Preparing Your Course
Basic Course Information
Dates and Location
Course timetables, which contain information about class locations, dates and times are available on the Registrar's Office and Student Experience (ROSE) website. Academic session dates, such as the first and last days of class, are available on the ROSE Important Dates website. Generally, fall and winter terms are 12 weeks long and summer terms (May/June and July/August) are 6 weeks long. Start and end dates are specified in your contract.
Class Lists
You can access class rosters, wait lists (if applicable), and student contact information via OISECP. Starting two weeks prior to the start of your class, you can also access class lists and student contact information (but not wait lists) via Quercus.
The usual class size is 12-27 students, but this is somewhat flexible.
Waiting List
Wait lists remain active through the first week of class and then are cancelled on the enrolment deadline (see ROSE Important Dates). Students who are wait-listed may be admitted into the course after the enrolment deadline if there is space available, by completing a course Add/Drop Form which requires the instructor’s signature. It is customary for such students to attend the first class and request the instructor’s signature at that time.
If you have any questions about managing wait lists, contact LHAE Masters (lhae.masters@utoronto.ca) for Masters courses and LHAE Doctoral (lhae.doctoral@utoronto.ca) for doctoral courses.
Course Prerequisites
Many courses are listed as having course prerequisites, which can often be waived by the permission of the instructor. If a student approaches you without a course prerequisite and you determine that this restriction can be waived, you can ask the student to complete an add/drop form and return it to you.
When you sign the form, it is the student's responsibility to submit the form to the OISE Registrar's Office to be added into the course.
Materials Required Before Class Begins
The following items are due by the first day of classes:
1. Course Website
Created on Quercus, before classes start.
All courses, instructor assignments and student enrolments are uploaded automatically from ACORN as soon as a department updates the instructor of record with the Registrar's Office (ROSE).
2. Course Syllabus
OISE Course Outline Template.
For more information on setting up your course on Quercus see the Instructor Quercus Checklist.
3. Grading Scheme
Provide the grading scheme to students at the first lecture. Please follow the University Grading Policy when creating your grading scheme, noting the sections relevant to Graduate grading.
Getting Started with Quercus
The University of Toronto recommends organizing and administering your course through Quercus, the University's learning management system.
Quercus offers advanced content design, student communication tools, easy-to-use course administration features and a mobile application for access to key functions from a phone or tablet. Through a number of built-in tools and effective integration of other educational technologies, Quercus is a powerful platform that allows for pedagogical flexibility and engagement.
Quercus Features
- build your course
- add course content
- keep track of course enrolment
- make announcements to students
- submit assignments
- track submission of assignments and performance on exams
- calculate and present student grades
- arrange and supervise group assignments, discussion boards, and chat rooms
Course Reading Material
Instructors are responsible for organizing and supplying course materials. Please note the photocopier in the LHAE Department on floor 6 and 7 should not be used for reproducing large amounts of class material, and should be reserved for general photocopying of hand-outs and exams only.
Reproduction of original material is subject to copyright law. Some copy centres can clear your course materials for copyright as part of their services. This includes Canadian Scholars Press (180 Bloor St W) and Scholar House Productions (100 Harbord St). You should also familiarize yourself with copyright rules and regulations at the Access Copyright website.
U of T's Syllabus Service can help ensure course readings are available to students while respecting Canadian copyright provisions and existing U of T licensing agreements.
U of T offers a free Course Reserves and Syllabus Service which helps ensure your course readings:
- Are available to students.
- Respect Canadian copyright provisions and existing U of T licensing agreements.
After submitting your syllabus, library staff will upload scans of chapters/excepts, permanent links to journal articles, and ebooks available in the Libraries’ collection, and links to other web resources.
This service will place any print items you require in the course reserves collection of the OISE library for the duration of the course.
Please note: The Library is very busy with these requests, so please try to submit your request early.
Classroom Technology
Information about your assigned classroom (capacity, teaching station information, writing surfaces) is available on the Learning Space Management website.
Most classrooms are equipped with a teaching station that allows you to project a presentation from a computer. There are two types:
- Teaching Station has its own built-in computer.
- Teaching Station Junior requires you to bring your own laptop.
To check which teaching station is used in your assigned classroom, please visit the Learning Space Management website.
Teaching Station Instructions.
If you require a Mac cable adaptor to connect a Mac laptop to a projector, please contact Diedra Dick (Room 6-193).
Clear terminology, effective guidance and appropriate resources facilitate the development and ensure the quality of online graduate courses and programs. The School of Graduate Studies Guidelines for Online Learning serve as a reference for graduate faculty members who plan to create online courses and programs, and for the administrative staff members who provide support for those endeavours.
A range of resources are available for faculty involved in the design, development and teaching of digital learning components in face-to-face classes, hybrid formats or fully online courses. Support is available through CTSI, as well as the Digital Learning Innovation Portfolio within Information Technology Services (ITS).
Technology and services for teaching online are also available through OISE Education Commons.
Missing or Cancelling a Class
All missed lectures, whether due to instructor absence or a statutory holiday, must be made-up. It is the instructor’s responsibility to negotiate and schedule make-up classes with the students.
If you need to miss a lecture due to illness or other circumstances, you must make alternative arrangements and notify your Program Coordinator. If the lecture is cancelled, you'll need to e-mail your class and post a notice on Quercus. You must also notify LHAE Masters (lhae.masters@utoronto.ca) for Masters courses and LHAE Doctoral (lhae.doctoral@utoronto.ca) for Doctoral courses who will post a notice on your classroom door.
Cancelling lectures should be a last resort and rescheduling is difficult. There must be unanimous consent from all students, and instructors need to ensure a classroom is available for the rescheduled date and time.
Classroom bookings are made by the Graduate Liaison Team, LHAE Masters (lhae.masters@utoronto.ca) for Masters courses and LHAE Doctoral (lhae.doctoral@utoronto.ca) for Doctoral courses.
