To our U of T Engineering community,
As we approach the start of the Fall Term in U of T Engineering, we are also paying close attention to the latest public health guidelines and adapting our plans to enable a safe return to in-person activities. As we have all seen, this information changes often, and our plans must change accordingly.
I am writing today to share a few key updates:
1. In-person course meetings will proceed as planned
I am energized and excited to confirm that we will resume in-person course meetings on campus next week. Per the recent update released by the Provost’s Office, the University has been informed that in-person course offerings can continue as planned, without physical distancing and capacity limit requirements for indoor instructional spaces. This is possible because of the stringent vaccine and indoor masking mandates the University has put in place.
- In the meantime, all undergraduate and graduate students should carefully read each communication from instructors for details on class meetings.
- Undergraduate students: Some sections of undergraduate courses will proceed online for either the full Fall Term or a portion of it. Please visit the Undergraduate Timetable for Fall Term 2021 for updates.
- First-year students in the Core Programs: Please stay tuned for a message from Professor Tom Coyle, Vice-Dean, Undergraduate, for more information on your courses.
- Graduate students: While most courses will take place in-person, many courses are being offered online in the Fall and Winter Terms. Please check the Online Course Offerings list for details.
2. Vaccinations are required for all on-campus activity
In mid-August, the Province of Ontario announced that vaccine policies will be required for in-person learning at all universities and colleges across the province, in line with the policies U of T already put in place.
- Starting September 6, all members of the University community coming on campus — including students, staff, faculty and librarians — will be required to provide proof of full vaccination through UCheck.
- Individuals who are in the process of becoming vaccinated or have an approved vaccination exemption will need to participate in the University’s rapid screening program, which is now open. Screening results must be uploaded through UCheck twice a week.
- Pop-up vaccination clinics will be available on the St. George campus this fall. Visit the UTogether vaccine page for details on how to book your shot.
- Those seeking an exemption for medical or other protected human rights grounds can make a request through the University’s Vaccination Exemption Request Portal. Please note that approval is not guaranteed.
- The provincial government will be launching a vaccine passport program effective September 22 that will provide a way to verify vaccination status for those without UCheck access. The University will release further details as they become available.
3. Updated mask policy
As part of U of T’s 12-step plan for a safe return to campus, face masks are required in all indoor spaces on University property, including classrooms, labs, offices and other shared spaces such as lobbies, elevators and hallways. Details are outlined in U of T’s updated guidelines on face masks.
4. Travel restrictions & getting to Toronto
U of T Engineering is a global community, and we are aware that many of our students around the world still face practical challenges getting to Toronto.
- Undergraduate students: Fall Term undergraduate courses in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering are scheduled to begin in-person on Thursday, September 9, 2021.
- Students who think they will not be able to be in Toronto on the first day of classes due to exceptional, extenuating circumstances that will slightly delay their arrival to campus should submit the Late Return to Campus Form by September 7 through the Engineering Student Portal.
- Accommodations may include providing a student with online access to course materials and assessments; however, online course delivery is not guaranteed. Any approved accommodations will only be in place for a short period and will not be extended for the entire term.
- Graduate students: Most graduate courses will begin in-person on Tuesday, September 7, 2021.
- Students who are concerned they will not be able to start their course-based programs as scheduled should contact the course instructor or the graduate administrator of their home department or institute. Accommodations may include conferring access to course materials and assessments; however, online course delivery and time-zone accommodation will not be guaranteed.
- Research-stream students should contact their supervisors directly.
I know that every member of our community — instructors, staff, TAs and many others — have been working tirelessly to prepare for a Fall Term that delivers the best experience for our students. I appreciate that this ongoing uncertainty is frustrating and stressful. The reality is that as we continue to monitor public health and University policies, please be aware that we may still need to make changes due to pandemic considerations — we will keep you updated.
In these final days before the start of the academic year, please rest up, take care of yourselves, and I’ll see you there.
Chris
Christopher Yip
Dean
Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
University of Toronto
To our U of T Engineering community
I’m delighted to share some extremely positive news from Ontario’s Ministry of Colleges and Universities, announced on Friday afternoon. The latest update indicates that if vaccination rates and public health indicators continue improving, universities will be permitted to resume in-person instruction and activities in Fall 2021, without physical distancing or capacity limits. Masks in indoor settings will still be required.
As I shared in my last Dean’s Message, U of T Engineering continues to optimistically prepare for a safe return to fully in-person learning in the Fall Term. (You can review our scenario plans for undergraduate students and graduate students.)
Our staff and instructors are preparing undergraduate laboratory spaces for in-person labs, and we are working with the Engineering Society to safely plan for Skule™ events, as well as club and team activities. Research facilities have been continuously ramping back up, with our capacity for in-person graduate student research gradually and safely growing.
- Undergraduate students: Fall Term undergraduate courses in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering are scheduled to begin in-person on Thursday, September 9, 2021.
- During the week of August 9, 2021 — about one month before the start of the Fall Term — the Registrar’s Office will begin a process to collect information from undergraduate students who think that they will not be able to be in Toronto on the first day of classes due to exceptional, extenuating circumstances that slightly delay their arrival to campus.
- These students will be able to apply to the Registrar’s Office to request accommodation and to provide supporting formal documentation. Each application will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Accommodations may include conferring access to course materials and assessments; however, online course delivery and time-zone accommodation will not be guaranteed.
- Students seeking an accommodation due to a disability should contact Accessibility Services as soon as possible to discuss their individual situations: accessibility.services@utoronto.ca.
- Graduate students: Most graduate courses will begin in-person on Tuesday, September 7, 2021, subject to public health guidelines.
- Those who are concerned they will not be able to start their course-based programs as scheduled should contact the graduate administrator of their home department or institute. Accommodations may include conferring access to course materials and assessments; however, online course delivery and time-zone accommodation will not be guaranteed.
- Research-stream students should contact their supervisors directly.
- Students seeking an accommodation due to a disability should contact Accessibility Services as soon as possible to discuss their individual situations: accessibility.services@utoronto.ca.
At long last, this update from the Province is the news we have been hoping for, and I am thrilled that we are on this positive trajectory towards the Fall. I strongly encourage everyone who is able to get fully vaccinated to do so as soon as possible, and to make your plans to be in Toronto and ready to start in-person classes in September. I hope you’re each finding a bit of time to enjoy a well-earned break from your studies, research and work during these summer months — Fall Term will be here before we know it, and I can’t wait to see you back on campus soon!
Chris
Christopher Yip
Dean
Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
University of Toronto
To our U of T Engineering community
More than half of the population in Canada has now received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and in Toronto, the proportion is over 70% of adults. Second doses are coming, and the Ontario government recently announced its three-phase reopening plan. As I shared in a past Dean’s message, here at U of T Engineering, we’ve also been mapping out our plans for a safe and gradual return to campus.
Our plans are being built from the latest public health guidance and government directives. Indeed, the entire University has been working diligently since the pandemic began to rethink every facet of our operations — from signage and scheduling, to ventilation and vaccination — to ensure the safety of our whole community.
Of course, there are still a lot of questions and details outstanding, but I wanted to provide the outline of our scenario planning, the rationale behind it and the considerations we have made. I know it’s a lot of information, but I am sharing this so that each of you, whether you’re an incoming first-year, returning undergrad, graduate student, staff or faculty member, can begin to imagine how the Fall Term may look for you, and have as much info as possible to make your own plans.
Our leadership team, Departments, Divisions and Institutes, the Registrar’s Office, our Faculty’s Health and Safety advisors, and the Graduate Offices are working hard to develop a schedule that will prioritize as many in-person course activities as possible, while considering student workload, travel or commute times, health and safety and well-being. We also continue to work closely with EngSoc into and throughout the summer on scenario planning for extra-curricular activities such as student teams and orientation.
Review the scenarios planned for the Fall Term:
It is crucial to remember that even if we start the term under one plan, changes in public health guidelines could mean an unpredictable switch. We need to be prepared to pivot and adapt. We advise preparing for both Plans A and B, as these are based on the current provincial health and safety guidelines, which could change. Course instructors are also working to develop in-class delivery under both plans.
My central message is this: plan to be in Toronto. I encourage those who are able to be vaccinated to get their shots, as I have. While I acknowledge the past 15 months have been a grind, and I know many of you have faced challenges in your personal, professional, academic lives and beyond, I’m also enormously energized by the prospect of seeing you on campus again this Fall Term.
There will be bumps in the road ahead, but we’re moving forward. I will continue to keep you updated as we go.
Chris
Christopher Yip
Dean
Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
University of Toronto
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Scenario Plans for Fall Term in U of T Engineering
Undergraduate students
Plan A: In-Person Course Activities
- This is our “as in-person as possible” scenario, which involves in-person delivery of all course activities.
- This is our default plan.
- This plan is feasible as long as we do not have any physical distancing or significant gathering limit restrictions imposed by public health guidelines; however, we anticipate the continued use of non-medical masks indoors and outdoors while on campus.
- We hope that in this scenario, small club and student group gatherings will be possible but realize that, at this time, this cannot be guaranteed.
- When registration for U of T Engineering undergraduates opens on July 14, 2021, students will register for courses as if they will take place in person under Plan A.
Plan B: In-Person Pods, Labs & Tutorials
- The University has asked all divisions to develop a Plan B in the event that public health guidelines do not allow us to proceed with Plan A.
- U of T Engineering’s Plan B is based on a hypothesis of having the strictest public health restrictions that would still enable us to facilitate some in-person activities: gathering limits of 50, and no physical distancing requirements. We also anticipate the continued use of non-medical masks indoors and outdoors while on campus.
- Since not all course components can be in-person under Plan B, we are prioritizing those smaller in-person activities that are focused on hands-on and/or interactive experiences, which are generally the laboratories and tutorials.
- With gathering limits of 50, the numbers of tutorial and laboratory sections drastically increase. In this scenario, with the anticipation of classrooms being fully utilized (at low capacities), U of T Engineering does not have the space required to satisfy public health restrictions that would allow students to congregate, wait, study or attend synchronous online lectures between their in-person labs and tutorials.
- We also do not have the space required for students to wait and study within our buildings between course activities. We are being mindful to avoid crowded and congested spaces.
- Therefore, Plan B involves designing cohorts of undergraduate students in Years 1 and 2, divided into ‘pods’, whereby each pod’s in-person course activities (labs and tutorials) are scheduled together, so that they can leave campus when they are done their in-person activities for the day. Due to the custom nature of Years 3 and 4, we do not have a pod structure for upper-year students.
- In developing a Plan B, we are prioritizing in-person labs and tutorials over synchronous online lectures. While we understand that this is not ideal for every course, we believe this will provide students with a better overall experience, addressing their desire for in-person peer-to-peer interaction.
- Since undergraduates will be grouped into pods, we are encouraging students to come to campus only on days when they have in-person course activities.
- In this scenario, we expect that all extra-curricular activities will stay virtual. If a club or design team has a specific request or concern, they are encouraged to first coordinate with EngSoc, whom we have been working with continuously through the pandemic and into this summer.
Plan C: Remote (with some exceptions)
- If physical distancing is required, then the vast majority of in-person activities will not be feasible. We will run our Plan A schedule for undergraduate courses, but it will be fully remote with the exception that some programs will still hold some in-person laboratories.
- All extra- and co-curricular activities will also be remote under Plan C.
Graduate students
Plan A: In-Person Under 50
- If public health guidelines require little or no or physical distancing or gathering limits, for graduate courses where the class size is smaller than 50, the default plan is to be in-person as much as possible.
- We anticipate the continued use of non-medical masks indoors and outdoors while on campus.
- For courses where the class size is 50 or more, the default plan is online lectures with in-person components in small groups. For example, when possible, these could include in-person office hours scheduled in a classroom, while still offering a portion of the office hours online.
- Course enrolment opens for graduate students on August 13, 2021 (delayed from August 4, see Vice-Dean’s message). Students will register in courses as if we are proceeding with Plan A.
Plan B: Remote (with some exceptions)
- If significant physical distancing and gathering limits are still in place: most classes will be delivered remotely.
- In-person course activities that are possible under public health requirements, and that can be delivered equitably for all members of the class may be held in person.
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