As of 2025, the Blackboard Classic platform will no longer support integrated Microsoft Teams (MS Meeting) sessions. Therefore, instructors who previously scheduled Teams meetings via Blackboard Original will now need to create them outside of Blackboard—directly via the Microsoft Teams / MS Meeting interface—and then share the meeting information (link, time, etc.) with their students through email or other communication tools.
How to Create a Microsoft Teams Meeting (Outside Blackboard)
Here are step-by-step instructions for instructors to create a Teams meeting and share it with students.
| Step | What to Do |
|---|---|
| 1. Sign in to Microsoft Teams | Go to teams.microsoft.com or open your Teams desktop app. Log in with your Microsoft / institutional account. |
| 2. Go to Calendar | In the sidebar (or menu), find and click Calendar. |
| 3. Create a New Meeting | Select New Meeting (or “Schedule Meeting”). Fill in: meeting title, date & time, duration. |
| 3a. If you see a “Teams meeting” toggle/button | Make sure it is turned ON before you save. Otherwise, the Join link won’t be generated and you may only see a location pin and/or “MS Teams Mtg” under the event name. |
| 4. Add Participants (optional at this stage) | You can enter email addresses of students now, but even if you do not, you can share the link later. |
| 5. Set meeting options (optional but recommended) | For example: who can present, whether participants can bypass the lobby, whether it’s recurring, etc. |
| 6. Save / Schedule Meeting | After entering all information, click Save. A meeting link (“Join Microsoft Teams Meeting” link) will be generated. |
| 7. Copy the Meeting Link | In the meeting details (in Calendar), find the link, and use Copy link or Copy join info. |
| 8. Share link with students | Send this via email, or via whatever LMS announcement / messaging you use (except Blackboard’s built-in MS Meeting integration, since it's no longer working). Include date, time, link, and any meeting rules. |
Important Note (Students’ Requirements)
When meetings are created outside Blackboard, students will need to meet certain requirements to join:
They must have a Microsoft account with MEF mail address.
They need to install Teams (app) or be able to join via web browser, depending on what the link supports.
More Helpful Documents from IT
Also, for technical problems concerning the MS Teams, you should contact IT at itsupport@mef.edu.tr.