Microsoft 365 for students, staff and faculty at the University

Microsoft 365 is a digital services platform designed to provide applications and tools useful for individual and collaborative activities. Within a single environment, you can write documents, organise data, create presentations, manage email, schedule appointments, participate in online meetings, save files and share content with other authorised users. This solution is particularly useful in a university setting, as it brings together in a single system tools that would otherwise be used separately. This simplifies day-to-day work and helps users navigate a consistent environment, accessible via computers, tablets and smartphones. Microsoft 365 can be used for both individual needs and group activities. A student can use it to write assignments, attend lectures or meetings, and store their study materials. A lecturer can use it to prepare teaching materials, manage communications, and collaborate with colleagues and departments. Technical and administrative staff can use it for drafting documents, sharing information, organising work and internal communication.

Access is available, in accordance with the procedures and within the limits established by the University, to duly enrolled students, lecturers, technical, administrative and library staff, and other authorised users by virtue of their relationship with the University. Access to Microsoft 365 services is via the institutional credentials provided by the University. This allows each user to work in a personal, recognisable environment that is integrated with the University’s digital tools. Using the institutional account also allows access to official services intended for study, teaching, research, organisation and administrative work.

Students can access the Microsoft 365 services made available to support their studies, participation in teaching activities and the use of the University’s digital tools. The service provides access to widely used applications, such as email management, document creation, presentation preparation, collaboration within workgroups and the storage of personal materials. Key tools include email and the institutional calendar, word processing, spreadsheets and presentation applications, tools for online meetings and communication, and cloud storage for saving and synchronising files. Depending on the configuration adopted by the University, there may also be services dedicated to content sharing, organising digital notes, and collaborating on documents and materials. Using these tools helps students to keep up with their academic work more consistently, collaborate more easily with fellow students and lecturers, and keep their files in an environment accessible from multiple devices. The features of the service, including any storage limits, terms of use, the ability to install applications, and available functions, may depend on the assigned profile and the applicable licence terms. The Microsoft 365 services provided by the University must be used for purposes related to study, teaching and, more generally, the University’s institutional activities. The use of the account and associated tools must therefore comply with internal rules, organisational guidelines and applicable regulations.

Lecturers and technical, administrative and library staff may access the Microsoft 365 services provided by the University to support teaching, organisational, administrative and internal collaboration activities. The platform enables users to operate within a unified digital environment, which is useful for drafting documents, managing communications, organising appointments and meetings, sharing materials and coordinating work between offices, departments and project groups. The main services available typically include institutional email, a calendar, tools for video conferencing and communication, personal productivity applications, cloud file storage services, and sharing and collaboration environments. However, the specific features accessible may vary depending on the user’s role, their relationship with the University, the available licences, and the technical configurations adopted. The use of Microsoft 365 enables staff to work more flexibly, promoting operational continuity even when working remotely and facilitating collaboration between colleagues and departments. For lecturers, the platform also provides useful support for preparing teaching materials, managing meetings and sessions, and sharing documents with students or other authorised parties. Any storage limits, mailbox features, options for local application installation, additional functionalities or differences between user categories should not be regarded as fixed, but depend on the terms of service in force at any given time. The services must be used exclusively within the scope of the University’s institutional activities and in compliance with internal regulations.

For users unfamiliar with the platform, it may be helpful to briefly explain the functions of the main applications commonly included in Microsoft 365 services.

• Outlook: iis the tool used to manage institutional email, read and send messages, organise appointments and view your personal or shared calendar. It is often one of the main points of access to university communication.
• OneDrive: s the service that allows you to save files in a personal online space linked to your account. This means documents can be accessed from different devices and, where applicable, shared with other users in a controlled manner.
• Teams: is the platform designed for communication and collaboration. It can be used for chats, meetings, video lessons, workgroups, file sharing and coordinated activities involving multiple people.
• Word: is the application for drafting texts and documents. It can be used for letters, reports, minutes, handouts, theses, internal communications and other written content.
• Excel: is the tool for organising data, creating tables, performing calculations and preparing reports or simple analyses. It is useful in educational, administrative and organisational contexts.
• PowerPoint: allows you to create presentations for use during lessons, exams, meetings, seminars or business meetings.
• OneNote: is a digital notebook that allows you to collect notes, annotations, lists and materials organised by topic or project.
• SharePoint: s a sharing environment that can be used for documents, information content, collaborative repositories and shared workspaces, in accordance with the University’s guidelines. Depending on active licences and configuration choices, the University may also make additional services or features linked to the Microsoft 365 ecosystem available.

Access to Microsoft 365 services is via the University’s institutional account. Once authentication has been successfully completed, the user can access their personal environment and use the services for which they are authorised based on their profile. Microsoft 365 services can be used in various ways. In many cases, it is possible to access them directly via a web browser, without needing to install any software on your device. This method is often the simplest and most straightforward solution, particularly for those who use different computers, work from shared workstations, or prefer to avoid additional configuration. Provided the requirements set out in the licences and the distribution methods adopted by the University are met, some users may also use locally installed applications or mobile apps. The actual availability of applications, local installations and additional features may depend on the user’s assigned profile, active licences and the service management policies defined by the University. The Microsoft 365 portal interface, section names and the position of certain buttons may also change over time as a result of updates introduced by the service provider.

To use Microsoft 365 web applications, all you need is an up-to-date browser and your institutional credentials. Generally speaking, the login procedure is as follows:

1. Open a compatible web browser, such as Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, Opera or another up-to-date browser.
2. Go to the Microsoft services login page: http://login.microsoftonline.com
3. Enter your University institutional account. Depending on your user configuration, you can log in using one of the enabled identifiers, for example in the format username@univaq.it or name.surname@univaq.it. The credentials to be used are those of the University’s Centralised Authentication Service, which are already used for other institutional services, such as the wireless network, the virtual secretariat and e-learning services.
4. After entering your institutional email address and clicking the ‘Next’ button, the system will automatically redirect you to the University’s authentication page.
5. On the authentication page, you must enter your Centralised Authentication password and, where required, complete the verification via two-factor authentication (MFA), in accordance with the procedures set out for your account.
6. Once the login procedure is complete, the user is redirected to the home page of their Microsoft 365 environment. The name of the home page and some graphical elements of the interface may change over time due to platform updates.
7. Within the interface, there is usually a section dedicated to applications, generally labelled ‘Apps’ or a similar name.
8. Through this section, you can view and launch the web applications made available for your profile, such as email, word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, file storage and online collaboration tools, within the limits of what is actually enabled by the University.

In addition to browser-based access, for certain categories of users the University also permits the local installation of Microsoft 365 applications on their own computer or on other personal devices ( ), in accordance with the terms of the assigned licence and the service’s terms of use. The option to install desktop applications is not necessarily available to all user profiles. Actual availability depends on the type of user, active licences and the configurations adopted by the University. Where available, installation allows you to use applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other tools included in the assigned Microsoft 365 package on your device. To proceed with the download and installation of the applications locally, please follow the steps below.

Download and installation procedure:

1. Open an up-to-date web browser, such as Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, Opera or another compatible browser.
2. Go to the Microsoft 365 account portal at the following address: https://portal.office.com/account)
3. Log in using your University institutional account. Depending on your user configuration, you can log in using one of the enabled usernames, for example in the format username@univaq.it or name.surname@univaq.it. The credentials to be used are those of the University’s Centralised Authentication Service, already used for other institutional services, such as the wireless network, the virtual secretariat and e-learning services.
4. After entering your institutional email address and clicking the Next button, the system will automatically redirect you to the University’s authentication page.
5. Enter your Centralised Authentication Service password and, if required, complete the verification procedure using two-factor authentication (MFA), in accordance with the procedures applicable to your account.
6. Once authentication is complete, you will be redirected to your personal Microsoft 365 account page.
7. In the section dedicated to applications and devices, select the ‘Install Office’ option or the equivalent item, if available, on the portal. The wording displayed may vary over time depending on updates to the Microsoft interface, but it is generally located in the area relating to app installation.
8. The Microsoft 365 installation package will now begin to download.
9. Once the download is complete, open the installation file in the Downloads folder on your device and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
10. When you launch the applications for the first time, you may be asked to sign in with your University institutional account, which is already enabled for Microsoft 365 services according to your assigned profile.

Local installation is normally intended for:

• Enrolled students;
• Tenured staff;
• Technical, administrative and library staff.

For other categories of users (e.g. contract lecturers, voluntary lecturers, etc.), access to Microsoft 365 services may be restricted to the use of online tools, where available and in accordance with the terms of their user profile, the licences assigned to them and the configurations adopted by the University.

Useful information 

The availability of locally installable applications, the number of devices that can be linked to your account and the activation procedures may change over time depending on licence conditions, updates to Microsoft services and the University’s organisational decisions. For this reason, the information actually displayed on the Microsoft 365 portal at the time of access shall always prevail. If you encounter difficulties during the download, installation or activation of applications, we recommend contacting the support channels provided by the University, specifying your user profile and the problem encountered.

 

The adoption of Microsoft 365 offers numerous practical benefits to both students and staff. Firstly, it provides widely recognised and used tools, suitable for key daily activities: writing documents, organising data, preparing presentations, communicating via email, holding online meetings and sharing files. A further benefit is the ability to work in an integrated environment. Files can be saved online and accessed from different devices, reducing the risk of data loss and making it easier to continue working or studying whilst on the move. The collaborative aspect is also particularly significant. Multiple people can work on the same materials, share documents, organise meetings and communicate with grea d immediacy, preventing the loss of information and reducing the need for constant exchanges of versions via email.
For the university context, this means being able to manage teaching, administrative and organisational activities more effectively, fostering a more orderly, coordinated and accessible approach to work.

Microsoft 365 services are designed to be used even by those without advanced IT skills. The applications feature recognisable graphical interfaces, guided menus and easily identifiable basic functions, allowing many common tasks to be carried out without any particular technical knowledge. For those using these tools for the first time, it can be helpful to start with the essentials: reading emails, joining an online meeting, opening and editing a document, saving a file to your online storage, and sharing content with a colleague or fellow student. Even gradual use allows you to reap tangible benefits straight away and become progressively familiar with the digital environment. The use of standardised and widely used tools also facilitates learning, as many functions remain consistent over time and are found across different applications on the same platform.

The Microsoft 365 account provided by the University is an institutional tool and must be used correctly, responsibly and in accordance with the University’s rules. All users are required to safeguard their login credentials carefully, not to disclose them to others, and to pay particular attention to any suspicious messages or unusual requests for personal data. It is important to use the services in accordance with the institutional purposes for which they are made available and to exercise caution when managing documents, attachments and shared content, particularly where these involve personal data, confidential information or materials intended for restricted circulation. Conscious use of digital tools contributes not only to the protection of the individual user, but also to the overall security of the university’s IT environment and the proper management of information.

The availability of Microsoft 365 services is linked to the existence of an active relationship with the University and to the licence and service terms in force during the relevant period. For students, access is normally linked to the continuation of the status granted by the University ; for teaching staff, technical, administrative and library staff, and other authorised users, it depends on the continuation of the institutional relationship and the relevant internal provisions. Upon termination of the relationship with the University, the Microsoft 365 account does not remain available indefinitely. From the date of termination, the user has a period of one calendar year within which they may, within the limits permitted by University regulations, retrieve, export or save their data and materials stored in the Microsoft 365 services associated with their account. Once this period has elapsed, the Microsoft 365 account may be deactivated and deleted, along with the content and data associated with it. Once the account has been deleted, it will no longer be possible to retrieve emails, documents, files, archived content or any other data that may be present in the Microsoft 365 services. For this reason, it is important that each user checks in good time for any materials of interest to them and ensures, before the expiry of the specified period, that they retain a copy in the manner permitted by the University.

It is understood that the duration of the service, the procedures for maintaining access, the deactivation times and any changes relating to the available features are governed by the organisational and technical provisions adopted by the University and by the terms of service in force during the relevant period.

In the event of access difficulties, queries regarding the use of services or technical issues, users may contact the support channels provided by the University. The support service can assist with queries regarding authentication, the use of the institutional account, the features actually available, the installation of applications where required, or the correct methods for using the services.
To help us process your request more efficiently, please describe the problem clearly, stating your user profile, the service concerned and, if possible, the type of error encountered. A detailed report helps us identify the cause of the problem more quickly and provide more effective support.

• Who can use the University’s Microsoft 365? Institutional users for whom the service is active in accordance with the University’s regulations may access Microsoft 365 services. In particular, access is normally restricted to eligible students, teaching staff, technical, administrative and library staff, and other authorised users in relation to their affiliation with the University.
• How do I access Microsoft 365 services? You log in using the institutional credentials provided by the University. Generally, you need to log in with your University account and use the password for the Centralised Authentication Service. For some logins, two-factor authentication (MFA) may also be required.
• Which credentials should I use? You must use the same institutional credentials already used for other enabled university services, such as the wireless network, the virtual secretariat and e-learning services. Access methods may vary depending on the configuration adopted by the University.
• Do I need to install any software on my computer? Not necessarily. Many Microsoft 365 services can be used directly via a web browser, without installing additional software. This method is often the simplest and most straightforward, especially for those who use different devices or prefer to avoid specific configurations.
• Can I use Microsoft 365 on a smartphone or tablet? Yes. Many services can also be used on mobile devices, either via a browser or through official Microsoft apps, provided they are compatible with your account and the device you are using.
• Can I install Microsoft 365 applications locally on my computer? Local installation of Microsoft 365 apps is only available to user categories for whom this option is enabled by the licences and configurations adopted by the University. Generally speaking, local installation is available to fully enrolled students, tenured staff, and technical, administrative and library staff. Other user categories, however, have access only to online tools, where available.
• How can I use the online version of Microsoft 365? To use the online component, simply visit the Microsoft portal using an up-to-date browser and log in with your University institutional account. After being redirected to the University’s login page and completing any MFA verification, you will be taken to the home page of your Microsoft 365 environment, from where you can open the web applications available for your profile.
• Which applications are normally available? The main services generally available include institutional email, the calendar, word processing tools, spreadsheets, presentations, online collaboration, file storage and sharing environments. However, the actual availability of applications may vary depending on the user profile, active licences and the University’s organisational and technical choices.
• Where are my files saved? Files can be saved in the personal cloud space associated with your account, such as OneDrive, or in other shared and collaborative environments provided by the University, for example where shared spaces or sharing services have been set up for departments, working groups or teaching activities.
• How much space is available for files and email? The space available for file storage and email may vary over time depending on the licence assigned, the user’s profile and the configurations adopted by the University. For this reason, the specifications actually indicated in the service at the time of use and any further official communications from the University shall prevail. 
• Can I share documents with other users? Yes, within the limits set by the available services and the terms of use. Microsoft 365 normally allows you to share files and materials with other authorised users, facilitating collaborative work, document review and controlled information sharing. However, it is important to pay attention to the nature of the content being shared, especially when it contains personal data or confidential information.
• Can Microsoft 365 services be used for personal activities? NO. The services provided by the University must be used primarily for purposes related to study, teaching, research, work and, more generally, the University’s institutional activities. Use must comply with internal regulations, university policies and applicable rules.
• What happens when my affiliation with the University ends? When your relationship with the University ends, access to Microsoft 365 services is not retained permanently. From the end of your relationship, you have one calendar year to access your account and, if necessary, download, export or save the data and materials stored in the associated services, such as emails, documents and archived files. Once this period has elapsed, your Microsoft 365 account will be deactivated and deleted along with all associated content. Once deleted, it will no longer be possible to recover the data in any way. For this reason, it is important to check the contents of your account in good time and keep a copy, within the limits permitted by the University’s regulations, before the deadline expires.
• What should I do before my account is deactivated? Before the retention period following the termination of your relationship with the University expires, you should carefully check for any emails, documents, files and other materials you wish to keep and ensure they are saved or exported, in accordance with University regulations. Once the account has been deleted, the data will no longer be recoverable.
• What happens if I cannot log in? In the event of login issues, authentication errors or difficulties using the services, it is advisable to contact the support channels provided by the University. To facilitate the handling of your request, please provide your user profile, the service concerned and a brief description of the problem encountered.
• Do the features of Microsoft 365 remain the same over time? Not necessarily. The available applications, the ability to install software locally, allocated storage space, access methods and certain features may change over time depending on active licences, updates to Microsoft services and the organisational and technical decisions adopted by the University.