google Classroom, educators add files and links from a cloud drive. In Teams, this drive is called OneDrive rather than Google Drive. Educators also upload any file from a device or pull a file from any other channel in any team.
Another similarity with Google Classroom is the ability to add a URL to any website in an assignment. However, Teams goes further and provides the ability to embed an app of non-Microsoft sites like Wakelet, and Buncee. Schools or districts control which apps are available.
In Google Classroom, all third-party apps open in a separate tab or window. Teams allows this choice, too, but also allows the activity to be completed right inside the Teams window. Learners can watch videos on Stream or YouTube, complete lessons in Nearpod or Smart Lumio, and never leave Teams. Staying inside the Teams app is helpful for students with difficulties in organization.
Educators also create new files to attach to assignments, including:
- Word documents
- PowerPoint presentations
- Excel spreadsheets
- OneNote Class Notebook pages
- Video messages
- Interactive Whiteboards
Familiar assignment features in both Teams and Google Classroom include:
- Determining points
- Adding scoring from a new or saved rubric
- Assigning to one or more classes
- Assigning to all students or select students in a single class
Teams adds a timesaver in the ability to create groups that persist. In Classroom, each time instructors want to assign work to a group, they must reselect everyone in that group because Classroom doesn't remember these groups. Teams does.
Scheduling an assignment is also similar. Each platform features a due date and time and the ability to schedule assignments to appear at a later time. One significant difference is that Teams has both hard and soft deadlines. In Classroom, learners are able to turn in assignments after the due date. Teams has a similar soft due date but also a separate hard deadline, allowing learners to submit work after the due date but not after the close date, permitting a built-in grace period.