Microsoft Teams provides a simple and effective way to connect with students for virtual meetings, office hours, and special events. This tutorial walks you through creating a Microsoft Teams meeting link and posting it in Moodle for easy student access.
Set up your meeting room
You have two options for creating a Microsoft Teams meeting link:
- Creating an instant meeting link or
- Scheduling a calendar event.
Both methods generate a reusable Microsoft Teams meeting link. Once created, you can use the same link anytime to access your course's virtual meeting room.
- Go to https://teams.microsoft.com or open the Microsoft Teams desktop app. In the left navigation bar, select the Calendar icon.
- In the upper right corner, select Meet now.
- Enter a name for the meeting (for example, Course Virtual Classroom).
- Click Get a link to share
The meeting link will automatically be copied to your clipboard. You can now post the link in Moodle using the directions in the next section, or email it to students.
If you want a virtual meeting room to appear on your calendar, you can create a Microsoft Teams meeting when you schedule a calendar event.
Open Microsoft Teams and go to the Calendar, or open your Outlook Calendar. Although creating events in each program is similar, there are minor differences. Where you create the event from doesn't matter and your event will appear on all Microsoft calendars regardless of which method is used.
In Teams
Click New in Teams Calendar.
- Enter a name for the meeting
- Make sure that Teams meeting is toggled on.
- Enter the date and time for the class or meeting. If you would like a recurring meeting, click Make recurring and fill in pop-up scheduling form. Leave as-is if this is a one-time event.
- Click Save when you are done.
In Outlook
Click New Event in Outlook Calendar.
- Enter a name for the meeting
- Enter the date and time for the class or meeting. If you would like a recurring meeting, click on Does not repeat and select Custom. Leave as-is if this is a one-time event.
- Make sure that Teams meeting is toggled on.
- Click Save when you are done.
Copy the meeting link
Locate the meeting in your calendar. Double-click on the event to view the event details. In the event details, locate Join Microsoft Teams Meeting, then copy that link. You can now post the link in Moodle using the directions in the next section or email it to students.
Post your Microsoft Teams Meeting link to Moodle
Once you have your Microsoft Teams meeting link, you'll need to share it with your students. You can email it to them or send it through the Announcements forum in Moodle. In many cases, it is also helpful to add the link directly to your Moodle course page so students can easily find it when needed. This section explains two ways to add your meeting link to Moodle.
You can either create a new link from scratch or, if you are using a course template, edit the existing placeholder and replace it with your Microsoft Teams meeting link.
Make sure that editing is turned on by clicking the Edit mode toggle in the upper right hand corner of your screen. You can put your link anywhere in your course, but we recommend putting it in the top section.
At the bottom of the top section of your course, you'll see the option to Add an activity or resource. Click on this link and select URL from the list of options.
In the Name textbox, type a name for your link; e.g., "Virtual Classroom."
In the External URL textbox, paste the Microsoft Teams meeting link you copied in the first section. Be sure to click the Save button at the bottom of the screen. It is recommended that you test the link after saving to make sure that it is functioning properly.
Make sure that editing is turned on by clicking the Edit mode toggle in the upper right hand corner of your screen. Locate the placeholder for the Teams meeting link. In the newest template it is entitled "Link to Virtual Communication Space."
- Click the three-dot menu for this text
- Choose Edit settings.
In the External URL textbox, a generic link to Microsoft Teams is entered. Replace this link by pasting the Microsoft Teams meeting link you copied in the first section. Be sure to click the Save button at the bottom of the screen. It is recommended that you test the link after saving to make sure that it is functioning properly.
Finishing Up
Once you're done, instruct your students to click that link in Moodle to access the virtual classroom during scheduled class meetings, virtual office hours, or whenever you are your students need to meet virtually.
Again, remember that you don't need to create a Teams Meeting URL each time you meet with students virtually You can create one URL for your course and use it whenever you need to meet with students virtually.