The Office of the Associate Vice-President, Academic
The office of the Associate Vice-President, Academic serves as a hub for information and support related to improving teaching and learning, and the governance of academic matters at the University of Waterloo, particularly for undergraduate and non-credit courses.
Important updates and guidelines of note
- AVPA memo: Religious accommodations and exams (February 14, 2023)
- AVPA memo: Chat GPT and other AI at the University of Waterloo (February 13, 2023)
- FAQs: ChatGPT at the University of Waterloo (February 13, 2023)
- Additional resources for instructors and students: Use of artificial intelligence
News
- Feb. 14, 2023AVPA Memo: Religious accommodations and exams
Dear Colleagues,
I write today because there are a substantial number of important religions holidays that will occur during the exam period in Winter 2023. The University’s regulations on providing accommodations with respect to assignments, tests, and final examinations note that “ the University acknowledges that, due to the pluralistic nature of the University community, some students may seek accommodations on religious grounds,” and imply that these requests should be accommodated.
- Feb. 13, 2023New Leadership Role in the AVPA Office: Assistant Vice-President, Academic - Leadership and Strategic Initiatives
The Office of the Associate Vice-President, Academic is pleased to announce the creation of the new role of Assistant Vice-President, Academic – Leadership and Strategic Initiatives. The first to hold the role will be Martin Cooke, who will move from his current role as Associate Dean, Undergraduate Students in the Faculty of Arts. Dr. Cooke is jointly appointed in the Department of Sociology and Legal Studies and the School of Public Health and Health Systems.
- Feb. 13, 2023AVPA Memo: Chat GPT (and other AI tools) and the University of Waterloo
Dear Colleagues,
I write today to provide what I hope will be useful information. There has recently been considerable attention in traditional and social media and in academic circles about “homework help” platforms like Chegg and Photomath, and artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT. There has especially been a flurry of conversation since the release of ChatGPT in November 2022 because of its perceived implications for academic integrity as well as the design of assignments used to assess student learning, pedagogy, and curriculum. This memo provides direction for interacting with Chat GPT (and other AI software tools) in the context of teaching at the University of Waterloo.
