Distance learning with Microsoft 365: Guidance for parents and guardians

Your child’s learning can happen anywhere with Microsoft 365 online. Get to know the tools made to support learners of all ages and abilities, and see how your child’s core subjects and class discussions can happen.

Protecting your child’s data is always our top priority. Read more here about privacy in Microsoft 365 apps. 

Two adults and a child looking at a laptop

Note: The guidance below is meant to introduce some of the many possibilities for students learning remotely using Microsoft 365. Your child’s school may determine different app settings than those referenced below, and their teachers may use Microsoft 365 in different ways that work for that class.

What does my chıld need to sign in to their Microsoft 365 account?

Students and educators can sign up for Microsoft 365 Education for free. Students can log into their school accounts at Office.com, where they’ll have access to Microsoft Teams, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and so much more. From this home base, students can open Office apps in their web browser.

Microsoft Teams can be accessed online or downloaded to a home or mobile device. Explore this quick-start guide that enables your student to get going with Teams right away.

How to Sign into Teams

What are the best devices for my student to use with Microsoft 365?

Explore a range of versatile Windows devices where your student can leverage Office 365 Education for their learning. You can also check out these tips to make sure your student’s devices—from their computers and tablets to the mouse and keyboard—stay clean and safe!

Student participates in Microsoft Teams video call on a laptop

What if our home has low internet bandwidth?

Try some tips, tricks, and best practices for distance learning with low internet bandwidth.

How will my student communicate with their teachers and classmates?

Using Teams! Teams is an online classroom hub, where your student can chat with their whole class, in groups with other students, and one-on-one with their teachers. Through Teams, your student can also make video calls. 

Tip: Read more with your student about communicating in Teams.

Conversation between students in the Conversation tab.

Each of your child’s classes (if they have more than one) gets its own team, which is set up by a teacher or an IT Admin.

Channels in a high school class team.

How does my student join a team? How do they know if they’re part of their class’ team?

Different schools and teachers may manage the Teams setup process differently. To explore Teams and see the class teams they’re in, your student can sign in to their school Office 365 account at Office.com and select the Teams app. Students will also receive an email notification when they’ve been added to a team. 

How is my student’s communication and activity monitored in Teams?

Since Teams for Education is designed to serve as a digital classroom hub, it features many ways to support teachers in classroom management. Teachers can mute students who may add distracting or inappropriate messages to group discussions, and they can delete those unproductive messages entirely.

As a communication platform with specific features to support teaching and learning, Teams is a great opportunity for students to build and practice digital citizenship alongside their academic learning

.Select checkboxes next to student names to mute them.

Is Teams simply a chat app, or can my student study, work, and complete assessments there as well?

With the Assignments app built right into Teams, your student can see work their teachers have assigned them, submit that work, and see their grades and feedback.

Tip: Learn more with your student about collaborating and creating great work in Teams

Select the Assignments tab to view your assignments in one class.
Students collaborating on a document in Teams.

For other ongoing work, every class team has a Class Notebook, where your student has their own private notebook space to take notes, reference resources, and even practice math equations!

A student's Class Notebook opened in Teams.

Students can find both Assignments and Class Notebook as tabs in the General channel of each of their class teams. 

How does my student turn in assignments using Teams? Can they check their grades in Teams?

Students can turn in their assignments by navigating to the Assignments tab in the General channel of their class team, then selecting an assignment. They can attach any appropriate work and select Turn in.

Students can read more here about keeping track of and turning in assignments.  

Completed assignments under dropdown arrow.
View your assignment and select Turn in.

Students can see grades for their assignments, too! In the same General channel where they’ll find their Assignments and other essential tabs, your student can select Grades to see their points on past work. Read more about how students can navigate their grades. 

A student's view of the Grades tab.

Where can my student access help on how to best use Microsoft Education tools?

Students have a help center made just for them! From covering the basics of using Teams all the way to project ideas, this student help center is all about showing students how they can leverage Office 365 for their learning, engagement, and creativity.

Web page containing an illustration of students in a school

Other than communicating with my student’s teachers, how can I get updates on my student’s class activity?

Your student’s teachers can set up Teams to send weekly emails to be sent to you covering the status of their assignments that week. 

A Weekly Assignment Summary