Microsoft Teams

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Adding a Teams Meeting within an Announcement

Click Announcements in the course menu
Add a new announcement
You'll need the Teams icon in the tool bar, however:
- The purple Teams icon might already be showing. If so, click it.
- If you don't see the Teams icon, you'll need to click the plug icon, then search for Teams. Once you use it, Canvas will remember and keep the icon displayed in your toolbar for the future.
- If you don't see the plug icon, click the 3 dots to expand your toolbar. Now click the plug and search for Teams.
Sign in as prompted
Enter the date/time and title of the meeting. Try to be descriptive and include the course ID in case students have multiple online classes.
Scroll down and click Copy. The information will automatically be copied into the bottom of your announcement.
Finish typing the content of your announcement, including the date/time of the Teams call and other expectations.
Publish the announcement. This will also trigger an Outlook email with the announcement information to all students.

Note: this method of adding a Teams meeting does NOT create a calendar event in Canvas nor in Outlook

Introduction

Microsoft Teams is a collaboration and communication platform that supports synchronous and asynchronous teaching. It can complement your Canvas course by enabling live meetings, persistent chat, file sharing, and structured collaboration spaces.

This guide will help you:

Understand the Teams interface
Use Teams for teaching and collaboration
Integrate Teams with Canvas
Best practices and teaching tips

Microsoft Teams is a part of the Microsoft 365 suite and provides:

✔ Chat & threaded conversations
✔ Video conferencing (classes, office hours)
✔ File sharing and real-time document collaboration
✔ Persistent class spaces and channels
✔ Integration with apps like OneNote, Planner, Forms, and Whiteboard

Teams can function as a communication hub outside or alongside your Canvas course.

Getting Started

Accessing Teams

You can access Microsoft Teams:

Through the desktop app (recommended)
In a web browser via https://teams.microsoft.com
On mobile devices (iOS/Android)

Use your university credentials to sign in.

Teams Basics: Interface & Components

Navigation Pane (left)

- - - Activity — notifications & replies
    - Chat — direct messages & small group messages
    - Teams — your class teams or groups
    - Calendar — schedule and join meetings
    - Files — recent documents and shared folders

Teams & Channels

- - Team: A container for a class or group (e.g., BIOL 101)
  - Channels: Subsections inside a Team (e.g., Announcements, Group Work, Labs)

Standard vs Private Channels:

- - Standard: Visible to whole class
  - Private: Only visible to selected participants

Tabs

Tabs appear at the top of each channel and can include:

- - - Posts (conversations)
    - Files
    - Assignments
    - Class Notebook (OneNote)
    - Planner
    - Forms
    - Custom apps

Chat & Conversations

- - - Use Posts in channels for class communication
    - Threaded replies help organize discussions
    - Avoid overusing chat for graded discussion—use Canvas Discussions

Teaching in Teams

Chat & Conversations

- - Use Posts in the meeting chat for class communication
  - Group conversations can be held using the Breakout Rooms feature.
  - Avoid overusing chat to minimize student distraction. Remember that chats include all members of the call and can be accessed even after the call ends.
  - You can upload files and slides into the meeting chat

Scheduling a Class Meeting

Teams integrates with Outlook/Calendar:

1. 1. Go to Calendar
  2. Click New Meeting
  3. Add title, date/time, and channel (so class sees it)
  4. Set recurrence (weekly lecture pattern)
  5. Add details, agenda, or links to Canvas resources

Tips:

- - Enable recording for asynchronous learners
  - Use Breakout Rooms for group work (Set these up in advance, before the call even starts!)
  - Turn on live captions for accessibility

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