Assignments in Microsoft Teams offers teachers a straightforward and simple solution for saving time on setting, grading and managing student assignments.
Allowing you to set tasks, share resources, grade assignments and support learning outside of the classroom in one easy-to-access place, Teams also seamlessly integrates with other familiar Microsoft tools, like Word, PowerPoint and Excel.
In this guide, we show you how to quickly set up an essay assignment in Teams:
- Create an new assignment in Teams
- Use AI to save time on assignments
- Add resources
- Set assignment details
- Add rubrics
- Assign to students
How to set a basic assignment in Microsoft Teams
Create an new assignment in Teams
- Go to the Teams class you wish to set an assignment for
- Select Assignments and then Create New Assignment.
- From here, you can add an assignment Title and Instructions.
When creating a new Assignment in teams, you can choose between:
- Assignment – a standard assignment with instructions and attachments.
- Quiz – a quiz using Microsoft Forms.
- Existing Assignment – reuse an previous assignment.
Use AI to save time on assignments in Teams
You can use AI to Add detail, Simplify, Add learning objectives or Clarify concepts.
See our guide on saving time on assignment creation in Teams with AI for more tips.
Add resources to your assignment
If you need to attach helpful resources, such as worksheets, links to videos or other reference materials to your assignments you can do so via Resources:
- Tap Add resources to upload a document from your device, link to a website or attach a file from OneDrive.
Tip: If you want students to work on a document directly, select Students edit their own copy. This allows each pupil to have an individual editable copy of the document to complete and submit.
Set assignment details
Add details about your assignment, such as due dates, points and grading and categories.
- Due date and time sets when the assignment is due.
- Points/grading allows you to choose how mnay points the assignment is worth.
- Categories organises assignments by type (e.g. Homework or Classwork).
Add rubrics to assignments in Teams
Optionally, you can add rubrics to assignments to provide criteria for grading, making expectations clear for students. For more information about Rubrics see Getting Started with Rubrics in Microsoft Teams Assignments.
- Tap Add Rubric.
- Create a new rubric or attach one you’ve previously used.
AI can also help you create Rubrics in Teams. See our guide Create rubrics for Teams Assignments with AI.
Assign to students
You can now select who to assign the work to:
- All students: All students in the class to receive the assignment (default).
- Specific students: Assign tasks to specific pupils. For example, where students might have different tasks based on their abilities or needs.
When you’re ready, hit Assign.
Tip: You can schedule the assignment to be posted at a later time. Just tap Edit next to the Assign and choose a date and time for publication.
And that’s how to create a basic assignment in Microsoft Teams.
Cloud Design Box is a team of Microsoft 365 experts specialising in education. Working with schools and MATs across the UK, we help you streamline teacher workloads, improve communication, and create a collaborative, productive school culture.
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