Microsoft 365 Groups is a collaborative feature within Rutgers Connect that enables users to access shared versions of the following:
A Microsoft 365 group lets you choose a set of people that you wish to collaborate with and easily set up a collection of resources for those people to share. Items in the group's resources (Calendar, OneDrive, OneNote) will automatically be shared with the members of the group.
For additional information, visit the Microsoft page on adding/removing Group members.
Microsoft 365 groups within Rutgers Connect currently offer the following resources.
Each group contains a shared inbox, which is accessible to all members. This shared inbox is fully searchable, so it creates a living archive of the group's messages. Newcomers to the group can search or scroll back through the history to get up to speed quickly on what's been posted in the group previously.
Messages addressed to the group's common email address will be delivered to this inbox. Members of the group can elect to have group messages appear in their personal inbox by subscribing to the group via email.
For additional information, visit the Microsoft page for Office 365's Shared Email.
Your group has a SharePoint files library where your users can store, share, and collaborate on documents, workbooks, presentations, images, or any other kind of file they need to work on.
Files stored in the group's file library can be edited via Microsoft Office desktop products as well as with Office Online (Word Online, Excel Online, PowerPoint Online, etc). These files have version control, which will track all changes made and also allow recovery to previous versions. Group libraries can also be shared with users external to the group.
For additional information, visit the Microsoft page for Office 365's Shared files library.
Each group owns a shared calendar to post events related to the group. Each member who has subscribed to the group is automatically invited to events posted to the calendar, so those events can also appear on their personal calendars if they wish.
Group calendars can be shared with users external to the group.
For additional information, visit the Microsoft page for Office 365's Shared Calendar.
The group automatically has a shared OneNote notebook where group members can collect and collaborate on information.
To access OneNote, select the Notebook located on the top navigation bar in the group's view.
You could add external contacts to distribution groups before, but all they got was email. With groups, you can offer guests access to email conversations, files, and even the shared OneNote notebook.
For additional information, visit the Microsoft page on Guest access.
If you would like to request an Office 365 group to be created, please contact your Rutgers Connect Delegated Administrator.