Start a Meeting with Students in Microsoft Teams

Last updated on March 6, 2026

Microsoft Teams will allow you to hold live, synchronous sessions with your students. Whether you’d like to hold a whole class activity, like a lecture or discussion, or 1-on-1 meetings with individual students, Microsoft Teams can be the tool you turn to.

Other tutorials on this website will show you how to use several features of Teams to make the most of your experience (refer to the Lectures section and the Videos section for more tutorials). The steps below will help you with the simplest way to get started in Microsoft Teams.

Directions

Open Microsoft Teams

Before setting up a recurring meeting, we recommend installing the Microsoft Teams desktop app on your computer. Teams also has a browser version, however, it has more limitations than the desktop app.

You can use our Download and Install MS Teams tutorial for help with this.

To Open Teams through your internet browser:

1. Open the MSU Denver Faculty and Staff Hub.
2. Click Quick Links.
3. Select Office 365 (Email and more).
4. Login using your MSU Credentials.
5. Click the Options Menu (9 dot array) at the top left of the screen.
6. Select Teams from the drop-down menu.

Schedule a Meeting

This tutorial will go over how to create a meeting through the Teams calendar. For synchronous, online lectures, where the entire class will be expected to attend the Teams meetings, we recommend settings up a Teams Class, and setting up the meeting through there. To learn how to do this, see our tutorial Create a Course Team, Add Students, and Set Up a Recurring Meeting.

To schedule a meeting through Teams Calendar:

1. Click Calendar, on the left-hand navigation bar in Teams.
2. Click the purple + New button on the top right to schedule a meeting ahead of time.
   • If you want to start an instant teams meeting, click Meet Now.
3. Enter a Title for the meeting.
4. Add the required attendees by typing their names or emails.
   • You can also skip this step, and grab a meeting link after the event is created to share out. If you skip this step, Click the toggle next to Teams meeting.
5. Click on the Date and Time entry box, next to the clock
6. Select a start date, start time, and end time. 
   • Click Series at the top left to make this a recurring meeting.
7. Type a description of the meeting in the large text box.
8. Click Send.

Join/Start the Teams Meetings

1. Click the Scheduled Meeting from the Teams Calendar.
2. Click Join from the pop-up window.
   • To copy the join link to give to participants, click the down arrow next to join, and select Copy Join Link.
3. Select the toggle next to the camera icon to turn your camera on.
   • You can change your background by licking Background filters and selecting a background from the pop-up window.
4. Select the audio input.
   • If you are using headphones, it will automatically use that as your microphone and speakers. Click the down arrows next to them to change this setting.
5. Click Join now.

What the Buttons on the Screen Mean

• Chat: Open a chat panel to message participants in the meeting.
• People: View and add participants in the meeting. You can also get the invite link by clicking Share Invite.
• Raise (Hand icon): This will add a raised hand emoji to your video, so others know you would like to talk. Click the Raise Icon again to lower your hand.
• React (Smiley Face): These provide emoji icons to react during the meeting. They will pop up for others on there screen, and then disappear.
• View: This provides different view options for the meeting.
  • Gallery: View all participants at once as a grid.
  • Speaker: Only view the speaker
  • Together Mode: Removes individual backgrounds and places all participants’ video feeds together on a single, shared scene created by AI.
  • Large gallery: Allows you to see more participants at once for larger meetings.
  • Focus on content: Only shows content being shared, not the speakers.
• Controls: Lets you adjust meeting settings, such as what participants are allowed to do.
• Rooms: Allows you to create Breakout Rooms (Only available in the desktop version).
  • Visit “Use MS Teams Breakout Rooms” for more info
• Apps: Allows you to connect different Apps to the meeting.
• More (Three Dots): Other settings and options, such as recording the meeting and adding a timer.
• Camera: Turn your video on or off
• Microphone: Mute or unmute yourself
• Share (square with upward arrow): Share your screen
  • Visit Share you Screen in Microsoft Teams for me info.
• Leave (Red Telephone): Hang-Up/End the meeting