What you need to know
- The new version of Microsoft Teams that's on the way will deliver a large improvement in the app's speed.
- Microsoft is rolling out support for the new Teams in public preview now, including for Education users.
- The company also highlighted new capabilities for Viva Connections for Education and updating assignments in a recent post.
Microsoft announced a new version of Teams that promises double the speed while using less system resources to run. The revamped app also has a new look that aligns better with Windows 11 than the current iteration.
In a recent Tech Community post, Microsoft discussed the improvements on the way to Microsoft Teams for Education. In addition to the new Teams shipping in preview to education users, Microsoft is working to improve Viva Connections for Education and updating assignments.
Microsoft already announced the new Microsoft Teams last month, but it's worth highlighting that the improvements will also make their way to Teams for Education. Here's a quick rundown of what the new Teams will deliver, according to Microsoft:
- 2X faster, whether you’re starting up the app, presenting in a meeting, or responding to messages
- 50% less memory, lower CPU, disk utilization, and less battery life
- Use multiple accounts and multiple tenants (MTMA) more seamlessly
- More reliable, improved security and better manageability – using trusted types, stringent CSPs, and integration with MSIX
The new Teams, which is only available on Windows, is set to become generally available for Education users in the second half of 2023. Those interested in trying it can use a toggle in the top left corner when prompted and then select "Get it now" to install the new version of Teams.
Microsoft noted in its post that the new Teams client is rolling out in public preview, so it won't be an option for everyone at this time. It added that "EDU customers will receive New Teams on a different timeline than Enterprise customers in order to serve the unique needs of the education sector."
Teams also has several other improvements that are available now or on the way in the near future. Microsoft broke down everything else new for Teams for Education in the same Tech Community blog post:
Viva Connections for Education
One connected experience for students (rolling out in July 2023)
Microsoft Viva Connections for Education is a digital home that centralizes all the resources students need in one place, directly within Microsoft Teams. With intuitive design and easy access, the dashboard is personalized for each student’s individual needs, giving them a digital home where they can start and end each day—helping them stay connected to your institution at every step along their academic journey need in one place, directly within Microsoft Teams. Institutions can easily share updates in real time, so students don’t miss out on class registration deadlines, recently chartered clubs looking for members, or upcoming speakers visiting campus. Students can select their default language in Teams to receive all this information in the way that works best for them, and they can get the same experience on their mobile devices.
Assignments Updates
Mark the assignment as Inactive to help organize up the assignments list for educators and students (rolling out in April 2023)
Teachers have told us that they want to remove assignments from the students’ view, once they are done with them. This could be for various reasons, such as optional assignments, assignments that do not require submission, or assignments that are not completed by all the students. This way, teachers can avoid having a cluttered list of active assignments, and students can focus on the important ones.
Updated Create Experience for Assignments (rolling out in April 2023)
We have updated the create Experience for Assignments to a modern experience across Mobile, Web and Desktop. Giving more space for instructions, more streamlined selection of the new Assignments options and a new quick way to schedule assignments without the need to go to separate dialogs.
Apps support in Channel Meetings is also available now.
