Microsoft Teams for Education users can access a function that the company calls Search Progress and Coach. It helps educators guide their students to find reliable sources for assignments and also helps students ask better questions.
In a blog post today, Microsoft announced new improvements for the Search Progress and Coach features in Teams and Education. Perhaps the biggest addition is mobile support. This means students can continue to learn about how to properly research and cite sources outside of the normal classroom setting. They can even complete their assignments while they are on the go.
Another new feature that"s being added is the ability for students to create APA citations for their research and assignments. APA stands for the American Psychological Association, and its style of citation for documentation purposes is a highly regarded standard in other fields as well. Microsoft says:
With the option to enable APA7 citations in Search Progress assignment settings, educators can make it easy for learners to seamlessly generate citations as a part of their research process. Learners can also choose to export their Search Progress work by copying it as a list, which also includes their search queries and explanations for each source!
Educators can also make customizations for the Search Coach assignment settings so that each Search Progress assignment is different. Some options are to help with research, such as adding custom filters and the ability to enable or disable the fact check button. Others are more aesthetic, like changing the background.
Finally, Search Coach can now accept website domains outside of the familiar US-based ".edu" and ".gov" URLs. Microsoft says:
Now, you can customize your students’ search experience by curating a list of trusted institutional domains that are relevant in your region. Shoutout to our British educators whose requests for “.ac.uk” support inspired this critical global customization feature!
All of these improvements are available now for Microsoft Teams for Education customers.