Teaching with Teams: An introduction to teaching an undergraduate law module using Microsoft Teams

Abstract

Microsoft Teams is a cloud app digital hub that brings channels, conversations, meetings, files and apps to Microsoft 365. Teams are made up of channels and channels are used to divide a Teams into topic or in this case undergraduate modules. The paper combines a practical analysis of Teams as a computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) process and explains what Teams can offer educators in higher education institutions (HEIs). Moreover, the paper argues that teaching and learning with the app is located within the social constructivism paradigm of educational theory. The paper engages in a discussion about a social constructivist approach to collaborative learning. The paper examines the authors’ use of a Team to teach the Language of Law, a module on a LLB(Hons) course. The authors discuss the use of the assignment tab to facilitate PowerPoint presentations in group workshops, allocate required reading and grade formative assignments.