Channels

78 Channels

Within MS Teams there are teams, channels, and chats. This platform allows groups of people to self-organize and collaborate:

Teams are collections of people, content, and tools.
Channels are dedicated sections within a team to keep conversations organized by specific topics or projects. Every time you create a team, MS Teams will automatically create a general channel within that team. Files that you share in a channel (on the Files tab) are stored in SharePoint.
Chats are spaces to communicate with select members of OTL or UVU in general.

Here is a list of MS Teams channels and chat OTL uses to share and ask questions:

General OTL Channel
- When you want to communicate with ALL of OTL
00 – Jira Request Notification
- When you want to see the status on a support ticket
01 – Instructional Design and Assessment
- When you want to communicate with IDA
02 – Teaching and Learning Support
- When you want to communicate with TLS
03 – Teaching Effectiveness and Fellowship
- When you want to communicate with TEF
04 – Research
- When you want to share research
05 – New Quizzes Transition
- When you want to see what’s happening with New Quizzes
Staying Seen in Quarantine
- This chat was started during COVID to keep us connected…definitely not required but fun nonetheless! If you want to be added contact your supervisor or a colleague who is already included.

When helping faculty set up their classes the following information might be helpful:

General Communication and File Sharing: Use your MS Teams general channel for announcements or other communications and activities intended for the entire class. This channel can serve as a quick response system for your class where students can ask or respond to questions. Include direct links and files for frequently used items in the general section of the channel.
Synchronous Meetings: When using your MS Teams channel for synchronous meetings, encourage students to take notes in the chat by posting screenshots or summarizing parts of the presentation for later use.
Group Work: Channels are one of the best spaces to facilitate group work collaborations. It is best to set up channels in advance when possible. You can create public channels for the whole class or private channels for the designated group members only. Set clear expectations for how groups will function and provide low stakes practice to provide feedback and build student confidence.