Why Provide This Information to Students?
This guide helps ensure that all students have equitable access to the tools and documentation practices needed for coursework. By sharing this information, faculty can help students:
- Access Microsoft 365 at no cost using their school email account through Office.com, giving them free access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneDrive regardless of the device they use.
- Use institution-supported software that is compatible with course requirements and assignment submissions.
- Submit assignments correctly by downloading and uploading documents in the required DOCX format rather than sharing links that may not be accepted in Brightspace.
- Demonstrate their writing process and document development through Version History, which automatically records saved changes in Microsoft 365 and Google Docs. This can help verify authorship, show drafting progress, and support academic integrity reviews.
- Disable writing assistance and AI-supported features such as spelling suggestions, grammar corrections, vocabulary recommendations, text predictions, and word suggestions when instructors require students to complete work without automated writing support.
- Understand and manage Track Changes in Microsoft Word, allowing students to verify whether edits are being tracked and ensuring documents are submitted in the format expected by the instructor.
- Follow course and academic integrity expectations by knowing how to control writing-assistance features, monitor revision history, and provide evidence of original work when requested.
Overall, this guide provides students with the knowledge needed to access free Microsoft 365 tools, submit assignments properly, manage document revision histories, and disable AI-assisted writing features when required for coursework or assessments.