Piazza can be used for class announcements, questions, and discussion when teaching without Quercus. If you later use Quercus, you can connect your Piazza class to your Quercus course.
This guide walks through the basics: signing in or creating an account, creating and configuring your class, enrolling students, and posting announcements and discussion items.
Scope of use: Piazza is intended to support class announcements and discussion. For confidential student information, such as grades, accommodations, or health information, use email or another approved channel.
How do I sign in or create my account?
If you have used Piazza before:
If you have used Piazza before—in a previous course, through Quercus, or by signing up directly—you already have an account tied to your U of T email.
- Go to piazza.com
- Select Log In
- Enter your email and password.
- Use the “Forgot password?” link if needed.
If you have never used Piazza:
- Go to piazza.com and click the blue Professors and TAs Get Started button.
- Search for University of Toronto and select it.
- Enter your class name (for example, PSY100) and the current term, then click Create a New Class.
- Enter your U of T email address. Use the same address you use for Quercus so Piazza can match your accounts if you connect the two later.
- Check your inbox for an activation email. Click the link, set a strong password, and complete the brief profile prompts.
How do I create my class?
If you created your account through the steps above, your class already exists and you can move to configuration.
If you already had a Piazza account, add a new class as follows:
- After signing in, click the class name in the top-left corner to open the class menu.
- Choose Create a New Class.
- Enter your class name, course number, and term, then click Create Class.
Course naming: Use a name and number that students will recognize from their timetable. If a class with the same name already exists at U of T, append your family name (for example, PSY100 – Smith) so students can find the correct one.
For screenshots and additional context, see Piazza’s guide to creating a class .
How do I configure my class?
Piazza opens a setup screen the first time you create a class. A few settings are worth reviewing; the rest can be left at their defaults and adjusted later under Manage Class.
Recommended Settings
- Instructor self-signup: Leave disabled (the default). This prevents other instructors from joining your class without your approval. You can add co-instructors and TAs manually.
- Access code: Set one. From the setup screen or Manage Class > General Settings, select Add Access Code under enrolment options. This is especially important when you are working outside Quercus, because without an access code anyone with a U of T email domain can find and join your class through Piazza’s school search.
- Anonymous posting: Decide based on your pedagogical preference. Anonymous posts can encourage participation from quieter students; some instructors prefer the accountability of named posts.
- Private posts to instructors: Leave enabled. This gives students a way to send individual questions to you and your TAs.
- Folders: Piazza pre-populates folders such as homework1, exam, and logistics. Edit these to match your course structure (for example, weekly folders or assignment names) so posts stay organized.
For more detail on each setting, see Piazza’s guide to configuring your class.
How do I enrol my students?
There are two ways to enrol students in your Piazza class. Pasting your roster or uploading a CSV is recommended, particularly if you may later connect the class to Quercus.
Paste your roster or upload a CSV
- From your class, click Manage Class in the top navigation.
- Click Manage Enrollment.
- Under Enroll Students, paste student email addresses (separated by commas, spaces, or line breaks) or upload a CSV of your roster.
- Click Add Students.
Each student receives a welcome email with a link to set up a Piazza account if they do not already have one. Students who already have an account simply sign in.
Why this approach is recommended: If you later connect your Piazza class to Quercus, students enrolled through the email roster should integrate cleanly. Students who join through a class signup link may create enrolment conflicts that require manual cleanup.
Alternative: Class signup link with access code
If you do not have an easily accessible roster, you can share the class signup link from the Manage Enrollment page. Always pair the link with an access code so that only your students can join. If you later connect the class to Quercus, some manual enrolment reconciliation may be required.
For walkthroughs of each enrolment method, see Piazza’s guide to enrolling students.
How do I post an announcement?
Use announcements for one-way, class-wide updates (for example, schedule changes or reminders). Use discussions for back-and-forth questions and conversation. Announcements are a helpful tool when you need to reach the whole class quickly. They appear on the class Resources page and can be configured to email every student immediately.
- From your class, click Resources in the top navigation.
- Click Add to start a new announcement.
- Complete your announcement: write a clear title and message.
- (Optional) Check the box to send an email notification immediately to the entire class. This bypasses students’ email preferences and is useful for time-sensitive messages.
Email delivery: By default, students receive a Smart Digest every four hours rather than real-time emails. The send immediately option overrides this for the announcement you are posting. Use it for time-sensitive messages and skip it for routine updates to avoid sending students unnecessary urgent messages.
For step-by-step screenshots, see Piazza’s instructions for posting an announcement.
How do I post a discussion question or note?
For ongoing discussion, weekly prompts, or content you want students to engage with:
- Click New Post.
- Choose a post type:
- Choose Question if you want responses
- Choose Note if you want to post information without the expectation of replies
- Select one or more folders.
- Write your post. Piazza supports rich text, LaTeX math notation, code blocks, and image attachments.
- Click Post My Question (or Post My Note).
Students see new posts in their class feed and receive notifications based on their digest preferences. As the instructor, you can endorse student responses, edit posts for clarity, and pin important threads to the top of the feed.
For more detail on post types and options, see Piazza’s instructions for posting a note or question.
How do I send private or individual messages?
Piazza does not have a direct-message channel, but it supports private posts visible only to selected recipients.
Students writing privately to you: When students create a post, they can change Post to from Entire Class to Individual Students or Instructors. If they select Instructors, only you and your TAs will see the post. Your replies remain visible to the same restricted audience.
Starting a private exchange yourself: Select New Post, change Post to from Entire Class to Individual Student(s), and enter the student’s name. Only you and the named recipient will see the thread.
When not to use private posts: Private posts appear in the Q&A feed and are not designed for confidential or sensitive matters, such as accommodations, health information, academic integrity, or grades. Use email or another approved channel for these exchanges.
For full instructions, see Piazza’s guide to posting a private note.
How do I sync my Piazza course with Quercus?
If you later want to use your Piazza class with Quercus, you can link your existing Piazza class to your Quercus course. Your posts, students, and settings will carry over. Link your existing class rather than creating a new one.
- In your Quercus course, click the Piazza link in the course navigation.
- When prompted, choose the option to link to an existing Piazza class (do not create a new one).
- Search for your class by name or number and select it.
- Confirm the link.
Once linked, students can access Piazza through Quercus with single sign-on, and students added to the Quercus roster will sync to your Piazza class.
If something goes wrong: If Piazza does not find your class, check that the Quercus course number matches the Piazza class number. You can adjust the Piazza class number under Manage Class > General Settings before trying again. For additional assistance, refer to the support options below.
For the linking process and screenshots, see Piazza’s LMS signup flow documentation.
Need Support?
Contact your local divisional support team. Local teams may have the most up-to-date guidance for your specific teaching context, tools, or workflows.
Submit a support inquiry through q.help@utoronto.ca
Book a virtual consultation with a CTSI staff member (UTORid login required) for individualized support related to your course, teaching activities, or technology workflows.