COVID-19 U of T Engineering Undergraduate FAQs

The Faculty’s primary motivation as we plan for September is to protect the health and wellness of our community — this includes undergraduate and graduate students, staff, faculty, researchers, industry partners, alumni and friends. That’s why we are focused on ensuring that we deliver an excellent semester through remote learning. All classes, lectures, and course events will be offered online.

We are also making a remote access guarantee, which will allow every one of our students to complete all academic requirements remotely, including final exams. The remote access guarantee means that for those who cannot be in Toronto, or choose to stay home, you will be able to continue your programs uninterrupted. Students will not be required to attend classes, labs or tutorials in person during the Fall 2020 Term.

We hope to be able to augment our remote learning with limited, optional in-person experiences, including perhaps socially distant office hours, group projects, or extra- or co-curricular opportunities. However, we continue to take guidance from public health authorities and governments, and cannot forecast when it may be safe to do so. If we are able to safely offer in-person experiences, we will likely not be able to confirm those details until much later in the summer or even early Fall.

Source: June 9, Dean’s Message, U of T Engineering.

Visit U of T Engineering’s 2020-2021 Fall-Winter Registration & Enrolment Guide for detailed information on how to register for the upcoming academic session.

Have a question that’s not addressed by the Guide? Email registrar@engineering.utoronto.ca.

For the 2020-2021 academic year, the student timetable will include additional information about how the course content will be delivered. The course instructor will provide the specific expectations of the course. For other Faculties, please review their timetables and course delivery plans.

The possible course delivery methods include:

• Online, synchronous: An online course with scheduled meeting times (posted in ACORN) when a student may be expected to participate in activities. Lectures classified as synchronous will be recorded for 2020 Fall Term for students who are not available at the scheduled time. The course may have optional in-person meetings.
• Online, asynchronous: A course delivered online that does not have scheduled meeting times in ACORN. Students are expected to keep up with course work throughout the term.
• In-person:  A course that will be delivered in-person and has scheduled meeting times posted in ACORN. Students are expected to attend all meeting sections for in-person courses.

Synchronous online engineering lectures will be recorded. The recordings will available to students signed up in the synchronous lecture section that was recorded. Students will be able to review recorded lectures at a time that works best for them during the day.

In synchronous online engineering courses, the synchronous element of the course may not be the lecture, depending on how the Instructor decides to deliver their course. Instead, the synchronous aspect could be office hours or a tutorial, etc. This information will be communicated to students via the Instructor at the beginning of the course.

Please review the Faculty of Arts & Science’s detailed FAQs for questions regarding the 2020 Fall Term.

The Faculty’s primary motivation as we plan for January is to protect the health and wellness of our community — this includes undergraduate and graduate students, staff, faculty, researchers, industry partners, alumni and friends. That’s why we are focused on ensuring that we deliver an excellent semester through remote learning.

With all classes, lectures, and course events offered online, we are able to make a remote access guarantee, which will allow every one of our students to complete all academic requirements, including final assessments, without delaying their graduation. The remote access guarantee means that for those who cannot be in Toronto, or choose to stay home, you will be able to continue your programs uninterrupted. Students will not be required to attend classes, labs or tutorials in person during the 2021 Winter Term.

We are planning to augment remote learning with limited, optional in-person experiences*, including, perhaps, physically-distanced office hours, in-person lecture, tutorial or practical sections, access to common rooms, group projects, and extra- or co-curricular opportunities. However, we continue to take guidance from public health authorities and the government and cannot forecast when it may be safe to do so in a format that contributes in a meaningful way to our students’ learning. If we are able to safely offer in-person experiences in the 2021 Winter Term, we will likely not be able to confirm those details until later in the 2020 Fall Term.

Special note: Students will not be able to enrol into in-person sections of Engineering courses through ACORN. Students will have opportunities to opt into limited, optional, in-person sections of Engineering courses for which they are already registered (not waitlisted) starting early September, provided they can confirm they will be available and in Toronto to attend all in-person sections. Details will be communicated to students in September. Students should note that there may be more requests for in-person sections than can be accommodated. Students will be informed of their enrolment on November 1, 2020, and waitlists will be opened after that time.

For the 2021 Winter Term, we anticipate that all final assessments for engineering courses will be completed remotely — whether a student is enrolled in an in-person* offering of the course, or a remote offering — to ensure fairness to all U of T Engineering students.

A reminder: all timetable information related to the 2021 Winter Term is subject to change due to the evolving nature of COVID-19.

This information is specific to Engineering courses, and does not apply to courses offered by the Faculty of Arts & Science.

The University is planning to welcome students in residence this Fall and is making preparations to ensure your home for the school year is safe and comfortable. We know that for some students, residence is an important part of the university experience. The most up-to-date information about residence can be found on the Provost’s site.

*Ontario’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve. Changes will likely occur as the province and its municipalities adjust to new data about the virus. In these circumstances, please be advised that the manner of delivery of courses, co-curricular opportunities, programs and services is subject to change, in accordance with University policies. The University thanks its students, faculty, and staff for their flexibility during these challenging times as we work together to maintain the standards of excellence that are the hallmark of the University.