Sections 16-19

SECTION 16: RESOURCES & CONTACTS

16.1 Teaching Resources
The Arts & Science faculty & staff website has a long list of useful internal and external resources.

  • AV: Your audio visual needs are best taken care of through your UG Admin person in your unit. The Faculty has equipment as does the University more generally, but these are best arranged through your UG Admin because sometimes budget charges enter into it.
  • CTSI Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation: This University resource provides valuable assistance to instructors as they develop or increase their teaching effectiveness, including teaching practice workshops, guidance and resources on the web, in-class observation and coaching, and advice on compiling a teaching dossier. The workshops are often faculty members sharing with their peers what has been successful in their own classrooms. The consultations are confidential and off-line from the departmental tenure and promotion process. Browse their site to see what may be of use to you now or later.
  • Library Services for Faculty: The list of services the librarians provide for faculty in support of their teaching can be found on the Library’s Supporting Teaching site. It includes subject-specific advice on research materials available for courses.
  • Library Services for Students: The Library can also assist you by providing your students with  library orientations and training in student research methods. You can view the sorts of research services they offer directly to students on their Student Services site. Familiarizing yourself with these workshops allows you to make a specific referral. You can also contact your library liaison about a tailored session for your course.
  • OSAI The Office of Student Academic Integrity:  This office represents the Dean in investigating allegations of academic misconduct, but the staff also provide advice and assistance to instructors on prevention, especially in the design of assignments.
  • TTS Teaching Technology Support Office: The Faculty’s support team for your instructional technology needs, especially Blackboard help. Their expertise goes beyond tech support into pedagogical design to help you get the most out of the opportunities offered by technology.


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16.2 College Contacts
College Registrars’ Offices:
Below is the contact information, direct numbers for instructors’ use and the general office contact number to give to students:

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College Writing Centres: Each College has a writing centre with trained writing tutors to give that college’s students appropriate help with essays and other written material, in both individual appointments and group sessions.The instruction covers the entire range of ability, from remedial to expert; the full range of subjects, from humanities to sciences; and the full range of  writing elements, from approaching the topic, to organization and stylistics. The tutoring service works best when used in a planned and sustained way, rather than in a rushed and fitful way. Student appointments are booked online through a common system, but are in high demand so encourage your students to plan in advance and book early.

16.3 University Student Services

  • Academic Success Centre: Workshops and individual support for learning skills including time management, memorization, exam preparation, note-taking, stress management.
    • Address: Koffler Center, 214 College St, 1st Floor South | Phone: (416) 978-7970
  • Accessibility Services: Advising for students on learning and other strategies, facilitating of assessment and accommodations for those with disabilities. Advice for instructors on adapting assessment and other course elements for those with disabilities.
    • Address: Robarts Library 1st Floor North | Phone: (416) 978-8060
  • Campus Police: For security and safety concerns. Emergencies requiring immediate response from Metro Police should go through 911, but Campus Police can respond promptly to less extreme situations. The officers are experienced in dealing with students.
    • Address: 21 Sussex Ave. (behind Robarts) | Regular Line: (416) 978-2323,  Urgent Line:  (416) 978-2222
  • Career Centre: Research tools, workshops, & advice on choosing and preparing for careers; on-campus employment and work study listings.
    • Address: Koffler Centre, 214 College 1st Floor North | Phone: (416) 978-8000
  • Centre for International Experience: Logistical and social support for international students; information and support for international student exchange students, both inbound and outbound.
    • Address: Cumberland House, 33 St. George St. | Phone: (416) 978-2564
  • Counselling & Psychological Services (CAPS):  Individual counselling/psychotherapy, group therapy, workshops and psychiatric medication services 
    • Address: Koffler Centre, 214 College St. 1st Floor Middle | Phone: (416) 978-8070
  • Family Care Office:  Help and support for those with dependants, either younger or older.
    • Address: Koffler Centre, 214 College St. 1st Floor Middle | Phone: (416) 978-0951 
  • First Nations House: Culturally-sensitive advising on many issues, cultural activities.
    • Address: Borden Bldg. 563 Spadina 3rd Floor | Phone: (416) 978-8227
  • Health Services: Medical clinic for students, uses OHIP and UHIP        
    • Address: Koffler Centre, 214 College St. 2nd Floor North. | Phone: (416) 978-8030
  • Ombudsperson: Offers confidential advice to students, faculty and staff. Assists students to engage with administrative structures, usually after all normal channels have been exhausted.          
    • Address: McMurrich Bldg., 12 Queen's Park Cr. W. 1st Floor Rm.102 | Phone: (416) 946-3485
  • Student Housing Service: Assistance for students in finding off-campus housing.       
    • Address: Koffler Centre, 214 College St. South Mezzanine | Phone: (416) 978-8045

SECTION 17: WHO’s WHO

  • Chair: Academic administrator responsible for the department’s budget, hiring, promotions, and tenure, as well as for the management of the department. 
  • UG Coordinator/Associate Chair Undergraduate: Usually the person who arranges the teaching assignments, approves your marks before sending them on to the Faculty, and handles appeals on academic matters in the department. An invaluable source of advice and help should you need academic information or guidance handling thorny matters with your undergraduates. 
  • UG Administrator: The admin staff person in each unit who handles much of the undergraduate administrative business for the unit:  classroom locations, marking schemes, Blackboard access, class lists, marks, enrolment matters, petition questions, final exam texts, exams written by students registered with Accessibility Services, and all manner of other things. Good relations with this person will pay off handsomely in the long run.
  • College Registrar: The primary source of academic advising for students. There are seven colleges associated with the Faculty and each has a College Registrar with a staff of academic advisors. These valuable people are the initial contact points for students needing information, assistance, advising and guidance. While the UG Admin may handle many program- or course-specific questions, the College Registrarial staff takes on the integrated holistic advising that addresses the student’s whole experience while at university, including academic, financial, personal, and developmental. Those messy personal eruptions common among university-aged students can be referred to the College Registrar’s offices for humane attention. The direct contact info for all seven colleges is below under Resources.
  • Faculty Registrar: (Glenn Loney) The Faculty Registrar looks after the traditional registrarial functions in the Faculty: admissions, the Calendar, timetabling, enrolment, petitions, final exams, assessment of academic status (probation, suspension, etc.), assessment of degrees, and convocation, as well as coordinating the advising. As Assistant Dean, the Faculty Registrar often provides advice and clarification on the application of the Faculty’s rules and regulations
    (416) 978-5389 .
  • Dean: (Meric Gertler) Responsible for academic matters in the Faculty, including appointments (hiring), tenure, promotions, the Faculty’s overall budget, all academic matters including marks, and the academic management of the Faculty. Under the policy, the Dean delegates some parts of these responsibilities to Vice Deans and to Chairs but remains ultimately responsible for academic and budgetary matters in the Faculty.
  • Vice Dean - Teaching & Learning: (Suzanne Stevenson) Responsible generally for UG curriculum, teaching and student-related matters in the Faculty, as well as instructional IT.
  • Associate Dean-UG Academic Programs: (Anne-Marie Brousseau) Responsible for aspects of the Faculty’s UG programs including the Curriculum Committees, the Committee on Standing (student petitions and appeals), Committee on Admissions, as well as for the 199/299/399 programs. Also handles student’s academic appeals on behalf of the Dean’s Office.
  • Vice Dean - Research & Graduate Programs: (Rob Baker) Responsible for fostering faculty members’ research, especially supporting their application for research funding, and for overseeing graduate activity in the Faculty, in particular graduate curriculum, graduate admissions, and the graduate student funding program.
  • Vice Dean - Faculty & Academic Life: (Stephen Rupp) Responsible for assisting departments in managing the human and financial resources that support academic life, and is the Dean’s representative in many labour contractual matters. OSAI reports to him.
  • Associate Dean – Interdisciplinary & International Programs: (Ito Peng) Point of contact for Directors of interdisciplinary programs, and is responsible for leading the development of new international opportunities to enrich the Faculty's teaching and research programs.
  • Principals: Each of the colleges has a Principal (although at Trinity College his title is Dean of Arts). The federated colleges (Trinity, St. Michael’s and Victoria Colleges) also have their own Presidents.
  • Provost: (Cheryl Misak) The Vice-President and chief academic officer of the University.

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SECTION 18: ACRONYMS

A small sampling of the acronyms in play that a faculty member might need identified:

  • AccServ – Accessibility Services: UofT student service for students with disabilities as defined under the Access for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.
  • AP&P – Academic Policy & Programs: a standing sub-committee of the Governing Council’s Academic Board, responsible for approval of all curriculum.
  • APUS – Association of Part-Time University Students: the UofT student organization representing part-time students.
  • ASSU – Arts & Science Student Union:  the official student organization representing all full-time FAS students, and umbrella organization for the many course unions (i.e. departmental student societies).
  • Bb  - Blackboard: the UofT LMS, learning management system.
  • CAPS – Counselling & Psychological Services: student service providing professional counselling and therapy for students.
  • CPAD – Council of Chairs, Principals & Academic Directors:  Dean’s primary consultative body of academic leaders in the Faculty (not a policy-making body).
  • CRIF – Curriculum Renewal Initiatives Fund: competition each year for start-up resources to support curricular initiatives connected to the Faculty’s Curriculum Renewal priorities.
  • CTSI – Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation: UofT resource for faculty members in support of all aspects of teaching.
  • DO – Dean’s Office:  Sidney Smith Bld., 2nd Floor, NW corner.
  • EDU – Extra-Departmental Unit: a formal academic unit, with 4 different levels ranging from full departmental equivalency to research-only centres without appointing powers.
  • ELL – English Language Learning program: assists non-native English-speaking students with increasing their facility in the language of instruction.
  • FAS – Faculty of Arts & Science.
  • FLC -  First-Year Learning Communities: para-academic small groups of 25 students each, who are taking a common cluster of courses, to encourage community and impart academic skills.
  • LMS – Learning Management System (aka Blackboard).
  • NGSIS – Next Generation Student Information Services: name given to coming suite of student information systems, including a replacement for ROSI.
  • OFR -  Office of the Faculty Registrar:  Sidney Smith Bld., 1st Floor, NW corner (includes the UofT Transcript Centre and the Exams Office).
  • OISE – Ontario Institute for Studies in Education: the Faculty that does teacher training and graduate studies in education.
  • OSAI – Office of Student Academic Integrity: the branch of the Dean’s Office that looks into cheating, plagiarism, and other allegations of academic misconduct by undergrads.
  • P&B – Planning & Budget: Office in the Provost’s Office responsible for all academically-related resources.
  • PDAD&C – Principals, Deans, Academic Directors & Chairs: Provost’s consultative body of academic leaders in the University (not a policy-making body).
  • ROSI – Repository of Student Information:  the student information system.
  • SGS – School of Graduate Studies.
  • SWS – Student Web Service: the students’ user interface for ROSI .
  • TCard – Students’ UofT photo ID student card (required ID for writing exams).
  • TTS - Teaching Technology Support Office: FAS resource to assist instructors with all aspects of teaching technology, including Blackboard.
  • UTM – University of Toronto at Mississauga: separate arts & science division of UofT, with its campus 45 minutes west in Mississauga.
  • UTQAP – University of Toronto Quality Assurance Process:  UofT’s implementation of the Provincial Quality Assurance Program.
  • UTSC – University of Toronto at Scarborough: separate arts & science division of UofT, with its campus 40 minutes east in Scarborough.
  • UTSU – University of Toronto Students’ Union: the official student organization representing all UofT full-time students.
  • WIT – Writing Instruction for TAs: a Curriculum Renewal project to leverage TA resources in order to increase the amount of student writing done especially in large courses.

SECTION 19: FURTHER REGULATIONS & POLICIES

The University has many other policies, guidelines, codes or bodies of rules you may need to consult in unusual situations. A small sampling follows::

  • Code of Student Conduct: This sets out the limits on student behaviour in non-academic matters. Offences bring non-academic sanctions, with offences involving safety generally being the only ones that would interfere with a student participating in courses.
  • Appropriate Use of Information & Communication Technology: This may apply to some unwanted email or web activity by students in a course, but there is also a section in the Code of Student Conduct dealing with unauthorized access.
  • Freedom of Information and Privacy Protection:  Access & Privacy Practices: As a government-supported body, the University adheres to FIPPA principles and practices. Instructors should be aware of the general limits on getting or giving access to personal information in their control, and should know how to handle such sensitive student information appropriately. Consult your unit or the FIPPA office on any challenging issues.
  • Access to Faculty, Students, Staff for Research Purposes: Most research, including that by students on students in relation to courses, is covered in the normal research protocols in your unit, but these guidelines address other research on students.
  • Close Personal Relations: This sets out the guidelines on some tricky situations.
    • Further Governing Council policies are here, and Provostial guidelines are here.