Team creation options

  • 7 minutes

A Microsoft class team must be created and kept in sync with the LMS course, section, or group that’s using assignments in that team.

If your LMS has a method for creating class teams, that’s the simplest way to connect teams to the LMS. Follow the steps in the Admin Docs for your LMS.

Admins can also create class teams with Microsoft's School Data Sync (SDS) or through a custom process set up by their institution’s IT department.

SDS automates the process of synchronizing user and roster data from Student Information or Management Systems (or any master source for rosters that can export files) with Microsoft 365. SDS, a free service in Microsoft 365 for Education, syncs institution data with Microsoft Entra ID and Microsoft 365 for easy use of:

  • Microsoft Teams
  • Intune for Education
  • Exchange Online
  • SharePoint Online
  • OneNote Class Notebooks
  • Third-party apps with single sign-on integration

SDS helps admins efficiently configure and manage Microsoft 365 Education by keeping Microsoft 365 in sync with changes in classes, enrollments, and more. Your IT department might have its own team creation process and policies unique to your institution. To ensure a seamless integration of the Teams Assignments LTI® app with your LMS, it’s important to review the team creation process with your IT administrators before you begin the integration.

For many educators, having all their learners in a single course or team is useful for content management and collaboration. For some educators, learners might be enrolled in courses and teams by sections, groups, or even lab teams. IT departments can grant educators permissions to create their own class teams to fit their needs. There are many use cases for cohorts within classes, lab groups, and combined-class projects that benefit from having their own class teams. It’s important that educators create and manage class teams in a way that mirrors course management in their institution’s LMS.

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LTI® is a trademark of the 1EdTech® Consortium, Inc. (1edtech.org).