Using Microsoft Teams as a Discussion Board

Audience: Students, Faculty, Staff

Responsible Group: IT Training and Outreach

Overview

Microsoft Teams can be set up to function like a discussion board, making it easier for groups to collaborate and share ideas in an organized way. Unlike traditional email threads, Teams offers topic-based channels and threaded conversations, reducing clutter and creating a more engaging discussion experience. Faculty, staff, and students can use Teams channels as ongoing discussion spaces for classes, projects, or departmental communications. This provides a familiar, social media-style interaction that builds engagement and clarity.

Note: Teams is not discoverable by the university community. If you want your discussion board to be discoverable, we recommend to use Viva Engage and create a Community.

Key Features

  • Channels as Topics: Create channels for each module, project, or theme to organize discussions.
  • Threaded Conversations: Use the "Reply" option to keep conversations structured under a single topic.
  • Pinned Posts: Keep prompts or key discussion points at the top of a channel for easy reference.
  • Announcements: Use formatted posts to highlight discussion prompts or important updates.
  • Integrations: Add apps like Microsoft Forms, Polly, or OneNote to support polls, surveys, or extended responses.
Tip: Encourage participants to use Reply instead of “New Conversation” when responding. This helps maintain the flow and structure of a true discussion board.

Access

You can access Microsoft Teams from a web browser, desktop application, or mobile device. Be sure to log in using your @uark.edu email address.

Web App (Desktop)

  1. Visit myapps.microsoft.com.
  2. Sign in using your @uark.edu credentials.
  3. Select the Teams logo.

Desktop App

Download and install the Microsoft Teams app from Microsoft, then log in with your @uark.edu account.

Mobile App

Download Microsoft Teams from the following app stores and log in with your @uark.edu account:

Training

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