Microsoft 365 Migration – Project Update
Dear Howard University Faculty Members,
As previously announced, the university will implement Microsoft 365 for students (except graduating seniors), specifically OneDrive for file storage and Outlook for email, for this upcoming school year during the Summer of 2024.
We have concluded the testing pilot activities and the stakeholder interviews as part of the project activities. Thank you to those who have taken the time to participate and provide feedback on these two critical milestones.
With this upcoming change, we aim to increase daily collaboration and communication between teachers and students, as users will be on the same platform – Microsoft. Below are some of the key benefits we have heard from faculty members during the Stakeholder Interviews:
- M365 minimizes the need to use personal emails or create new Google Accounts;
- it mitigates items unintentionally being moved to "Junk";
- it improves communication and efficiency – a new communication channel available, as students can send a chat/note on MS Teams if allowed;
- efficient and easy access to SharePoint sites, including scheduling office hours via MS (Bookings App or BookwithMe) and more;
- and accessibility: cloud-based, access from anywhere and on multiple devices.
It has come to ETS attention that some faculty and staff members, and departments are utilizing Google Suite product offerings/apps to support student onboarding and administrative processes, house documents and communicate/collaborate with the students. As a friendly reminder, please review the university’s policies:
- Email management policy – under section B Faculty: Assigned faculty are expected to use their HU email account while conducting official Howard business that includes, but it is not limited to, interactions with students, business partners, and research sponsors. Personal email accounts should not be used to conduct official HU business
- Acceptable use of university information resources, data, and communication services - under section E. Responsibilities of Users - 11: Maintain or store HU official/business information/data outside of the University’s enterprise network without proper approval
As part of a larger plan and opportunity to migrate all current students away from GSuite, in case you are using the Gmail address to utilize the Google Meet application, we would like to inform you that the University has designated Microsoft Teams as the collaboration tool for all faculty and students. We plan to remove all Google Meet access by May 6th, 2024.
If you are currently using Google Meet, please focus on saving recordings, files, and other data and acquainting yourself with Microsoft Teams before the May 6th, 2024 cut-off date. You can access Microsoft Teams and log in using your Howard University Outlook email address and password. The link for the Microsoft Teams application can be found here.
Moving from familiarity can be challenging, so we included instructions on using Microsoft Teams to conduct remote class sessions and more in the following video - MS Teams and Canvas Integration.mp4. Please open this video in any internet browser other than Safari.
Additionally, Microsoft Teams has a lot of the same capabilities as Google Meet, so you won’t lose any of your favorite functionality. Please review the side-by-side breakdown of both applications to learn what Teams has to offer.
We look forward to engaging with you over the next several months to inform you of important information and cutover dates, building your knowledge, and training opportunities to make this transition effective.
In the meantime, check the M365 Change Guide and the FAQ page on the ETS Website about this transition. If you have any questions or have issues accessing Microsoft Teams, please email gmailtoO365migration@howard.edu.
Thank you in advance for your assistance in moving Howard forward!
Kindest Regards,
In Truth and Service,
Enterprise Technology Services