Updates & Term Information

Fall 2026 Updates

1. Outline Publish Date Change. Publish your Fall 2026 course outline by the first day of the formal lecture period (Wednesday, September 9, 2026). This new deadline is specified in the most recent academic calendar. See Course Outlines for requirements and guidance.
   • Required: All Engineering/Architecture undergraduate and graduate courses must publish outlines using the Outline tool.
   • Resources: See Getting Started with Outline.
   • Assistance with the migration of outlines: eng.ug.askus@uwaterloo.ca.
   • Substantial Changes to your course outline after the first week of classes: 
     • Undergraduate courses, please contact the Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies.
     • Graduate courses, please contact the Associate Dean, Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs.
2. Graded Presentations and/or Group Work. Beginning Fall 2026, instructors may restrict students from using short-term absences for graded presentations and/or group work. If you do so, clearly state any restrictions in the course outline and course schedule. As this is a change for students too, reminders in writing and in class are necessary. See official resource: Assessments: Academic Considerations and Accommodations.  

• Any separately distributed assignment instructions should also refer students to short-term absence restrictions. For example: Major presentations are not eligible for short-term absences. Please see the course outline and reach out if you have questions or concerns.
• In Outline, "Assessment & Activities" section, include any short-term absence restrictions. For example:
  • Short-term absences cannot be used for Assessment X, as it includes graded group project work.
  • Short-term absences cannot be used for Assessment Y, as it includes scheduled graded presentations.
•  In Outline, “Administrative Policy” section, include the following boilerplate.   Short-term absences: Presentations and Group-focused Assignments.Short-term absences cannot be used for graded course components that involve a formally scheduled presentation or are part of a symposium, colloquium, or showcase. They also cannot be used for graded components requiring live, in-person group work, such as peer review workshops. These assignments involve singular events that cannot be rescheduled and may depend on the participation of classmates during class time. It is the student’s responsibility to review the deadlines for these in-person assessments at the start of the term and to contact the instructor within the first two weeks of class if they anticipate a conflict with a scheduled event. This policy does not override university-wide policies (e.g., National Day for Truth and Reconciliation), absences due to religious observance, documented extenuating circumstances, accommodations through AccessAbility Services, or VOC requirements.

3. Request TA access to LEARN through the new process. Beginning Fall 2026, instructors must submit a request to add TAs to LEARN using Add a TA/Staff member to a course - LEARN - Jira Service Management
    
4. Complete a TA Assignment of Duties form for every TA appointment. Ensure assignments comply with the CUPE 5524.01 (GTA/GRA) collective agreement. Contact your department or school administrator for specific procedures. In Engineering, our hiring system automatically sends the Assignment of Duties Form to instructors once a student accepts a GTA position. After the instructor completes the form, the system sends it directly to the Graduate Teaching Assistant for review and acceptance. If revisions to the Assignment of Duties Form are required, they can be made electronically. All versions of the form are retained within the system for record-keeping purposes.
   • TA Training – Instructors are reminded that the Faculty of Engineering no longer offers ExpecTAtions (former mandatory TA training). instructors are responsible for course-specific TA training (e.g., how to grade your assessments).
   • Faculty of Engineering mandatory training, Every employee of the University must complete the following training:
     • Employee Safety Orientation (SO1001)
     • WHMIS (SO2017)
     • Workplace Violence & Harassment Awareness (SO1081
     • AODA Training
     • Cyber Awareness Essentials -2026
     • Cyber Awareness for Knowledge Workers- 2026
   • Instructors should be aware that your assigned TA may have been completed some or all of the courses previously. The Engineering hiring system will automatically populate the Assignment of Duties Form with any outstanding mandatory training requirements that we have on record. Instructors should confirm with students whether any listed training remains incomplete. If a student has already completed the required training, instructors may request proof of completion and adjust the time allocated for training activities on the Assignment of Duties Form accordingly.
      
5. Include a Generative AI (GenAI) statement in every course outline. Clearly communicate acceptable uses, restrictions, and expectations for GenAI tools in your course. University of Waterloo GenAI wording templates.
    
6. Use centrally supported and approved educational technology tools whenever possible. Review the list of EdTech Centrally supported tools  before selecting instructional technologies. Not all technology is categorized as EdTech. If you wish to use a tool that overlaps with centrally supported EdTech, submit an exception request before implementation.