Microsoft 365 provides a suite of applications available to the University of Toronto community for creating and sharing content, communicating, collaborating, and supporting teaching and learning. Applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, OneNote, Teams, and Forms can be used across in-person, hybrid, and online courses.
This resource introduces Microsoft 365 applications and their potential teaching and learning uses, with links to CTSI resources and technical guidance to help you get started.
Getting Started with Microsoft 365
U of T instructors can access Microsoft 365 applications using their University account. Applications are available through the Microsoft 365 portal, with desktop and mobile versions available for some applications.
For information about eligibility, installation, licensing, training, and technical support, visit U of T’s Microsoft 365 webpage, maintained by Enterprise Applications and Solutions Integration (EASI).
Microsoft 365 Applications for Teaching and Learning
Microsoft 365 applications can support a range of teaching and learning activities, from developing course materials and facilitating collaboration to gathering feedback and creating accessible content.
The following table provides an overview of Microsoft 365 applications and examples of how they can support teaching and learning. Select an application for additional guidance.
| Applications | Potential Teaching and Learning Uses |
|---|---|
| Bookings | Schedule student appointments, consultations, and office hours. |
| Clipchamp | Create and edit instructional videos, record screens and webcams, and prepare captions. |
| Copilot Chat | Interact with a generative AI chatbot to ask questions and explore ideas. |
| Excel | Organize and analyze data, create visualizations, and support collaborative data activities. |
| Forms | Create classroom polls, surveys, low-stakes quizzes, and opportunities for formative and mid-course feedback. |
| OneDrive | Store, organize, share, and collaborate on course files and materials. |
| OneNote / Class Notebook | Organize learning materials, support collaborative note-taking, and provide spaces for individual student work. |
| Outlook / Calendar | Communicate with students and colleagues, schedule meetings, and coordinate course activities. |
| PowerPoint | Design presentations, support active learning, record narrated lectures, and create multimedia learning materials. |
| Teams | Facilitate synchronous classes, discussions, group activities, presentations, online office hours, and meeting recordings. |
| Whiteboard | Support brainstorming, visual collaboration, and shared problem-solving. |
| Word | Create accessible documents, support collaborative writing and annotation, develop learning scaffolds, and provide feedback. |
Availability and features may vary by application, licence, and University account. Consult the linked CTSI resources or Microsoft documentation for application-specific guidance.
Microsoft 365 and Quercus
Microsoft 365 applications can support teaching and learning activities in Quercus (Canvas). Instructors can create course materials in Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, store them in OneDrive, and share them with students through Quercus.
For example, instructors can:
- Share course materials: Add links to OneDrive files in Quercus Modules, Pages, Assignments, Discussions, and other course areas.
- Support collaborative activities: Create shared Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files for students or groups to work on together, using appropriate sharing permissions.
- Provide assignment materials: Share templates, worksheets, and other Microsoft 365 files that students can download or copy for their own work.
- Collect student work: Allow students to upload completed files through Quercus Assignments, where appropriate.
When sharing Microsoft 365 files, review access permissions to ensure students can open the materials and that editing access is provided only when intended. Students should use their U of T accounts when accessing shared course materials.
For guidance on organizing and sharing files, consult Microsoft OneDrive and Microsoft OneDrive in Quercus (Canvas).
Accessibility Features in Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 includes features that can help instructors create accessible course materials and support different ways of accessing and engaging with content. These features complement accessible content design practices but do not replace the need to review materials for accessibility, inclusion, and usability.
- Microsoft Accessibility Checker: Identifies potential accessibility issues in documents, presentations, and other Microsoft 365 content and provides suggestions for addressing them.
- Microsoft Immersive Reader: Offers reading supports such as read-aloud, adjustable text display, line focus, and translation in supported applications and Quercus.
- Captions and transcripts: Features available in applications such as Teams, PowerPoint, and Clipchamp can support access to spoken information in presentations, meetings, and recordings. For guidance on using these features, consult Live Captioning for Classes and Captioning Recorded Videos.