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Canvas Spotlight

Using MS Teams to Create Recurring Synchronous Meetings

Last updated on November 17, 2022

Tools: MS Teams

After spending much of the pandemic teaching with some mix of online/hybrid/face-to-face, you’ve likely noticed some marked differences between teaching online and teaching in person. There are benefits to each, but they are also different experiences with different challenges. You may have even felt as though online synchronous courses might be more challenging environments when trying to establish dynamic relationships with your students.

With all of this experience, it is always a pleasant surprise to learn that you can use familiar tools in new and easier ways.

MS Teams provides an excellent avenue for building rapport with your students. You can use MS Teams for office hours and group meetings, and you can also use it for class lectures. There are multiple ways to schedule lectures in Teams, but the most beneficial method is by creating recurring meetings in a course team.

The process of setting up a course in Teams so you can hold synchronous lectures can feel a little overwhelming at times. Because there is no easy set-up button that connects Canvas with Teams, the number of steps involved in creating your course can seem daunting. That being said, the end result—a dedicated link for all lectures that students can access from Canvas or their own Teams calendar—is actually easier than setting up multiple lecture meetings. This can encourage student engagement with you and will make online learning easier for both you and your students.

Best Practices

  • You can use recurring meetings for all of your lectures throughout the entire semester.
  • Create a team and recurring meetings for your office hours and provide just that one link for all of your courses.
  • Communicate recurring meeting dates and times to students as soon as possible, such as Canvas Announcements, Canvas Messages or email.
  • Post links to your Teams lectures and office hours, along with instructions on how students can join, in Canvas or through email.

Let’s walk through it together

Download the Teams App

  1. Sign into your university Email.
  2. Click the App Icon in the top left corner of the page (looks like nine dots in a square).
  3. Click Teams
  4. Click Download the Teams app
  5. Follow the Prompts to install the app on your device.

Set up a Recurring Meeting in Teams

  1. Open the Teams App.
  2. Click the Calendar Icon on the left sidebar.
  3. Click New Meeting.
  4. Add a Title.
  5. Skip Required Attendees.
  6. Select the Date and Times.
  7. Click the Drop-Down Menu that displays “Does Not Repeat.”
  8. Change the Selection to the option needed for your meeting (e.g., Daily, Weekly).
  9. Click the Add Channel Box.
  10. Select the Team associated with the meeting. 
  11. Select General below the team name.
  12. Select Send.
    • Note: Students will receive your meeting invites via email. They can also view the meetings in their own Teams calendars just like instructors. You can also post the meeting Join Link in Canvas or send it before each meeting in an email so students always know where they can join your meetings.  

Copy and Send the Meeting Join Link

  1. Open the Teams App.
  2. Click the Calendar Icon on the left sidebar.
  3. Click the Meeting
  4. Click the Diagonal Arrows in the top right of the meeting window.
  5. Scroll down to the Bottom Text Box in the meeting window. 
  6. Copy the Text.

You can now paste the text in an announcement or page in Canvas or send it via email. Students can click the link you send to join your meeting directly.