Using a Microsoft Teams Group site to collaboratively support staff digital capabilities at the University of Brighton. The site aimed to share information, capture good practices, and answer questions to support flexible, inclusive, and multimodal digital learning. Over 330 members from various departments used the site, mostly asking questions about technology which led to broader pedagogical discussions. Analytics showed high engagement from July to November 2020 during remote teaching. The site successfully reduced pressures on technical support staff and hopes to collect case studies of good digital teaching practices. Evaluations will assess the site's role in fostering an online community of support.

1. Using a Microsoft Teams Group site
to collaboratively support staff digital
capabilities
Dr Fiona J L Handley, University of Brighton

2. Digital Learning Vision
Digital learning is learning in digitally-rich campus-based and online environments, supported by the
pedagogically-led use of technology, and shaped by an awareness of the challenges and
opportunities of the digital world, to enable the delivery of flexible, inclusive, and multimodal
learning experiences.
Our objectives are to:
• Create flexible curricula to suit new patterns of studying, working, and living, based on the
Principles of Digitally Enabled Learning
• Support student engagement, achievement, and employability
• Promote digital inclusion and address inequalities relating to digital poverty
• Develop digitally fluent and innovative communities of staff and students

3. Use of
Microsoft
Teams
Need for a place to share information quickly and
easily
Teams was starting to be used in March 2020
Lowering pressure on Learning Technologies Advisors
Introduction of Panopto, Blackboard Ally, a new
student portal app and a new name for our VLE
Modelling good practice i.e. asynchronous learning

4. Aims of the Remote Teaching Teams Site
TO SHARE INFORMATION POSTING AND
ANSWERING QUESTIONS
CAPTURE GOOD
PRACTICE

5. Engagement
330 Members and guests
• 5 Channels, most popular are:
General
Ideas for good practice
Questions and advice
Questions mostly posted by academic staff,
responded to by professional services staff and
other academic staff.
Ideas for good practice posted by mostly
professional services staff, and some academic
staff.

6. Teams analytics

7. Engagement July -
October

8. Engagement October
to November

9. Breakdown of engagement types

10. Initial reflections
• It successfully reduced burden on Learning
Technology Advisers
• Vast majority of posts are about technology, although
these lead to other more pedagogic advice and
guidance
• Hard to find information after a while – quite a lot of
repeat questions
• Search function hard to use and not particularly
effective
• Lots of new staff engaging. Hard to judge figures in
such a completely different staff
development landscape
• Hoping to use it to collect case studies of good
practice
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA.

11. Next steps
• Formal evaluation as part of evaluation
of Digitally Enabled Learning
• Teams as a model of community
support – a safe space, ease of
contributing, levels of contribution.
• Part of our suite of community
approaches (staff/student partnership
working, short courses tailored to
targeted groups, course team and
student development)
• Consider the medium and long term
future of the Teams site (and all our
other Digitally Enabled Learning
support!)