Instructor handbook

AHS instructor

Handbook contents 

  1. Information for instructors
  2. Academic integrity
  3. Resources
  4. Policies and guidelines 

Information for instructors 

The Faculty of Health is one of six faculties at the University of Waterloo.

The Faculty of Health has three academic units: the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies, and the School of Public Health Sciences. Contact information for each unit can be found on the unit's website.

Mandatory training

All UWaterloo employees are required to complete certain mandatory training courses:

  • SO1001 Employee safety orientation
  • SO1081 Workplace violence awareness
  • SO2017 WHMIS 2015
  • AODA accessible customer service training

Supervisors at UWaterloo are also required to complete SO1100 Supervisor Safety Awareness.

Research ethics training is required for UWaterloo researchers. Please see the Research website for information on research ethics.

For unit-specific information on mandatory training, see the appropriate unit handbook.

Additional training

Course scheduling

Planning courses and assignments

Textbooks and course outlines

Textbook orders may be submitted on the Bookstore website. Courseware (course notes, lab manuals, etc.) is a course notes package that can be prepared as an alternative to a textbook.

It is advisable to place copies of course materials on reserve at the Library. Information about course reserves can be found on the Library website. Course reserves are accessible to students at no charge.

A course outline template can be found on the Secretariat website. See the CTE website for information on what to include in a course outline and examples of exemplar course outlines.

The Department of Kinesiology has developed a standardized course outline that can be obtained by contacting the Undergraduate Chair, Chris Vigna.

Tests and assessments

Final examinations

The final examination schedule and important information about final examinations can be found on the Registrar’s Office website.

Accommodations

Students who have two final examinations scheduled on the same day, at the same time, may fill out the final examination timetable conflict form. Eligible reasons for accommodations during final examinations are outlined in the current Undergraduate Studies Academic Calendar.

Exam processing

Optical Marks Recognition (OMR) scanning reads answer sheets and saves the accumulated data to file. See the IST website for more information about exam and survey processing.

Crowdmark is an online, collaborative marking system available to instructors and students. Please visit the Crowdmark website for more information.

Odyssey is the exam management system UWaterloo uses to collect exam scheduling information, create seat assignments, and print exams. Please visit the Odyssey website for more information.

Posting final grades

Instructors may post student information in a public place provided the identification of the student remains private, as outlined in Policy 46 – Information Management.

Final examination and final course grades are not to be released prior to the end of the final examination period. If you do not have a final exam, then you should not release students' last test/assignment grade prior to the end of the final examination period.

University closures and emergency procedures

If there is a university closure during final examinations, rescheduled examinations will be held at the same time of day and in the same location as originally scheduled, on the next available day on which examinations have not been scheduled.

All individuals in charge of proctoring final examinations should be familiar with evacuation procedures for final examinations, outlined on the Registrar’s Office (RO) website.

Grade submission

Course and instructor evaluations

Copyright

Information, privacy, and confidentiality

Waterloo LEARN

Waterloo LEARN is the University's web-based learning management system, where instructors and teaching assistants can manage course content, post assignments, create virtual dropboxes, manage grades and create discussion forums for students.

The Waterloo LEARN Help webpage is an excellent resource for anyone who is new to using the LEARN system. Tips for improving your LEARN site can be found on the CTE website. The CTE offers workshops on how to use LEARN. The CTE Liaison can provide individualized instruction upon request.

Online service interruptions

In the case that there is a service outage to the online content of four hours or more, instructors may follow the University’s protocol for service disruption in the online learning environment. 

Working with teaching assistants

A teaching assistant (TA) contract should be developed to ensure that TAs understand their hours (typically 160 hours per term), start/end dates, responsibilities and expectations. Questions that a TA should ask are outlined on the CTE website. 

If you are interested in doing a TA performance evaluation, please contact the respective Teaching Fellow in your department/school for forms and instructions.

Resources for TAs

The teaching assistant manual, available on the Faculty of Health website, provides information about TA responsibilities and additional resources. 

The TA Community Group is available to all Faculty of Health TAs through LEARN. Questions about the TA Community Group can be directed to Leeann Ferries.

Room bookings, keys, and supplies

Room booking procedures and information on after-hours use of space can be found on the Faculty of Health website.

Most bookings in B.C. Matthews Hall (BMH), Lyle Hallman North (LHN), Lyle Hallman South (LHS) and the Toby Jenkins Applied Health Research Building (TJB) are organized through Faculty of Health Reception on the 3rd floor of BMH. Please email Faculty of Health Reception for more information.

Information on bookable resources and assigning keys in BMH and LHI can be found on the Faculty of Health website.

Audio-visual equipment, including laptops, projectors, and computer adaptors, can be booked through Faculty of Health Reception on the 3rd floor of BMH.

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Academic integrity 

UWaterloo policy requires instructors to report all academic integrity infractions to the appropriate Associate Dean. Please direct all undergraduate academic integrity related matters to: ahsugad@uwaterloo.ca. Please direct all graduate academic integrity related matters to: Brian Laird at brian.laird@uwaterloo.ca

The Faculty of Health prefers to handle academic integrity cases through formal inquiry, to:

  1. ensure that cases are handled consistently, and
  2. maintain a record in case of repeat infractions within or outside of the Faculty.

Instructors may wish to have students complete the Academic Integrity Acknowledgement Form when they submit assignments. The CTE website has more information about encouraging academic integrity online.

Steps for formal resolutions
  1. Ensure that the assignment in question is graded. The Associate Dean needs this grade:
    1. In case they do not proceed with a case against the student. The student will receive their earned grade on the assignment, or
    2. In case they assign a penalty to the student, the student appeals, and the penalty is overturned.
  2. Send information about the allegation to the Associate Dean. Be sure to include:
    1. The student’s information: full name and student ID
    2. The course and instructor information
    3. Information about the assignment in question: date of the submission, weight of the assignment grade
    4. The assignment in question (keep a copy in case you wish to provide the student content-specific feedback)
    5. Supporting evidence for the allegation: the source of plagiarism with highlighted text
    6. Any additional information: emails to/from the student regarding the allegation
  3. The Faculty of Health will assign a grade of Under Review (UR) to the course on Quest.
  4. The Associate Dean will contact the student to set up a meeting. The Associate Dean will decide if they are proceeding with the allegation or not after meeting with the student.
  5. If the Associate Dean proceeds with the case, the course instructor will receive an email with information about the penalty and a request for grades as needed.
  6. If the Associate Dean does not proceed with the case, the instructor will receive an email with this information and a request for the earned grade.
  7. The Faculty of Health will update the student’s grade on Quest.

Penalties for academic offences

The Associate Dean will refer to the University’s Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties when assigning a penalty.

The severity of the penalty will consider several factors, for example: plagiarism quantity, course element weight, plagiarism location within multiple-component course elements, and limited university experience.

Turnitin®

Turnitin® is a tool that can be used with LEARN dropboxes that compares submitted assignments to its database.

Regardless of whether Turnitin® will be used in a course or not, students must be given notice of this software in the course outline. If you intend to use Turnitin®, please be prepared to arrange an alternative for any student who does not wish to submit their files to a Turnitin® dropbox.

More information about Turnitin® guidelines for instructors can be found on the Academic Integrity website.

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Resources 

Additional information about UWaterloo can be found on the gateway page for faculty and the gateway page for staff.

Support for new employees, including information on immigration, relocation and the local community, can be found on the Human Resources website. 

Teaching and professional development

Centre for Career Development (CCD)

  • Offers career advising to students, alumni, staff, faculty, and post-docs.
  • See the website for information on workshops, appointments, internal resources and job postings.

Centre for Extended Learning (CEL)

Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE)

Teaching Fellows

  • This position was established as part of a university-wide effort to raise the profile of teaching and learning, and to support and encourage teaching excellence.
  • To connect with an Faculty of Health Teaching Fellow, please contact Elena Neiterman (SPHS), Zara Rafferty (REC), or Tamara Maciel (KIN).

Writing and Communications Centre

  • Offers writing and communication practice, support, and research on campus.

Administrative information

Graduate Studies Academic Calendar

Important dates

  • The Quest website outlines important dates for each academic year, such as the course selection period, course drop/add dates, fee deadlines, Convocation, and University holidays.

Undergraduate Studies Academic Calendar

Campus services

Health Computing Office

The Office of Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion

  • A central source of expertise on substantive equality, diversity, and inclusion matters.
  • Provides a variety of services for persons dealing with conflict, human rights issues or workplace harassment.
  • Please see The Office of Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion website for information on current equity initiatives and for learning and development opportunities.

Information Systems and Technology (IST)

  • Provides support and training services for instructors and students, management and support of UWaterloo LEARN, and information regarding use of podium computers, laptops, and classroom bookings.

Libraries

  • Hours and locations can be found on the Library website.
  • The University is linked to the Ontario Inter-University Library System whereby it is possible to obtain a copy of a book or journal that is not available in our library within 48 hours. The inter-library loan (ILL) service reaches across North America.

Registrar’s Office (RO)

Health and wellness

AccessAbility Services

  • Provides support for students with permanent and temporary disabilities. Students can apply online for support.
  • AccessAbility Services will contact instructors directly if accommodations are needed in their course. It is a student's right to request and receive alternative classroom and examination procedures on the basis of a documented disability.
  • Tips for instructing students with disabilities can be found on the AccessAbility Services website.

Counselling Services

Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) 

  • Offers a range of health and wellness services to UWaterloo employees and their dependent family members, including counselling services (face-to-face), plan smart services (by telephone), and online services.
  • Employees who have the temporary benefits program are not eligible for EFAP services.

Sexual Violence Response Coordinator (SVRC)

  • Provides information and support for students, faculty and staff who have experienced sexual violence.

WatSAFE

  • The WatSAFE app provides push notifications in case of major campus emergencies.

Student success

Graduate Student Association (GSA)

  • Hosts events, offers financial support, and provides a number of services for graduate students, including legal aid, student advising, and supplementary health and dental plans. 

International Student Experience (ISE) 

Student Success Office (SSO)

UW MATES 

  • Provides peer mentorship to students who are experiencing social difficulties, mental health challenges, and transitional challenges adapting to university life or different cultures.

weCONNECTu

  • Provides academic and social support for new students in the Faculty of Health during their transition to university through workshops, peer mentoring, and academic and community-based programming.

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Policies and guidelines

The Secretariat website provides a list of policies, procedures and guidelines that apply to all members of the UWaterloo community. Policies and procedures specific to the Faculty of Health can be found on the Faculty of Health website.

Important policies to note include:

Important guidelines to note include:

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Updated September 2019