Microsoft Learn Educator Center

Search Progress and Search Coach

Search Progress and Search Coach are free tools built-into Teams for Education that empower students to think critically and search with confidence. These tools provide real-time coaching to students on how to form effective queries and identify and review reliable resources in a secure, ad-free online search environment, while providing educators insights on how students are searching to differentiate instruction.

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An easier way to build information literacy skills

Finding, consuming, and sharing trusted information is an important skill to develop students into informed citizens. An OECD study shows that fewer than 1 in 10 students in grade 7 or higher can distinguish between fact and opinion. We built Search Progress and Search Coach to provide educators an easier way to develop information literacy skills with their students and provide visibility on how students find information online. All of our tools are built to be safe and inclusive to empower every learner to build information literacy skills

  • Low-distraction, ad-free, and secure

    Search Coach allows students to practice their information literacy skills in a safe, secure, and ad-free environment. Designed specifically for educational use, Search Coach comes with Microsoft Bing SafeSearch on "Strict" by default, blocking out most unwanted or potentially harmful content. The simple and intuitive user interface, free from advertisements, makes it easy for students to focus on the task at hand.

  • Innovative, expert-backed information literacy support

    Search Coach builds on traditional information literacy education by teaching students to create effective search queries before evaluating their results. It provides daily search tips and query feedback to help students ask and answer the right questions. These tips were created with the help of leading information literacy researchers, ensuring students receive the best advice and guidance as they build their search skills.

  • Master advanced search techniques

    Search Coach exposes advanced search filters like domains, file types, date range, and operators, along with detailed descriptions for their usage. These techniques are applicable to most major search engines, making it easier to bring these skills into the real world. Search Coach is also integrated with NewsGuard, a third party reviewer that employs journalists to objectively rate thousands of sites for transparency and credibility.

  • Take action with Search Coach Insights

    Education Insights dashboards allow educators to gain visibility into students' searches and their engagement with search results. Data points include how frequently students only view the first result, whether they're utilizing filters, what words they're using to perform their searches, and more to modify instruction and actively support the development of information literacy skills.

Teaching students to evaluate the information they find online is essential in today's world. Search Coach is an indispensable tool in that effort. Sam Wineburg, Margaret Jacks Professor of Education, Emeritus, Stanford University

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