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Tech Bits

Collaborate Online with Microsoft Teams (Faculty & Staff)

Wondering how to continue communicating and collaborating effectively with your co-workers while you work at home?

Microsoft Teams allows you to create a collaborative workspace where all the members of your work group can communicate and share files in one central location.

To get started setting up your team:

  1. Go to portal.office.com and log in with your AccessNet and password. Note that the first time you log in, you may have to first enter your AccessNet username@temple.edu email address and then select work or school account.
  2. On the portal page, in the panel on the left, click Teams .
  3. If prompted to download the Teams desktop app, you can either download and install the app, or select Use the web app instead.
  4. Once you log in, click Teams ​​​​​​​ in the menu on the left.
  5. The teams in which you already are a member can appear in two ways: grid view and list view. 
    -If you see different teams appear in a grid view in boxes, in the top right, click Join or create team. 
    - If you see different teams appear in a list view on the left, in the bottom left portion of the screen below the list of Teams, click Join or create team.

If you want to create a new team:

  1. Hover over the Create a team box and click Create team.
  2. Select a team type that is most appropriate to the team you are developing (for example, Professional Learning Community or Other).
  3. Fill out the appropriate details about your team, such as the Team's name and whether the Team should be Private or Public, then click Next to create your team.
  4. Add members to your team by adding their names or email addresses then click Add, then click Close. Note that there is a 5,000-member limit for each team.

Once you create your team and add members, you can chat, post messages and share and live-edit files.

To join a team, hover over the team’s box then click Join Team. Several public teams are already available for you to join, such as the virtual watercooler teams, Book club or Kids at Home Ideas.

Note that if you can't find your team, you may have to search for it using the Search teams box in the top right corner of the Join or create team page.

Learn More
For more details on using Teams, see the Microsoft Teams website for helpful videos.

Want to stay updated with your team across all your devices? Download the Teams desktop or mobile app.

Note that if you use TU Gmail, the Teams scheduling meetings or other calendar features will not work because your calendar is in Gmail. Microsoft Outlook 365 users, however, can use the calendar features.