Teams is a web-based video and audio conferencing system which allows real-time communication between instructors and students. Teams should already be installed on your VIU-issued computer. If you don’t see Teams in the list of programs on your computer, you can install Teams from the Software Center. If you are on a personal computer, you may need to download and install Microsoft Teams for Work or School. Faculty members can create and schedule online meetings between the whole class, groups or individuals.
Your account can be used to deliver lectures, engage in class discussions, collaborate on a whiteboard, run virtual office hours, and share resources, multimedia, or any application that runs on the desktop.
Consider using Teams to:
- Run synchronous online sessions with your students
- Bring in guest speakers to collaborate with your class
- Hold virtual office hours where students can drop in online
- Allow students to meet and conduct group work as required
- Create a recurring meeting for each of the courses you will be using Teams for. This means you will have one link per semester for each course you teach.
- You can also use Teams to host Virtual Office Hours.
- Do a tech check prior to your class or meeting.
- Ensure you have a good headset (speakers and microphone). VIU IT's Knowledge Base contains information on testing your audio before you go online.
- Use a wired internet connection if possible. If you must use a wireless internet connection, turn off all your background applications to preserve bandwidth.
- Provide participants with the following information (as applicable) prior to the class or meeting. You can email this information and/or post it in your VIULearn course.
- The meeting link along with time and date.
- A link to the Teams support page on testing audio.
- If they are using video, give them some tips on lighting (lots of bright light on face), location (in a spot that is private, free from loud or distracting noises) and set up of the webcam (able to see face – not ceiling).
- Ask participants to close other applications that might steal bandwidth from the session and result in poorer quality audio and video.
- Schedule a practice connection session before your class or meeting to give participants time to connect.
- Before beginning the session, share a screen or a chat that has a welcome message. This way participants know they are in the correct location.
- Check in with participants as they come into the meeting. Ask them to speak, check that they can hear you and others and that they know where the controls are for muting audio and turning off video. This is a good way to connect with individual participants while also checking that they have what they need to participate in the meeting.
- Provide an agenda/plan for participants so that they know how the class or meeting will progress. This will help participants know what will be expected of them and when. Will they be working in breakout rooms? Will they be sharing their screens? When will there be time to ask questions? Will we be taking a break?
- When it is the first time your class is meeting, or if you are hosting a meeting with new participants, begin with introductions. Ask each participant to say hello and have them answer a specific question. For example, what year of their studies they are in or which department they are from. Ensure they turn off their microphone/mute after they have spoken. This will help set a standard of what people do when talking and how you will manage the class or meeting. It also allows you to hear the volume and voice of everyone to make any necessary adjustments.
- Check out Starting the Semester Off Right for more tips on meeting with your students for the first time.
- Let your participants know how you’ll be running the class/meeting. For example: Are you using the chat or Q&A feature. Will you have anyone checking the chat while the session is going on? Are you using the ‘hand up’ feature to let people speak? Are you or someone else watching for hands or indications people want to speak? Are you recording the session? Dedicate a small amount of time at the beginning of your session to deal with these ‘housekeeping items’ so your participants know how to respond.
- If the class or meeting is longer than an hour make sure to take a break. If you are teaching a class, make sure you have students interacting and participating at regular intervals (every 10 - 15 minutes) by using the chat, polls, reactions, microphones, rooms or the whiteboard.
- Recommend that participants join using the Teams app. This will provide them with best access and session experience.
Complying with BC Privacy Laws
Teams is compliant with FIPPA, ensuring the security of sensitive information.
If you have questions about complying with BC's privacy laws at VIU, or specific questions about how Teams collects, stores or uses data, please contact Privacy.Officer@viu.ca.
Complying with Canada’s Copyright Act and VIU’s Copyright Policy (31.02)
If you have questions about using copyright protected materials while teaching over Teams, please consult the Copyright Office’s Instructor Guide section on recording and live-casting.
For any questions you have about Copyright at VIU, please visit https://adm.viu.ca/copyright or email copyright@viu.ca.
Support for Teams and Video Conferencing Spaces
VIU’s IT Department supports all classroom hardware. If you are teaching a class in a video-conferencing enabled room, please connect with IT Help Desk for training and support. If you wish to discuss teaching pedagogies for video-conferencing situations, please contact the Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Learning (learnsupport@viu.ca) or check out the resources on our website.
The Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Learning provides user support for Teaching and Learning in Teams in collaboration with the VIU IT department. If you have questions about how to do something in Teams you can contact CIEL at learnsupport@viu.ca. If you are having trouble accessing Teams or seeing error messages when trying to work in Teams, please contact the IT department at ITHelp@viu.ca