Google Classroom for a K-12 Program?

Environment

Google Classroom, University of Michigan Google Classroom

Issue

  • Can I use Google Classroom at U-M?
  • Can Google Classroom be used for my K-12 outreach program?
  • Where do I find information on using Google Classroom? 
  • Can we use public school Google Classroom for U-M K-12 summer programs?

Resolution

Google Classroom is available to U-M faculty, staff, and students as part of Google Workspace for Education. However, Google Classroom is not an official learning management system at U-M. As such, ITS support is limited. No support is available from ITS in regard to how to use Google Classroom for instruction. You will need to determine whether the program will use U-M Google Classroom or a non-U-M Google classroom. 

Using a U-M Google Classroom

  1. If the school provides Google accounts for their students, students can use these accounts in U-M Google Classroom as long as the school has allowed use in other domains
    1. U-M settings allow for outside users to join our classes AND our users can join outside classes. Other organizations may have those settings configured differently. You will need to contact that organization’s help desk or the system administrator for those Google school accounts.
  2. If participants are at least 13 years old, they can use a non-school account that already exists or is created by the student with Google (a gmail account)
  3. Not Recommended: If participants are under 13 years old and cannot use a school-provided Google account, they will need sponsored accounts at U-M with some special configuration. U-M Google accounts for minors must be set up in a special OU (Organizational Unit) that restricts the accounts to only allow Google services that are approved for use with minors. A department sponsorship administrator should create new temporary uniqnames for all students and request the OU configuration through a ticket to the ITS Service Center. 

To create classrooms in Google, contact the ITS Service Center to request access to have your Google account set up as a Teacher. The Teacher can then go to Google Classroom and create a class. Students will need to use a Google account to access the class. 

Using a Non-U-M Google Classroom

If you need access to a Google Classroom that is outside of U-M (umich.edu), for example, a classroom that belongs to a K-12 school system (e.g., Ann Arbor Public Schools), you will need to contact that organization’s help desk or the system administrator for that Google classroom. 

Please note that the ITS Service Center can offer limited support only for classrooms and accounts that belong to umich.edu. They cannot assist with gmail.com accounts or classes in another Google domain.

Additional Information

General Google Classroom information.

To request a consultation from the ITS Outreach Program support team, please fill out the request form: https://teamdynamix.umich.edu/TDClient/30/Portal/Requests/ServiceDet?ID=518

Need additional information or assistance? Contact the ITS Service Center.

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