Students today have a lot of commitments, from classes to extracurriculars to part-time jobs. This can make it hard to keep track of all the different apps and platforms associated with their activities. Educational institutions are looking for the right technologies to keep students connected and engaged, but too many tools can lead to information overload and make it hard for students to stay informed about campus news, clubs, internships, and more.

During the 2021-2022 school year, students on average used 143 EdTech tools, which resulted in negative impacts on engagement, retention, and other important outcomes. To address this issue and help students succeed in a highly information-laden environment, educational institutions must offer a home base for students to find everything they need.

Students need one connected experience.

Microsoft Viva Connections for Education is a digital home that centralizes all the resources students need in one place, directly within Microsoft Teams.

The dashboard, with its user-friendly design and convenient accessibility, is tailored to meet the unique needs of each student. It provides a digital home where students can begin and end each day, ensuring they stay connected to their educational institution at every stage of their academic journey.

When academic and extracurricular resources are easily accessible, students tend to perform better. The dashboard is equipped with customized cards for each student, which organize their courses, assignments, extracurricular activities, tuition payments, internship opportunities, scholarship applications, and other relevant resources.

When setting up Viva Connections for Education at your institution, you can either use pre-built cards or develop new cards to fit specific scenarios.

You can also brand the dashboard experience with your institution’s colors and logo to create a sense of continuity for students.

Students require support to simplify their experience. Viva Connections for Education provides a solution by allowing students to access their institution's intranet, collaborate on relevant content and files with peers and educators, and connect to important third-party applications, including their institution's learning management system (LMS) or other internal services.

And dashboard cards are customizable for individual students based on their area of study, extracurricular interests, and other preferences, so that they can manage student life from one place.

Viva Connections for Education also enables you to send targeted messages to your entire institution or select groups of students. This feature allows students to remain informed of important news by scrolling through the Viva Connections for Education feed, where they can learn about club announcements, campus events, cafeteria menus, and other relevant information. By providing a centralized location for students to access key news and updates, Viva Connections for Education can help improve engagement and foster a sense of community within the institution.

Institutions can seamlessly share updates in real-time with Viva Connections for Education. This ensures that students are always up-to-date on important information, such as class registration deadlines, new club charters, and upcoming events on campus. Moreover, students can choose their preferred language in Teams, allowing them to receive all this information in a way that works best for them. Whether on their desktop or mobile devices, students can access the same experience, giving them the flexibility to stay informed no matter where they are.

Together, these features help students feel connected to your institution whether they’re on campus, at home, or somewhere in between.

Give students a connected experience today:

Viva Connections for Education is a student-centered platform that simplifies the digital learning experience by organizing relevant information and resources in a single dashboard. Its seamless usability across devices ensures that students can stay plugged in from anywhere, allowing them to remain fully immersed in their higher education experience. By providing a centralized location for all necessary resources, Viva Connections for Education eliminates the need for students to navigate multiple apps and platforms, helping them stay focused and energized throughout their academic journey.

If you’re interested in using Viva Connections for Education, you can learn more about pairing the platform with your existing Microsoft capabilities on the Viva Connections website.

Partnering with Microsoft on Viva Connections for Education

Viva Connections for Education's extensibility capabilities have opened up new opportunities for innovative companies to build on the framework and deliver unique user experiences. Several companies are already developing education-relevant Cards for Viva Connections for Education. As Microsoft approaches this exciting launch, we encourage you to explore the offered educational solutions  and stay tuned for further updates on the progress with Viva Connections for Education.

The modern-day student has a lot of commitments that can make it hard to keep up with all the different apps and platforms associated with their activities. Educational institutions need to provide the right technologies to keep students connected and engaged, while also ensuring that information overload does not negatively impact student outcomes. Microsoft Viva Connections for Education offers a solution by centralizing all necessary resources in one place, simplifying the digital learning experience for students. As a gold partner for Microsoft, Ctelecoms is at the forefront of providing businesses with the latest Microsoft Teams updates and enhancements. Get in touch with Ctelecoms today to learn more about how they can help your institution leverage the power of Microsoft Viva Connections.