UTokyo Slack

What is UTokyo Slack?

The University of Tokyo (UTokyo) is introducing the business chat tool “Slack” as part of developments of a communication environment that covers a wide range of university activities and has been operating a trial version as “UTokyo Slack” since August 2022.

UTokyo Slack is a university-wide subscription to the “Enterprise Grid” plan of Slack, which is available to all university members. Although Slack may basically be used free of charge, under this paid plan, users can access past messages indefinitely, and use additional features such as multi-person “Huddle meetings”, “User groups” and a “Workflow builder”.

Target users

UTokyo Slack is available to all members who have a UTokyo Account. To use UTokyo Slack, it is necessary to enable Multi-Factor Authentication for UTokyo Accounts and participate in the annual Information Security Education.

If you wish to use Slack with someone who does not have a UTokyo Account (i.e., someone outside the university), you can use the “Connect” feature to collaborate with an external workspace. (However, this is not always recommended, as it is not as easy to use as the regular workspace.) See “Using UTokyo Slack with external users with the “Connect” feature” (in Japanese) for details.

How to join a workspace

In UTokyo Slack, “Workspaces (WS)” function as communication units within UTokyo’s overall “Organization (OrG)”; it is the “Workspace” that you are going to join when you start using UTokyo Slack. There are two major ways to join a workspace: by joining an open workspace or by receiving an invitation from a specific workspace. Please refer to each description.

How to join an open workspace

Please refer to the following page on how to join an open workspace.

Joining an open workspace in UTokyo Slack

How to join by receiving an invitation from a specific workspace

Please refer to the following page for how to join by receiving an invitation from a specific workspace.

Join UTokyo Slack by receiving an invitation from a specific workspace

How to create and operate a workspace

Workspaces in UTokyo Slack are created upon request from faculty and staff. Please refer to the following page for details. You should note that UTokyo Slack workspaces are created within UTokyo’s overall “Organization” section, so the creation process and usage of UTokyo Slack workspaces are different from those of regular Slack workspaces.

Creation and operation of workspaces in UTokyo Slack

Incorporation (migration) of existing workspace

(September 2023) We have closed the admission for incorporation (migration) 12:00 PM, August 24, 2023. See announcements page (in Japanese) for details.

If you wish to use an existing workspace that you are currently using outside UTokyo Slack as a workspace in UTokyo Slack, rather than creating a new workspace, a special procedure called “incorporation (migration)” is required, and is only available on a limited basis. For details, please refer to the “Incorporation (migration) of existing workspaces into UTokyo Slack” (in Japanese) page.

Others

Notes and details

• For preactions on using UTokyo Slack, please refer to “Precautions for using external services managed and operated by Division for Information and Communication Systems”.
• Please refer to the “Detailed specifications and settings for UTokyo Slack” section for details on specifications unique to UTokyo Slack (Slack’s “Enterprise Grid” plan) and functions that are restricted by the organization settings.
• (March 2024) UTokyo Slack has been on “trial” status, but we have ended this treatment and will continue to operate the service as long as circumstances allow. However, please note that individual settings may be modified to accommodate changes in service specifications of Slack or specific features may be disabled in response to problematic scenarios.

Tips for utilization

The following information may also be helpful in using Slack as a place for communication.

• The September 2022 UTokyo Slack Information Session Part 3: “Past Case Studies of Slack Use on Campus” (in Japanese) will feature practical examples of how to communicate in Slack.
• We have prepared the following two workspaces as a place to exchange information on Slack usage. You can join either of these workspaces by the following procedures on the “Joining an open workspace in UTokyo Slack” page. Please feel free to join them.
  • ”UTokyo アゴラ” (UTokyo Agora) Workspace: Open to all members of UTokyo and serves as a place for those who are new to Slack to practice using it.
  • ”UTokyo Slack ワークスペース運用情報交換” (UTokyo Slack workspace operation information exchange) workspace: This is a place to exchange information about workspace management and operations in UTokyo Slack. The target participants are mainly those who manage and operate workspaces, but others who are interested in it are also welcome to join.
• The following articles on the utelecon portal site discuss the use of Slack (some of these articles were written before UTokyo Slack was launched, so they may differ from UTokyo Slack in content, but many of them may be helpful).
  • How to Communicate With Students on Slack : Basic usage is described.
  • Using Slack in a seminar-style class (in Japanese): Introduces the use of Slack particularly for seminar-style classes.
  • Good Practice of Online Class / Prof. Norikazu Saito: Numerical Mathematics I, Numerical Mathematics (in Japanese): This is a practical example of using Slack in an on-demand style class and inviting questions about the class content via Slack.
  • Good Practice of Online Class / Prof. Tadashi Shiraishi: Law I (in Japanese): This is a practical example of a class where questions and consultations were made through Slack.
  • Taking questions in class with Slack: This shows practical examples of how to take questions using Slack in classes.
• Please also see the official Slack help, such as “Getting started for workspace creators”.