Instructor handbook

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

All faculty, managers, and regular ongoing staff who oversee people (staff, student research assistants, teaching assistants, technicians, and postdoctoral fellows) are required to complete the SO1001 Supervisor Safety Orientation. Supervisors at UWaterloo are also required to complete the SO1100 Supervisor Safety Orientation.

For unit-specific information on mandatory training, please follow-up with your program administrator and/or unit Teaching Fellow.

Teaching-related workshops, professional development, and other training courses are available to UWaterloo staff and faculty:

• Events, programs, and workshops offered through the Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE)
• Learning and development programs offered through Organizational Human Development (OHD)
• On-campus professional development opportunities

Reach out to your unit Teaching Fellow to learn about additional opportunities.

Waterloo LEARN is the University's web-based learning management system, where instructors and teaching assistants can manage course content, post assignments, create virtual drop boxes, 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 optimizing your LEARN site for students can be found on the CTE website. The CTE offers workshops on how to use LEARN. The Faculty Liaison can provide individualized instruction upon request.

Instructors are required to request the creation of the LEARN course(s) they will be teaching in the upcoming term. Course requests are available approximately seven weeks prior to the start of term. See IST's course request instructions for guidance.

Due to security and privacy reasons, the ability for instructors to add users to courses has been removed as of July 8, 2026. IST is investigating different processes. In the meantime, if you need a TA or someone else added to your course, please submit a ticket to LEARN Help - Request a TA/Staff member and include the following information:

• Name of course
• Full name and username of the TA(s)
• What role should the TA be given (see role level descriptions)

IST will need to verify that someone is hired as a TA prior to adding them with TA level rights.

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. 

Information about planning courses and assignments can be found on the CTE website. We also recommend consulting the Framework for Teaching Effectiveness to learn more about various expectations and dimensions of teaching. For pedagogical support, please reach out to the Faculty Liaison.

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. Beginning Fall 2026, the Libraries will be using a new course reserves platform, Legnto. Information about course reserves can be found on the Library website. Course reserves are accessible to students at no charge. Questions can be directed to the Resource Sharing and Reserves Manager, Sarah Martin. 

The Course Outline Repository tool must be used to develop and publish your course outline. This digital tool allows you to create and edit course outlines using pre-formatted layouts, revise them for each term you’re teaching, and share with your students (link is required). Mandatory content is included in the template. Instructors can access a video tutorial for more information or visit Getting Started with Outline.uwaterloo.ca for additional resources. If you have questions or experience any issues, please contact outlinesupport@uwaterloo.ca.

According to Bill 166, the course outline for each course must include estimated costs for all required and recommended course learning materials and a statement about whether there are restrictions that would prevent a student from using a second-hand copy. To comply with this change, a price columnhas been added to the Texts/Materials table in the course outline template. If you do not have costs associated with materials, select "this course has no additional costs for students."

Please list costs for textbooks even if they are on library reserve. In addition to textbooks, learning materials include all supplies that students need to participate equally with others in the course, for example, lab supplies, field trip costs, subscriptions, etc. You do not need to include cost estimates for common items such as laptops or cellphones.

For copyright support, see the Copyright Guidelines website for a copyright guide for instructors, a fair dealing flowchart, and for copyright frequently asked questions.

For additional support, see the Associate Vice-President, Academic (AVPA) website for required and recommended course outline elements and course outline exemplars.

The Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences has developed a standardized course outline that can be obtained by contacting the Undergraduate Chair, Sean Meehan. 

Information about assessing students and developing learning activities can be found on the CTE website. With regard to assessments, it is especially important to remember that:

• Lectures, tests, and other course activities may not be scheduled during the period (typically 2-3 days) between the end of classes and the start of exams. 
• No tests or exams worth more than 25% may be scheduled in the last 5 lecture days of the formal lecture period for the term.  
• Courses with final exams may not have other course assignments due during the final examination period.  
• Courses without final exams may have an assignment equivalent in scope and value to a final exam due during the final examination period.  
• Instructors are expected to be available for all scheduled final exams for their courses.   
• Any student may review their final exam under supervised access, without initiating a formal appeal procedure.   

See the current Undergraduate Studies Academic Calendar for academic regulations related to assignments, tests, and final exams found under the Academic Regulations tab.

Students registered with AccessAbility Services may receive accommodations throughout the term for assignments, tests, and final examinations. Additional information about managing students’ accommodations can be found on the AccessAbility Services website. Reviewing information about the Missed Course Component web form may be useful. For support around inclusive assessment considerations, reach out to the Faculty Liaison.

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

Odyssey is the exam management system UWaterloo uses to collect exam scheduling information, create seat assignments, and print exams. Additional features include setting up multiple versions of tests and integrating Crowdmark for grading.

Akindi is a web-based assessment system that 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. 

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 RO website.

Information about grade submission can be found on the Registrar’s Office (RO) website. It is crucial to adhere to grade submission deadlines to support the RO’s timely service to students and help alleviate intensive work for staff. The grade submission memo (PDF) is available on the Registrar Resources for Staff and Faculty website under Communications – Mass emails to instructors. You can also find all grade submission deadlines and how to upload your grades on the Grades Management page on the Registrar Resources for Staff and Faculty website. See the Quest website for information on how to upload final grades.

Final examination and final course grades may not be posted until after the final examination period, as stated in Policy 46 – Information Management.

Student input is an essential component of UWaterloo’s continuous improvement efforts, both in terms of providing formative feedback to instructors and in terms of providing summative feedback that contributes to decisions related to performance reviews, tenure, and promotion. Information about the Student Course Perceptions Survey can be found on the Teaching Assessment Processes website.

For support with processing student feedback, please reach out to the Teaching Fellows or the Faculty Liaison. We also recommend referring to the following resources for further tips and information: Teaching Effectiveness and the Student Course Perceptions Survey and Reviewing and Analyzing Feedback from Student Course Perceptions Surveys.

Guidelines for student access to student information, guidelines for confidential records, and guidelines on returning assignments and posting grades can be found on the Information and Privacy website.

See the frequently asked questions webpage or contact the Privacy Team if you have additional questions or concerns.

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. Note that supervisors must complete an Assignment of Duties (AoD) form (PDF) for all Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) and Graduate Research Assistants (GRAs) under the CUPE 5524.01 Collective Agreement. Important information about graduate student unionization, particularly related to employment processes, is available. Questions that a TA should ask are outlined on the CTE website.

Giving and receiving feedback with TAs is beneficial to you as the instructor, and to students. The Faculty of Health Teaching Assistant (TA) Performance Evaluation process aims to help course instructors support their TAs, ensure two-way accountability between instructors and TAs, and provides a safe and constructive opportunity for documented self-reflection and evaluation. All instructors with TAs are encouraged to participate in this process.

The Teaching Assistant Manual, available on the Faculty of Health website, provides information about TA responsibilities and additional resources. CTE also offers a TA Handbook that includes essential strategies and resources for university teaching.

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

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 3^rd 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 adapters, can be booked through Faculty of Health Reception on the 3^rd floor of BMH. For Information Technology (IT) support, please visit the Health Computing Office website.

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. If this process overlaps with the end of term, 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. If this process overlaps with the end of term, the Faculty of Health will update the student’s grade on Quest.

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, prior offences, and limited university experience.

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. An institutional Turnitin® statement is available to be included in the Course Outline Repository tool. 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.

As of September 2025, the University will no longer support the use of the AI detection tool in Turnitin. For more information about this decision, please see: Discontinuing use of AI detection functionality in Turnitin - September 2025. Instructors are encouraged to continue to focus on assessment redesign, AI literacy and integrity.

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)

• Offers information on learning online, teaching online, and opportunities for professional development.

Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE)

• Offers a variety of programs and services to support instructors with their teaching, including:
  • Workshops and presentations throughout all terms
  • An overview of policies, handbooks, and templates to answer many questions that arise for instructors
  • One-on-one consultations through the Faculty Liaison for guidance on a particular issue
  • Learning Innovation and Teaching Enhancement (LITE) grants to support research and teaching enhancement
  • Teaching awards to celebrate teaching excellence
  • Resources for teaching tips
• The Faculty of Health Liaison serves as an educational development resource for instructors, providing expertise in teaching, learning, course design, assessment, and educational technologies. The Faculty Liaison is happy to provide pedagogical support and guidance on resources.

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. Teaching Fellows are available to consult with instructors on their teaching needs and facilitate faculty-level teaching-related programming. If you have any teaching-related questions or are interested in learning more about teaching in your unit, please contact your Teaching Fellow.
• To connect with a Faculty of Health Teaching Fellow, please contact Michelle Ogrodnik (Kinesiology and Health Sciences), Lisbeth Berbary (Recreation and Leisure Studies), or Diane Williams (School of Public Health Sciences).

Writing and Communications Centre

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

Graduate Studies Academic Calendar

• The main contractual document between graduate students and UWaterloo.
• Information about academic deadlines, graduate programs, graduate courses, and Faculty-specific program information can be found on the website.

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

• The main contractual document between undergraduate students and UWaterloo.
• Information about academic deadlines, admission, fees, and Faculty-specific program information can be found on the website.

Health Computing Office

• Offers information about UWaterloo accounts, email, printing, and software.
• See the Health Computing Office website for IT support for faculty and staff.

Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism

• A central source of expertise on substantive equality, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism matters.

Conflict Management Office

• Provides a variety of services for persons dealing with conflict, human rights issues or workplace harassment.

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)

• Provides a variety of services for undergraduate students, faculty, and staff.

Office of Research Ethics

• Addresses questions regarding ethics clearance and training requirements.

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.

Health and well-being Counselling Appointments

• Offers individual appointments, peer support and mentoring, and seminars, workshops and group therapy
• Information for faculty and staff who are supporting students can be found on the Campus Wellness website.
• Appointment times specifically for Faculty of Health students are available at Health Services. Please contact Counselling Services at 519-888-4096 for more information.

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.

Regroup Mobile

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

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) 

• The ISE team provides support for international students and promotes integration into UWaterloo student community.
• Services include English speaking and writing practice and International Student Advisors.

Student Success Office (SSO)

• Provides student support for academic and personal success.
• Information on communicating effectively with students can be found on the SSO website. 

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.