Using MS Teams

How do I activate my course team?

If you haven’t held classes in Teams before, you will need to first activate your course team, then either create an ad hoc meeting or schedule one for the future.

Activate Teams
Watch this short video for instructions to activate your course team.

Schedule a class meeting or create an ad hoc class meeting in Teams.

How do I hold office hours online?

Schedule a Teams meeting for your office hours (see: How do I activate my course team?) and provide the link to your students in the chat. To manage the flow of students into the meeting use the lobby feature of Teams.

How do I share files in Teams?

There are two main ways to share files within your course team. First, you need to decide if you are sharing for collaboration purposes, or if you are sharing read-only files for students to reference.

To share for collaboration purposes, you can drop your files directly in the chat section of your team/channel or upload them into the Files section. All files in this area become editable for anyone within the team. For example, if you share a PowerPoint presentation or a Word document, all team members can collaborate to edit or collaboratively create the files.

To share read-only reference files, you should navigate to the linked folder you see within your Team Files called Class Materials. This folder is only editable by instructors/team owners, but students can access the files there much like they would in Blackboard.

For more information on file sharing, you can visit the following links our help pages Setting Up Your Course TeamInteracting with Files and Sharing Resources to Collaborate.

How can I quickly learn to use the functions of MS Teams for teaching?

The MS Team for Teaching pressbook breaks down the various functions of Teams and how to use them into tiny information bites, for an easy way to learn how to use Teams for teaching.

The Common Questions page is a great place to start. You may also find this quick tip sheet handy.

Is there a resource for students to learn Teams?

Yes, there is an Getting Started document for students.