During the term

This page provides information on policies and procedures to be followed by instructors once the term has begun. For those of you who are new to the faculty, please review the entire page because it will draw your attention to pertinent information for use throughout the term.

If you have any questions or suggestions for items to add, please email Carol Knipe.

Sections:

Highlights for Winter 2025

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Mental health resources

  1. The attached document provided by Counselling Services (PDF), can help students recognize when someone (including themselves) may need help and the variety of supports available. This document can be uploaded to your LEARN page.
  2. A quick read for instructors supporting students who are in crisis (PDF). Further training can be found through Campus Wellness at mental health training opportunities.
  3. Campus Wellness' page on How to support a student
  4. Supporting Students' Mental Wellbeing: Course Design
  5. Supporting Students' Mental Wellbeing: Instructional Strategies
  6. Supporting Students' Mental Health (for Instructors) course in LEARN from CTE

What to do if a student discloses to you that they are contemplating suicide, self-harm or harm to others

For suicide or self-harm contact Counselling Services. For harm to others, including campus safety, follow the recommendations below, but contact both UW Police Sevices as well as Counselling Services.

What to do next depends on how the disclosure was made

  1. In-person
    1. Walk the student over to Counselling Services (2nd floor NH extension).
    2. If they will not go with you, contact Counselling Services and provide them with the student’s name and student ID. They will connect with the student or UW Police Services, as appropriate.
    3. Inform the student that you will be asking their academic advisor to reach out to them to discuss their academic options; however, clarify that confidentiality will be maintained because the student reserves the right to disclose as they wish.
  2. Over e-mail, LEARN, or other written correspondence
    1. Forward the correspondence to Counselling Services, but to no one else (to maintain confidentiality). Counseling Services will manage it moving forward.
    2. Inform the student that you have done so and explain why, i.e. limits of confidentiality are breached when thoughts of suicide or harm (to self or others) are disclosed.
    3. If you receive a disclosure relating to health (including mental health) and wish to inform the unit/faculty, you must do so while not breaking confidentiality, such as: “I have contacted counselling services with regards to this student – can someone reach out to discuss academics with them?” or “This student has reported to me a significant extenuating circumstance – can you reach out to them to discuss their academic options?”
    4. Inform the student that you will be asking their academic advisor to reach out to them to discuss their academic options; however, clarify that confidentiality will be maintained because the student reserves the right to disclose as they wish.
  3. Over TEAMS or any virtual format
    1. Inform the student that you will be contacting Counselling Services and they will be reaching out to them.
    2. Inform the student that you will be asking their academic advisor to reach out to them to discuss their academic options; however, clarify that confidentiality will be maintained because the student reserves the right to disclose as they wish.

You can also

  • Confirm with the student that they are safe and have immediate supports in place.
  • Ask them if there is someone you can contact on their behalf. If at all possible, we want to be sure they are safe until Counselling Services has had an opportunity to reach out to them.
  • Send a follow-up email, checking in, which is also an effective way of showing support.

Remember

  • If possible, disclose to the student the limits of confidentiality before a disclosure is made. To remember the limits, think S.A.S: Suicide, Age, Safety
    • Suicide (either if they disclose they are contemplating suicide or someone they know is doing so);
    • If the disclosure involves a minor (16 years or under);
    • Campus Safety (harm to others); and
  • It is understood that this is not always possible as disclosures are often unexpected.
  • The rule for maintaining confidentiality is to reach up, not out.

Contacts

Counselling Services
counselling@uwaterloo.ca

Police Services
Direct Line: 519-888-4911
On Campus Extension: 22222
uwpolice@uwaterloo.ca

Additional resources, information, and tips are available through Campus Wellness.

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Important dates: Winter 2025

Important dates for this term are available on the Registrar's Office Important dates page (make sure you choose the correct “academic year” in upper left).

Scheduled pause days

  • Reading Week: February 15, 2025 to February 23, 2025

Notes:

  1. Extra pause days also include the weekends. No assignments or any marked course components can be due on any of these days.
  2. "Instructors are not permitted to administer, and students are not required to sit for examinations, tests, or lectures during a scheduled pause. There are to be no compulsory academic events (e.g., classes, labs, tutorials, seminars, exams). Deadlines for assignments are not permitted during a scheduled pause."

Beginning of term date: Monday, January 6, 2025

End of term date: Friday, April 4, 2025

Exam period: Wednesday, April 9, 2025 - Friday, April 25, 2025

Pre-examination study days: Monday, April 7, 2025 - Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Last day to drop a course with a grade of WD (Voluntary withdrawal): Friday, March 21, 2025

Note that a student’s decision to drop a course can have significant consequences, both financially and for their academic career (e.g., a ‘late drop’ can lead to a failed grade). Consequently, discussions about course drops should not be taken lightly and it is advisable to refer students to their Undergraduate Advisor who can fully apprise them of potential consequences.

The University of Waterloo is a secular institution, which attracts diverse students and employees from within Canada and internationally. We strive to foster inclusion of diverse campus community members including those from a variety of faith groups. Some faith groups have days of religious observance that may require an individual to refrain from work or study or to take part in fixed time congregational prayers/activities. Please contact the Associate Dean Undergraduate Studies if you have any questions about a particular case.

Religious observance dates for Winter 2025

Students can now declare conflicts with a religious or creed-related observance on Quest. Students must declare a religious or creed-related absence within two weeks of the announcement of the due date or scheduled exam for which academic accommodation is being sought. More information can be found in the absence and academic considerations guidelines in the Undergraduate Calendar.

Below are some commonly observed religious, spiritual, and/or cultural observances for Waterloo's largest groups of students. Note that this list is not exhaustive and there are many days of significance celebrated across the diverse communities represented in the University of Waterloo.

Orthodox Christmas: January 7th

Lunar New Year: January 29th

Eid al-Fitr: March 29th to 30th

Passover: April 12th to 20th

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Co-op interview dates and cycles

Co-op interview cycles and busiest interview dates:

During the Winter term, most 2B (Planning) and 3A Environment Co-op students will be searching for jobs. 

  • Cycle 1 Interviews start on January 20 with job match results being shared on February 7
  • Cycle 2 Interviews start on February 26 with job match results being shared on March 7
  • Usually the last three days of cycles one (February 3-5) and two (March 3-5) are the busiest interview days

You can find more details on when students are applying, interviewing and matched on this recruiting calendar for Winter 2025 (PDF). The other cycles start and finish later, see the full list of Winter 2025 important dates online. During this time, students may be arriving a few minutes late or leaving early to attend a co-op interview. 

Students who have academic conflicts (for example, a midterm) with co-op interviews or are feeling overwhelmed by the volume of interviews have several options for relief.

Contact

Michael Wood, Associate Dean, Work Integrated Learning, Environment 

Kathryn Fedy, Faculty Relations Manager, Environment, Co-operative and Experiential Education 

Student privacy

Information in this section

Resources

General background

In accordance with the new UW policy on information management and privacy, please review the following.

The University and the Faculty of Environment must ensure that student records and materials are protected in accordance with Ontario’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. F.31 (FIPPA). While some materials are excluded from FIPPA (some employment-related records, research-related records, and records of teaching materials), almost all other records in the custody or control of the University regardless of their subject matter or how they are stored (i.e., in print or electronically) are covered by the Act. These include student work and grades.

As part of the 2015 Internal Audit Plan of the UW, Deloitte performed a Faculty of Environment Privacy Audit. This memo addresses recommendations that arose from this audit that relate to three areas that require our immediate attention: (1) Use of the N-drive, (2) Use of cloud-based tools, and (3) Email accounts.

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Use of the N-Drive and Cloud-Based tools

Please see guidelines on privacy considerations. These guidelines provide the following instructions for faculty, staff, TAs and sessional instructors:

  • Store all materials containing student information, including grades, directly on LEARN. If that is not possible, then store that material on the University provided N drive. Do not store these types of materials on personal computing or storage devices. N drives are accessible from on and off campus to faculty, staff and TAs, and N drives are regularly and automatically backed up.
  • Alternative storage options, such as cloud storage, are possible, but only if IST recommendations on cloud storage are followed and thought is put into ensuring the information’s availability and accuracy for the purposes for which it is to be used.
  • Email correspondence that needs preserving is best preserved in a separate folder on Exchange (YouTube video on managing folders), not as individual files or as personal storage table (.pst) files.

As well, supervisors, course instructors and TAs should take appropriate steps to protect student information that is in print form, especially when it is taken outside of locked university offices. Indeed, the removal of printed student work, or any records that contain personal information from UW premises is strongly discouraged.

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Email accounts

All faculty, staff, TAs and sessional instructors are requested to use only UWaterloo branded email accounts for University business including communication with students.

Please review UW guidelines on e-mail and instant messaging, in the context of student privacy. In particular, both professors and TAs are required to include text such as the following with all outgoing emails (this can be set up in LEARN):

The information in this message, including any attachments, is privileged and may contain confidential information intended only for the person(s) named above. Any other distribution, copying or disclosure which is not necessary and proper in the discharge of the University's functions is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient or have received this message in error, please notify the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies immediately by reply email and permanently delete the original transmission from me, including any attachments, without making a copy. Thank you.

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Providing “model responses”

It can often be useful to provide students with a model of a “good” response to an assignment. You may of course create your own example. If you wish to use student work, please be aware that such use is guided by Policy 73 - Intellectual Property Rights. The Secretariat has provided the following summary of additional important aspects to incorporate along with the policy and obtaining the student’s permission for use of their work:

  1. Inform students that they may be contacted to inquire about the use of their work and also how that work would be used. Students should be provided with the contact information of the professor whom they can contact with regard to any concerns.
  2. Have a written record of any dialogue you have with a student when seeking their permission (this could take form of an email chain); here it is important to clarify whether they want their work to be identified (i.e., attributed to them) or remain anonymous and discuss things such as when/how their work would be used as well as how long you anticipate using it.
  3. Show work that depicts a “good” or “model” response vs that which was a “poor” or “incorrect” response.
  4. If at all possible, show works from prior years vs from a student within the current cohort.
  5. It is best to limit use of a student’s work to excerpts or response samples (vs. showing their whole submitted work).
  6. Transcribe the responses so that handwriting cannot be recognized.
  7. Carefully consider the content of the response. That is, if the content could identify an individual (e.g., “from my experience living in a family of 4 in Arthur, Ontario”) then it should not be used as a sample.
  8. Ensure that materials are stored securely on a university systems vs on personal devices, unencrypted university laptops, or other portable device. These materials should be retained and disposed of as per WatClass TL55. University Records Manager, Chris Halonen (ext. 38284), can be contacted for any questions about records retention/disposal.

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Declaration of absences

If a student requests accommodation for an absence due to illness or an extenuating circumstance, the student needs to either self-declare or complete the form through the Absence System (formerly VIF system).

There are four types of absences which entitle students to academic considerations. 

Short term (2 day) self-declared absences: undergraduate students are entitled to one two-day absence per term during the formal lecture period only. If students need academic considerations for tests or other assessments due during this period, they must contact you within 24 hours of declaring the absence. Students declare short-term absences via Quest. Students requesting extensions for personal reasons should be directed to this absence.

Covid self-declared absences: for students with symptoms of Covid-19, one absence up to ten days is available per term, including the examination period. Students can only use this for known or suspected Covid; all other illnesses requiring considerations must be documented. Students need to contact you for academic consideration as soon as possible. It is possible for a student to declare for fewer than 10 days, and then extend the absence if symptoms have not improved during the shorter absence. While this absence is available for Winter 2025, it will be discontinued at some point in the future.

Documented absences, including Verification of Illness: for illnesses other than Covid which require consideration, as well as other documented circumstances (e.g. funerals). Students submit documentation to absence.uwaterloo.ca, and absences are approved/denied on a case by case basis. Documented absences can occur during both the lecture and exam period, and there is no formal limit on the number of days a student can miss. If a student misses enough time that you are concerned that they cannot feasibly achieve the learning outcomes, please contact the associate dean, undergraduate studies. Students should not submit documentation to course instructors, please do not accept this. Students need to contact instructors for academic considerations as soon as feasible under their individual circumstances.

Religious/creed-based absences: students can now declare conflicts with a religious or creed-related observance on Quest. Students must declare a religious or creed-related absence within two weeks of the announcement of the due date or scheduled exam for which academic accommodation is being sought.

All absences for students in your class can be viewed at absence.uwaterloo.ca

Self-declaration process for all students

How to self-declare your short-term absence

How to self-declare your COVID-related absence

How to self-declare your religious/creed-based absence

Self-declaration of a short-term absences (maximum 2 days)

Reporting documented absences

To report an absence which has not been self-declared, students must complete and upload their official supporting documentation via the form on the Absence System. Supporting documentation can include, but is not limited to, a verification of illness form, death certificate, police report, etc. Supporting documentation must be provided by a professional and be verifiable. 

Student’s responsibility when reporting an absence: 

  • Paper copies of documentation will not be accepted unless requested (see next bullet); submission must be electronic using the Absence System form only. Documentation should not be submitted to instructors, TAs, lab instructors, advisors, etc. 
  • Students may be requested to bring an original copy of the documentation to a member of the ENV Undergraduate team, if the scanned copy is not legible or is deemed suspicious.  
  • Students are responsible for keeping the original copy of the documentation for petition purposes. 
  • Submission of fraudulent or falsified documentation or document misrepresentation is a serious offense, punishable under Policy 71: Student Discipline. 

If a student submits supporting documentation to an instructor, the instructor needs to direct the student to complete the form on the Absence System, as per the mandatory ENV course outline text.

Under no circumstances should an instructor keep or download documentation to their own records. 

Student absences whether self-declared or through submitted documentation will be tracked through the Absence system. Once either self-declared by the student or validated by a member of the ENV Undergraduate team (normal turn-around time 24-48 business hours), an email will automatically be sent to the instructor for each course in which the student is enrolled. The email will contain the student’s name, ID number, and course information. 

It is the student’s responsibility to contact the instructor to discuss accommodation for missed course components. Instructors maintain agency over decisions regarding accommodations. 

Note: Documentation submitted through the Absence System will be disposed of in accordance of our record destruction policy.

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IT support for teaching

The IT services and support | New faculty orientation page is available in the IT Service Catalogue and provides information on:

  • The EdTech Hub (digital technology tools used to deliver and facilitate learning, learning activities, and aid in creating or disseminating content)
  • Collaboration, event, and Waterloo Studio services
  • IT help and support options across campus
  • Network and connectivity
  • Exam scheduling and marking tools

If you need help connecting to wireless internet (Eduroam), click on the appropriate guide for your operating system on this page.

Environment Technology & Instructional Support (ETIS) provides instructional support for all instructors teaching Environment courses. ETIS commonly supports instructors with malfunctioning hardware, reimaging hardware and onboarding with permissions, hardware and software that you need to teach. If you need support of any kind, visit their help desk or submit a ticket. If you can't find what you're looking for, you may also submit a ticket for support from IST.

Electronic Classroom Resources

Many classrooms on campus have data projectors, podium computers, and other technologies installed. You can find how-to videos on use podiums, projectors, microphones and other components in classrooms on the IST Electronic Classrooms help page.

To find a full list of technology available in your classroom, see the ITMS Electronic Classroom Listing. You can also get a 360° room view of your classroom.

Academic integrity

Policy context

  1. If you encounter a violation of academic integrity, please email both the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies and the Faculty Undergraduate Operations Manager with the details. It is mandatory that all violations of academic integrity are reported to the Associate Dean, even if the instructor feels that they can ‘informally’ resolve the situation. The purpose of this reporting is to ensure consistent treatment across the faculty (and University) and to maintain a record of students’ violations (e.g., they are tracked by the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies and the Faculty Undergraduate Coordinator through the application of disciplinary probation to the student’s record); students with multiple violations receive more severe penalties including suspension and expulsion. The Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies and the Faculty Undergraduate Coordinator can also apply a grade of “UR” to the student’s record while the alleged violation is under investigation; otherwise, the student may drop the course to avoid penalties. Finally, it is University-mandated that this information be stored with the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies and the Faculty Undergraduate Coordinator. Note that failure to report issues of academic integrity is a violation of University Policy.
  2. Policy 71 guides all student academic discipline matters. Policy 70 addresses appeals and grievances. Please turn to these policies if you encounter an issue of academic discipline. If you have questions, please ask us for clarifications.
  3. Student discipline cases involve only the Instructor and the Associate Dean’s office; no other parties are to be involved in these matters.
  4. Please be aware of an increase in contract cheating, which occurs when one person completes academic work (e.g., assignment, exam, paper, test, quiz, exam) for another who then submits it for academic credit. This behavior undermines the quality and integrity of the degree, and it undermines the entire educational system. An example is Easy Group Inc., a Toronto-based company that operates under a number of names (Easy Education Inc., EZ’/Easy/EZEDU) and which markets itself as a tutoring service, primarily targeting international students.Download a toolkit to combat contract cheating. You can also view a video about contract cheating.
  5. Instructors must ensure that they inform their teaching assistants that they are bound by Policy 71 to report any violations of academic integrity that they encounter to both the Associate Dean – Undergraduate Studies and the course instructor.

Process for dealing with academic integrity case

  1. The instructor can choose to either meet with the student(s) to discuss the allegation or email the assignment(s) with Turnitin© report(s) to both the associate dean - undergraduate studies and faculty undergraduate coordinator for handling.
  2. If you would like the associate dean - undergraduate studies to handle the case, email with the student name/ID number, assignment/paper with plagiarism indicated (e.g., Turnitin report), weight of assignment, and any other pertinent details (e.g., instructions given to students, declarations that they have signed about academic integrity). As per policy 71, you must report the case within five days of detection. Do not combine student information in one email unless the allegations are related (i.e., unauthorized collaboration). The associate dean - undergraduate studies will take care of the matter from there and report back to you with the result.
  3. If you wish to meet with the student and proceed with an informal resolution (under Policy 71, which includes general guidelines for penalties), you must begin the process within five business days of detection/notification. Note that penalties for plagiarism and unauthorized collaboration should be consistent with those outlined in Appendix B in both the Framework for the Assessment of Undergraduate Plagiarism (PDF) and the Framework for the Assessment of Unauthorized Collaboration (PDF).
  4. Once you have met with the student please send an email to the associate dean - undergraduate studies and faculty undergraduate coordinator, outlining the details of the offense (including relevant documentation, e.g., assignment and Turnitin report), student’s name and ID number, a summary of meeting, when the meeting took place, if the student agreed to the allegation, and your proposed penalty. Please do not attempt to finalize a penalty with the student; the associate dean – undergraduate studies will first review the information to decide whether i) the penalty is acceptable in the context of penalties across the Faculty, in which case you will be informed and a letter will be issued to the student or ii) they will proceed with a formal resolution to meet with the student. If the student’s home faculty is not ENV, the instructor’s report will be forwarded to the respective associate dean - undergraduate for vetting.
  5. Note that for the case of “Level 0” plagiarism, where there is “verbatim text or minimal paraphrasing with appropriate in-text citation/attribution,” the instructor should meet with the student and then email a short summary of the meeting and the Turnitin report to the associate dean - undergraduate studies and faculty undergraduate coordinator. If the associate dean - undergraduate studies agrees, the instructor may reduce the grade for the assignment according to their rubric. If the associate dean – undergraduate studies disagrees, it will be handled through by them, and the instructor will be informed of the final grade penalty once the allegation is resolved.
  6. A grade of UR is posted on the student's record for the course in which the allegation is made. Instructors will be contacted with the final grade penalty once the allegation has been resolved. If the allegation is resolved prior to the submission of final grades, the UR grade will be removed and the instructor will be able to submit the student's final grade electronically, as normal. If the allegation is not resolved until after the submission of final grades, the instructor will then be requested to submit the final grade to the faculty undergraduate coordinator for posting.

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Scheduling and administration of tests and examinations

  1. Please review the complete regulations on tests and examinations, including scheduling parameters.
  2. Please remember midterms/test reviews/test preps must allow students the 10-minute transition period at the end of every event that is held during regularly-scheduled class times (Monday to Thursday, 8:30am-10:00pm, Friday 8:30am-4:20pm).
  3. Material tested on a test or examination should be introduced sufficiently in advance of the examination date to allow students reasonable time to seek clarification or greater understanding of concepts. Normally, this period will be two working days.

  4. Study days (between the end of lectures and the start of final exams) and mid-term breaks are designated periods where normal class schedules and academic requirements are suspended for a specified period of time. Instructors are not permitted to administer, and students are not required to sit for examinations, tests, or lectures during a scheduled pause. There are to be no compulsory academic events (e.g., classes, labs, tutorials, seminars, exams). Deadlines for assignments are not permitted during a scheduled pause. No assignments are to be due after the end of the official lecture period for courses with final examinations.

  5. In instances where a student has adjacent tests or examinations or when a student has more than two tests or examinations in a given day, the student should request relief from instructors within one week of the notification that caused the conflict. There are also options for accommodations for students with religious or scheduling conflicts during the final exam period. The relief may take the form of moving a test or examination to a new time or date; shifting the weight of the test to other evaluation mechanisms within the course; or other mutually agreed upon solutions. For more information, see the Final examination relief information page.
  6. Any unresolved disputes between an instructor and student regarding the “legitimacy” of conflicts or the “suitability” of alternative time arrangements will be decided by the associate dean - undergraduate studies.
  7. There are specific regulations for final exams. For example, there are rules regarding the number and constitution of proctors for final exams: 1 proctor per 50 students, a minimum of two proctors, at least one male and one female proctors. Note that the presence of any unauthorized materials on the desk including any electronic devices constitutes a violation of academic integrity.
  8. In the case of suspected violations of academic integrity, it is the responsibility of the proctor / instructor to gather all evidence – including materials that may be placed in bookbags, pockets, etc. – to verify the assertion of an academic violation. The alleged offender should be allowed to complete the test, once evidence is gathered, and under no circumstance should he/she be touched.

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Student Course Perceptions Surveys

Feedback on instructional design and delivery in all courses is sought from students via the common Student Course Perceptions (SCP) survey. This is administered during the last two weeks of class each term. All students enrolled in your course(s) will receive email blast reminders for them to complete the survey throughout the survey period.

Please encourage and remind students to complete the survey. You are encouraged to give your students 10 minutes of your class time to complete the SCP survey. More information about the timing of student communications can be found in the perceptions system within the Admin Guide.

For resources such as slides and LEARN announcements and more information about SCP surveys, see the Teaching Assessment Processes website. You will also receive more information from the Manager, Undergraduate Operations before surveys are opened to students.

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International exchange students

If a student listed on your class list is in the ENVEX (or any other plan ending with an EX, i.e. SCIEX) program, they are an International Exchange student.

These students’ backgrounds and preparedness are often different than students from within the Faculty. As such, instructors are encouraged to meet with these students to ensure they are sufficiently prepared to be successful in the course.

If after speaking with the student you have doubts that they are properly prepared academically for your class, you need to contact either the Associate Dean - Undergraduate Studies or the Administrative and Faculty Exchange Coordinator to discuss your assessment.

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Accommodation and AccessAbility

Higher education article

Accommodating Stress: Coping with Student Requests

Response to a COVID disclosure by a student attending an in-person section

Covid-19 classroom and lab management guidelines

Accommodations due to COVID-19

The following text has been taken from COVID-19 Information website – visit this webpage for more information. You can find details on normal academic regulations and accommodations below.

You are reminded that our rules for accommodations for justified absence from class and/or from assessments are in place to support student success and to mitigate the effects of extenuating circumstances on their academic progress. These accommodations remain in place for alternative course delivery.

Find out how students self-declare an illness.

Accommodation for illnesses

We have made the University of Waterloo Verification of Illness form for students a self-declaration, which means students do not need a doctor’s note for accommodation if they become ill. Students can find the Illness self-declaration form in the Personal Information section of Quest.

See Declaration of Absences

Other accommodations due to COVID-19

If a student is delayed from returning to class because of the coronavirus outbreak – they have been asked to communicate with their instructors and advisors as soon as possible regarding their absence.

If they believe they have extenuating circumstances or have been adversely impacted by COVID-19 which has affected their academic record, you may wish to direct them to their academic advisor to discuss the process for petition for exception to academic regulations in line with Policy 70.

Other accommodations

At this point in time, if students have a one-off illness (suffering from the flu or cold for example), they need to seek medical services and receive a completed Verification of Illness form (VIF).

After the form is complete, if they are requesting accommodation due to the illness they need to connect with their instructor within 48 hours to explain their situation and show them the VIF. Once the student and instructor meet, the student should be instructed to keep the VIF in their personal records in case the need for a petition for exception to academic regulations arise; in this instance, the VIF will be needed to support their request. Neither the course instructor nor the undergraduate advisor should keep these forms. It is up to the student to reach out for this accommodation and any accommodation that is provided is then up to the course instructor.

If students have a chronic condition and require long term accommodation, their documentation should be taken to AccessAbility Services. AccessAbility Services will then contact the instructor and will act as a liaison between the student and the instructor. Again, neither instructors nor the undergraduate advisor should keep the documentation shown by a student.

AccessAbility Services launched a new software system in Fall 2016 to make the accommodation process more efficient and secure, and align it with current legislation. A key improvement in the new process is that students will no longer be required to approach their instructors with a paper form for signature.

What does this mean for instructors?

AccessAbility Services will notify instructors about approved accommodations for a specific student with one or more disabilities, using an email, called the ‘Faculty Notification Letter’. Instructors are to commence provision of the approved accommodation upon receipt of the email.

The Faculty Notification Letter will include four important components:

  1. Accommodation: A list will be provided of the accommodation(s) that are to be provided to a specific student. AccessAbility Services Advisors makes accommodation decisions after assessing the student’s request as well as the validity and relevance of submitted documentation.
  2. Alternative Testing: A link is provided to the ‘Alternative Testing Agreement’, which instructors must complete before a student can receive testing accommodations. The agreement allows instructors to articulate how they want the exam to be administered (e.g., allowable aids; acceptable writing utensils). It is completed once a term, per course.
  3. Resources: An AccessAbility Services informational resource link is provided that: a) describes accommodation types; b) articulates the role of instructors in facilitating accommodations; and c) specifies how AccessAbility Services supports instructors in delivering accommodations. This enables instructors to have a greater understanding of their role in the accommodation process.
  4. Contact information: Instructors are part of the accommodation process and will have the opportunity to seek clarification or suggest an appropriate alternative accommodation, if needed.

AccessAbility Services is your partner in the student accommodation process, and we are here to support you. We are excited to continue to work with you using our new online system.

The Student Academic Accommodation Guidelines

It is beneficial to become familiar with the University’s Student Academic Accommodation Guidelines, as it articulates the roles and responsibilities of students, faculty, and staff in the academic accommodation process. The Guidelines provide procedural guidance for a) the registration process, b) the process for providing retroactive accommodations, and c) the dispute mechanism process. The Guidelines include resources related to a) defining reasonable accommodations, essential requirements, and undue hardship, b) course instructor timeline requirements for facilitating accommodations, c) ways to protect student personal health information, and d) scripts for rereferring students to AccessAbility Services.

The impact of Universal Learning Design on accommodations

Universal learning design (ULD) is a great way to increase the accessibility of your course for all students; however, it is important to be mindful of how ULD may impact students who require academic accommodations. AAS created a new tip sheet for faculty members/course instructors planning to implement ULD in their upcoming course which includes tips and scripts for students who inquire about how it will impact their accommodations.

The duty to inquire

As noted in the Student Academic Accommodation Guidelines, the University (according to the Ontario Human Rights Commission) has a duty to inquire into the possible relationship between a student’s behaviour and a disability to assist and accommodate students. The duty to inquire also means that we need to consider the student’s disability prior to imposing measures that may affect the student negatively. The educator’s perception of disability will engage the protection of the code and as such, we all must continue to pay attention to signs/cues to students who appear unwell or where you perceive a student may have a disability. If you believe a student may require accommodations, you are to attempt to assist them by refer them to support services, such as AccessAbility Services (you can use the ‘referral scripts’ in the appendix of the Student Academic Accommodation Guidelines).

Academic accommodations for students experiencing trauma

AAS provides academic accommodations to students with disabilities, and the term disability covers a broad range and degree of conditions including, the physical, emotional, and psychological effects of a trauma (e.g., sexual violence, and/or racial trauma). Students are not required to provide documentation verifying their trauma to begin the registration process, to get connected with resources and supports, and to work with AAS to create an interim accommodation plan. If a student discloses that they are being impacted by a trauma, please know that you can refer them to AAS to explore whether academic accommodations will be required.

Manage your student's academic accommodations in AIM

AAS’s online system (AIM) is used by students and AAS staff to request and manage accommodations. Course instructors can use this same system to manage their course accommodations, through the Faculty Module. This module enables you to:

  • View a dashboard listing of your students and their accommodations for each of your courses.
  • Export a list of students by eligibility (e.g., Extra time: 5, 10, 15 minutes per hour, etc.).
  • Receive real-time updates to accommodation plans should it change throughout the term.
  • Navigate between courses and sections using the Advanced Search Panel option.
  • Submit and make changes to your Alternative Testing agreement, so AAS can appropriately facilitate your in-person tests on your behalf (when offering in-person exams).

Watch this quick instructional video to learn how to use the Faculty Module, or contact Sarah Turner, sarah.cm.turner@uwaterloo.ca, to schedule a training session.

Faculty support

AAS is here to support you in upholding our collective duty to accommodate. We can offer 1:1 support to you to a) explore how your course design will meet the specific accommodation needs of a student, b) to develop a safety-based accommodation plan for a student in your lab or other ‘high risk’ area, c) to assist you with accommodation disputes, d) to ‘vet’ the need for exemptions to your program/course requirements, and e) to work with you to identify essential requirements of your course or program to explore whether an accommodation will cause undue hardship. We also work with thesis supervisors to explore appropriate accommodations for graduate students for the various graduate milestones. Essentially, we are here to help. Just reach out to Casey Gautreau (Manager, Student Accommodations) by email: casey.gautreau@uwaterloo.ca.

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Classroom Etiquette

Classes have a scheduled start and end time and the time between the end of one class and the start of another in a particular classroom is brief (10 minutes) and is to be shared equally between exiting and incoming instructors. Professional respect is key to a smooth transition between classes.

Exiting Instructors:

  • Move furniture back to the configuration on the posted layout.
  • Erase whiteboards/chalkboards and remove teaching materials attached to walls or other surfaces.
  • Clear podium, faculty desk/chair, and/or audiovisual console surfaces of teaching materials, technology materials/devices, personal effects, and debris.
  • Place audiovisual devices in their original position, including retracting, or winding the electrical cords to eliminate potential safety hazards and place microphone batteries on the charging station provided.
  • Direct students who are waiting with questions to come to office hours or to wait outside the classroom.
  • Classes end at either the :20 or :50 mark. End your class on time and ensure that the room is vacated completely 5 minutes after your class ends (half of your shared time between classes).

Incoming Instructors:

  • Ask students who arrive early for class to be quiet if the room is still in use.
  • Remind your class, when necessary, that when the previous class ends, they have the first 5 minutes of shared time to gather their belongings and leave the room promptly.
  • Be flexible when the class ahead has special circumstances such as a test or a guest speaker that may cause them to run late. The offer to assist your colleague, rather than confront them, will quickly get you and your students into the classroom and garner good relations with your colleagues.

Sharing classrooms is an opportunity to enhance your teaching experience rather than add to your troubles! If possible, introduce yourself to the instructors who are teaching before and after you at the start of the term. Let them know that you’re happy to chat about any issues that might arise.