For group assessments, students need a central place to securely store and collaborate on online documents without having to resort to emailing files or using physical media which can lead to data loss and other avoidable issues.
OneDrive is a great tool for online collaboration and is available to all staff and students and runs on virtually every connected device. It also provides automatic backups, instant recovery and is device agnostic.
Creating a folder
Start by logging into Microsoft OneDrive using your Coventry University email address and password. Once you’re there, we recommend setting up a folder for your module and a subfolder to share with each group.
- Click on the New button at the top and select Folder
- Give the folder an appropriate name, such as the module code and term
- Enter the new folder and repeat the steps above for each group, giving each one appropriate name such as “Group A”, “Group B” and so on
Sharing the folder
We suggest sharing an entire folder, not just the individual files within it. For the students, there will be one central place to work on their files together. For you, all working documents, presentations, etc. will be contained in only one online area of which you have full access.
For each group of students, select the relevant folder by clicking the tick to the left of the folder name then click share in the top menu bar.
The Send Link menu pops up, this is where you will select who to share the folder with and set the permissions and access rights.
Type the name or email of the people or group.
Press the pencil icon and select Link settings.
A few options are available to you but “Specific People” this is the most secure and is what would be recommended in most cases.
Make sure to click the pencil icon to enable editing so that students can collaborate on the documents. Otherwise, they will only be able to view the folder.
It’s worth noting that blocking downloads isn’t possible when “enable editing” has been selected.
Next click “Apply” then “Send” and the link will be sent to the students.
Useful information
Students will be able to create folders and upload documents if needed.
You may wish to create a set of template documents for students to work in so that they do not need to upload their own.
You will receive a confirmation email the first time a student opens the link to the shared folder.
The details panel shows activity on the shared documents meaning you can easily see who has been working on what and when, you can find this in the top right corner of OneDrive.
If another colleague working on the module with you will require access, we’d suggest sharing the module folder with them. This will give them access to every subfolder as well.
