Continuity Planning

For Instructors at the University of Toronto

Speak with your department/division about policies and procedures governing the administration of courses (e.g., syllabus templates, grading and grade reporting policies including important sessional dates, procedures relating to instructor absences, procedures related to assignment extensions). If you have questions or need support with Quercus, identify and contact your divisional support team or email q.help@utoronto.ca.

Key Resources

Get Help

Visit CTSI Events for information on upcoming webinars.

All CTSI webinars are recorded and will be available online after the session date at Quercus Videos and Workshop Recordings.

How to Guides

Instructor Resources to Help Students

Ensuring Accessibility

Course Evaluations

Important information regarding Winter 2020 course evaluations for instructors and academic administrators can be found in the following memo from the Provost’s Office. This memo is also available as a signed Winter 2020 Course Evaluations Letter (pdf) for inclusion in dossiers or other purposes. Please note that the letter referenced in both links refers to the pdf letter provided in the second link.

Check the U of T Campus Status web page regularly for updates; information on the status of each of the three campuses will be included here. The page can be reached from the University of Toronto homepage.

According to the University of Toronto Governing Council Policy on Academic Continuity, instructors are responsible for:

  • Preparing course syllabi in a manner that supports academic continuity
  • Altering course procedures, requirements and methods of evaluation in consultation with academic administrators to help ensure academic continuity
  • Making reasonable accommodations for students who are unable to attend classes or complete academic requirements due to a disruption.

This is understood to be a normal aspect of good teaching practice. The following recommendations, prepared by the Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation (CTSI), in consultation with colleagues from across the University, are intended to support the development of resilient courses. CTSI is available to help instructors with any aspect of course design and delivery.

Extend Teaching Presence Through Technology

In the event of an academic disruption, instructors can extend their teaching presence through technology. Through the use of U of T’s supported educational technologies, instructors can communicate with students online, send announcements, deliver course content, share audio and video recording, facilitate discussions, engage students and grade assignments. For more information on learning to teach online visit the Online Learning Strategies (OLS) website.

U of T Supported Educational Technologies

Quercus, powered by Canvas, is the University of Toronto’s supported learning management system that instructors use to share course content online. Quercus offers advanced content design, and a variety of student communication and assessment tools. Through these built-in tools, and the effective integration of other educational technologies, this powerful “app store” platform allows for greater pedagogical flexibility and engagement. Instructors are encouraged to use Quercus and educational technologies in the Academic Toolbox as the teaching and learning management platform to deliver courses. Explore the full list of educational technologies supported at U of T.

Login to Quercus with your UTORid. Read more on Quercus Basics.

Guides, Resources and Workshops are Available