Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs for Students)

View the navigating Canvas web pages for more information: Dashboard & Global Navigation

Submit an assignment

Take an online quiz

• View annotated feedback on an assignment

• View assignment comments

• View grades

If you have problems accessing your course or specific parts of your course, please do the following:

1. Check the Tips and Troubleshooting for Students wiki page.  This helps to make sure your computer or mobile device isn't having an issue.

2. Contact your instructor - it may be that the content isn't available yet or they haven't published something.  

3. Use the Help Menu  in Canvas to submit a ticket.  SPU staff will follow up to help resolve your issue.

Please follow the link Join a meeting in Microsoft Teams

You do not have to have a Teams account to attend a Teams meeting or interview, you can join as a guest. However, some instructors may have set up meetings to only be available to SPU users.

You will be prompted to download the software, once you have clicked on the link that you have been provided, or you can choose to join from your browser instead. If you are prompted to sign in you may log in from your SPU account credentials.

Please see the System Requirements at the following URL to ensure that you are ready to go: Teams system requirements

We recommend using the desktop client for the best in-meeting experience, it is not required to join a meeting as you can join directly from a browser using Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome. Your instructor may also require you to download and be logged into the client. Download it here: Get the Microsoft Teams desktop and mobile apps

There are also versions of Teams for mobile devices. Their functionality may be slightly different.

The Lobby feature allows the meeting host to control when a participant joins the meeting. The meeting organizer, co-organizer, or presenter can admit attendees one-by-one or let everyone in at once.

This depends on your class instructor. If you have trouble with either, see the Tips and Troubleshooting for Students wiki page and contact the CIS HelpDesk for support at 206-281-2982 or help@spu.edu.

Find out who else is in the meeting by clicking People in your meeting controls. Use the Gallery view feature to view thumbnails of all participants, and switch to Large Gallery view for bigger meetings.

Teams allows for screen sharing on desktop, tablet, and mobile devices running Teams. The host and attendees can screen share by clicking on the Share icon located in the meeting toolbar. The meeting organizer can control who is allowed to present. Select the screen, window, or file you want to share.

Follow the link for more information on screen sharing: Present content in Microsoft Teams meetings

If you have an iOS or Android device, you can launch the meeting from the mobile app and share your phone screen. As a participant, you can also annotate on mobile if the presenter is sharing from their desktop. On the desktop app, annotation (powered by Microsoft Whiteboard) works as an overlay on top of a shared screen, which is often used for annotating with a touch screen device.

Generally, there are FERPA regulations regarding class recordings. Talk with your instructor if you want to have a recording of the session. You may not share any recording outside of the class.

If you're hosting your own meeting, you can start recording by selecting More actions > Record and transcribe > Start recording from the meeting toolbar. Recordings are processed and saved to the organizer's OneDrive or the class team's SharePoint, and you can download them from there and upload to a service like Panopto or YouTube afterwards.

Follow the link for more information: Start, stop, and find meeting recordings in Microsoft Teams

Public spaces with free WiFi may have unreliable connectivity and are inherently less secure than your personal WiFi. Be mindful of personal data, or information you share within a public space.

Yes, Teams works globally.

Yes. You can be signed into Teams with the same account on multiple devices at the same time. If you're already in a meeting on one device, you can join the same meeting on a second device (such as your phone) using Companion Mode to share live video or control a presentation. If you join on multiple devices in the same room, you may need to mute and/or turn off your sound on one device to prevent feedback.

Follow the link for more information: Join a Microsoft Teams meeting on a second device

Yes, you can use Annotate as a participant in your meeting if the presenter has turned on the option to let everyone annotate. Example: When your faculty asks you to mark or write something on the screen, you can use this feature. Click Here to learn more about this: Use annotation while sharing your screen in Microsoft Teams

If you have trouble with Teams, see the CIS HelpDesk's Tips and Troubleshooting for Students, I can't join a meeting in Microsoft Teams, or contact the CIS HelpDesk for support at 206-281-2982 or help@spu.edu.

You only need to install Panopto recording client if you have an assignment or project to create a video presentation. You may want to use other tools to create your presentation, and if that's the case, then you may not need to install the recording client at all.  Instead, you can use the web interface to upload your video file and follow the instructions on the Submitting a Video (Panopto) Assignment in Canvas page to submit your video.

From a Personal Computer, the software may be downloaded by logging directly into Panopto at spu.hosted.panopto.com. You can also upload existing video and create new video with Panopto mobile app.

To learn more about Panopto Click here!

To view recordings in your class, no. These should always be linked into your Canvas course. You only need to log into Panopto if you want to edit your video, modify permissions, or add captions to your video.

Go to: spu.hosted.panopto.com. You can log into Panopto with your SPU credentials. 

If you do not see the video polls and your instructor has indicated there are questions during the video, click the arrow in the lower right-hand corner to watch the video in Panopto. Then check the upper right-hand corner to make sure you are signed in .

Click here! to learn more about PowerPoint recording.

If you made your own videos, you can edit them directly in the web editor. Follow this link for instructions: Editing Panopto videos.

You can create Panopto Recordings in Canvas discussions. Follow the link for instructions: Create Panopto Recording in Canvas Discussion

Make sure you have properly submitted your video assignment per the instructions on our Submitting a Video (Panopto) Assignment in Canvas page. If you need to share your video beyond the classroom, you can do so on the video or folder of videos by going to Sharing and choosing the most appropriate option. 

If you have trouble with Panopto, see the IT HelpDesk's Tips and Troubleshooting for Students or contact the CIS HelpDesk for support at 206-281-2982 or help@spu.edu.