Woodsworth College

Woodsworth College reserves the right to cancel any course due to insufficient enrolment in that course. For this reason, students are advised to enrol in courses as early as possible. Pay special attention to the registration deadlines listed in the Sessional Dates section of this calendar.

While Academic Advisors are always available to give advice and guidance, it must be clearly understood that THE ULTIMATE RESPONSIBILITY RESTS WITH THE STUDENT for completeness and correctness of course selection, for compliance with prerequisite and corequisite requirements, for completion of Program details and for observance of regulations, deadlines, etc. Students are responsible for seeking guidance from a responsible officer if they are in any doubt. Misunderstanding, misapprehension, or advice received from another student will not be accepted as cause for dispensation from any regulation, deadline or program requirement.

Timetable & Instructions

The Summer Timetable is published each year at the end of March. The final Fall/Winter timetable and registration instructions are posted on the TESOL website in June. The information contained in the Timetables is just as important as the material in this calendar.

Registration Procedures

Newly admitted students will receive registration information by mail after they receive their Letter of Admission unless otherwise informed by the Professional & International Programs Office.  Returning students receive a registration package by mail for the Fall/Winter Session if they have registered at some time during the last two sessions. Registration instructions for the Summer Session are posted on the TESOL website at the end of March.

Use of the Student Web Service to register means you agree to abide by the academic, non-academic, administrative, library, disciplinary and other rules of the University and of Woodsworth College and will assume the obligation to pay academic and incidental fees according to these policies and requirements of the University.

Re-registration

Any returning student who has not registered, or registered and withdrew before classes start, for at least two consecutive sessions must complete a Request for Re-registration form before registration is made available. Re-registration forms are available from the Professional & International Programs office, and must be submitted to the office accompanied by payment in the amount of $24.00. A student who has never completed a course in the TESOL program and wishes to return, must re-apply to the program.

Registration Deadlines

Students should carefully note the registration deadlines listed in the Sessional Dates section of this calendar. Students who are granted permission to register after these dates will be subject to a late registration fee of $44. 

Definition of Full-time and Part-time Status

Students registered in 4.0 full credits over the Fall and Winter sessions combined (8 half courses) are considered full time. Students registered in 3.5 or less full credits over the combined Fall and Winter sessions are considered part-time. During the summer session, students registered in 2.0 full credits (4 half courses) are considered full time. Students registered in 1.5 or less credits during the summer are considered part-time during that session. Students should attempt to have a course load balanced between the two terms of any session.

Course Selection

The Certificate Program in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages may be taken either full-time or part-time. Students should be aware that full-time study may not always be possible due to prerequisites, scheduling and course availability. It is your responsibility to ensure that your courses satisfy your program requirements as stated in the Calendar.

In the Timetable a section code is associated with a course code to indicate when the course is offered:  F= Fall session or first subsession of the Summer Session.  S = Winter session or second subsession of the Summer Session.

Students may not repeat any course in which they have obtained a mark of 50% or higher.  There are no provisions to “upgrade” a mark.  All courses taken, except those officially dropped, remain on the record.

Graduation

In order to graduate, students must use the Student Web Service to request graduation or notify the Professional & International Programs Office in writing when they plan to complete the requirements of their program. Check the Sessional Dates section of this Calendar for deadlines. There is a charge for late requests.

Transfer Credits

Applicants may request consideration for transfer credit for courses completed through previous post-secondary academic programs. You may request one half credit (one course) of the program in transfer credits. Regulations concerning transfer credits should be discussed with a Program Advisor. Students requesting transfer credits from institutions other than the University of Toronto must submit copies of calendar course descriptions for evaluation. Courses accepted for transfer credit are not calculated in the student’s Grade Point Average.

Extra Credits

An “extra” credit is one that is not part of your Certificate program. “Extra” credits are not included in a student’s Grade Point Average and special permission is required to enrol in such a course. Requests to enrol in an “extra” credit must be made in writing to the Professional & International Programs Office.

Dual Enrolment

TESOL students may not enroll in Faculty of Arts and Science courses without prior permission from the Professional & International Programs office. The exception to this is LIN200H, in which all TESOL students are permitted to enrol (space permitting). Students who enroll in Arts and Science courses without the proper authorization may be withdrawn from their courses and charged the appropriate fees according to the Fees Schedule for the date on which they were withdrawn.  Former (or current) U of T Faculty of Arts and Science students who wish to enrol in courses outside of the TESOL program should visit their former college registrar’s office for details on registering as a previous Arts and Science student.

University of Toronto at Mississauga and University of Toronto at Scarborough Courses

Students admitted to the TESOL program may enrol in courses at University of Toronto at Mississauga (UTM) or University of Toronto at Scarborough (UTSC) provided that the courses are considered equivalent to courses listed in the student’s Certificate Program and the UTM and UTSC departments allow you to enrol. Generally, this only applies to the Introduction to Language (LIN200H) course. To find out if a course is appropriate, contact the Professional & International Programs Office.

Students taking courses at UTM or UTSC must register at Woodsworth College. They are also required to meet all departmental and/or faculty requirements. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain all pertinent information (e.g., timetabling, balloting, etc.) for courses at UTM or UTSC.

Maintaining a Valid Mailing Address

Students are responsible for ensuring that they provide a valid mailing address to ensure that they receive a Statement of Results at the end of the Fall/Winter Session and Summer Session. The mailing address must be kept up-to-date on the Student Web Service at www.rosi.utoronto.ca.

T-Card

The T-Card is a wallet-sized card bearing the student’s photograph, and serves as evidence of registration in a Certificate program and as a library card.  It is used for identification purposes within the University, such as examinations, student activities, and Athletic Association privileges.  The loss of the T-Card must be reported promptly to the Woodsworth College Registrar’s Office and the card must be surrendered if a student withdraws from the University or transfers to another College or Program.  There is a fee for replacement of all lost cards.

E-mail Address

As a student at the University of Toronto, you have automatic access to the Information Commons, which is your passport to e-mail, the library and the Internet. Once you have your TCard, you must activate your University of Toronto e-mail account. Setting up a UTORmail account is mandatory. 

Consult the "University Policy on Official Correspondence with Students <http://www.artsandscience.utoronto.ca/ofr/calendar/rules.htm#correspondence> " found at http://www.governingcouncil.utoronto.ca/policies.htm <http://www.governingcouncil.utoronto.ca/policies.htm>

TESOL program students are required to obtain a UTOR email address and maintain their account.  There is no guarantee that messages sent to instructors or program staff by students from non-UTOR e-mail addresses will be received or answered. Failure to use your UTOR address can result in the following kinds of problems:

- Missing a message informing that you were placed in a course you were waitlisted and now fees have been charged and you have missed classes;

- No access to the course website;

- Missing an announcement that a class was cancelled;

- Missing important information about your practicum placement that required an immediate response. 

Statement of Results

Statement of Results are sent to students at their mailing address as it appears on ROSI at the end of the Winter and Summer Sessions. Students should expect to receive statements within six weeks of the end of the examination period, and should contact the Professional & International Programs Office if the Statement of Results has not been received. Statements of Results are not issued at the end of the Fall session. Results for courses with F section codes are available on the Student Web Service in January for the Fall Session and in July for the first subsession of the Summer session.

 

Cancelling Courses or Registration

Cancelling Courses

Students who do not intend to complete a course or courses must use the Student Web Service to cancel the course before the final date to cancel courses from the academic record (see sessional dates at the front of Calendar).  Students still enrolled in a course after the final date to cancel the course will receive a grade for that course.  Not attending classes or ceasing to complete further course work or not writing the examination do not constitute grounds for withdrawal without academic penalty from a course; the course remains on the record with the grade earned, including “0” for incomplete work. Students who are struggling in a course should seek assistance from an academic advisor and consider dropping the course before the deadline to drop without academic penalty.

Cancelling Registration

Students who wish to withdraw from all their current courses, and do not intend to enrol in any other courses for the rest of the session (Fall, Winter or Summer), must cancel their registration on the Student Web Service (ROSI). The cancellation of registration must be completed by the appropriate deadline in order for the student not to incur an academic penalty. Before any refund is authorized, they must:

pay any outstanding fees;

return any books to the Library and pay any outstanding fines;

vacate any laboratory or athletic lockers and return any equipment in their possession.

Corrections to the Academic Record

The Professional & International Programs Office will accept requests for corrections to an academic record of the Fall/Winter Session up to the following 15 November, and corrections to their record of the Summer Session up to the following 28 February.

Review Procedures for Grades

The Professional & International Programs Examiners Committee administers the Grading Regulations, including methods of evaluation.  It also reviews course grades submitted by instructors. The College, through the Examiners Committee, has final responsibility for assigning the official course grades which are communicated to the students by the Director of the Professional & International Programs. See section on The University Grading Practices Policy in this publication.

The College shall appoint a review committee to review grades submitted by the instructors. The Committee may ask for clarification by the instructor(s) of any anomalous results, distribution, or disparity between sections of the same courses. The Examiners Committee has the right to monitor and review marks and, in consultation with the examiner or instructor of the course, to adjust marks where there is an obvious and unexplained discrepancy between the marks submitted and the perceived standards of the Program. Final marks are official and may be communicated to the student only after the review procedure has taken place. Grades, as an expression of the instructor’s best judgment of each student’s overall performance, will not be determined by any system of quotas.

For all Arts & Science courses: The grades review procedure is described in the Arts & Science Calendar; see http://www.artsandscience.utoronto.ca/ofr/calendar/rules.htm

Term Work and Term Test Regulations

Marking Schemes

Both essays (or equivalent work) and examinations (including term tests) are normally required for standing in courses. In courses where only one form of evaluation is used, a single piece of work cannot count for all of the final mark.

Self-evaluation by individual students or by groups of students is not permissible unless the specific consent of the Committee on Academic Standards is received.

As early as possible in each course, and no later than the last date to enrol in courses, the instructor must announce in a regularly-scheduled class the methods by which student performance will be evaluated, their relative weight in the final mark, including any discretionary factor, and the due dates. These methods must be in accord with applicable University and Faculty policies. (See TERM WORK and TERM TESTS below, especially bold-faced items.)  Instructors must file a copy of their marking scheme for each course with the Departmental or Program Office at the beginning of the term.

Once the weight of each component of the course work is given, it may not be changed unless approved by a majority of the students present and voting at a regularly scheduled meeting of the class.

After the last date to withdraw from the course without academic penalty, no change in marks weighting may take place unless there is unanimous consent of all students present and voting, and notice must be given at the regularly scheduled class meeting previous to that at which the issue is to be raised.

Students may petition for deletion of the course from their record and receive an appropriate fees refund should an infraction of the Grading Practices Policy occur. Petitions must be filed by the last day of classes before all course work has been completed.

Late Assignments , Grammar policy, Submitting work

Grades for late assignments will be reduced by 10% for each week or part week they are late. Grades will also be reduced by 1 mark for EACH grammatical or socio-linguistic error to a maximum of 10% per assignment. NO emailed or faxed assignments will be accepted.

Term Work

Instructors MUST assign, grade and return at least one significant assignment as early as possible and, at the latest, BEFORE the final date to withdraw without academic penalty.

All term work must be submitted on or before the last day of classes in the course concerned, unless an earlier date is specified by the instructor. Students who, for reasons beyond their control, are unable to submit an assignment by its deadline must obtain approval from their instructor for an extension of the deadline. This extension may be for no longer than the end of the Final Examination period. If additional time beyond this period is required, students must petition through the Professional & International Programs Office before the end of the examination period for a further extension of the deadline.

Students are strongly advised to keep rough and draft work and copies of their essays and assignments, as these may be required by the instructor.

All written work that has been evaluated should be returned, with such detailed comment as the instructor deems appropriate, and time made available for discussion of it. Any inquiries about a graded piece of work must be made within one month of the return date of the work. Instructors must keep unclaimed term work for at least six months beyond the end of the course.

If a student believes that a piece of term work (e.g. an assignment) has been incorrectly marked in its substance, he/she should consult with the course instructor.  If appealing a grade the student should present his/her argument by citing specific instances of disagreement, supported by such documentary evidence as course handouts, textbooks, lecture notes, etc. The student must do more than simply assert that “I disagree with the marking” or that “I believe I deserve more marks”. A reread or recheck of an assignment may result in a raised mark, a lowered mark, or no change.

Term Tests

No term test or combination of term tests held in the last two weeks of classes at the end of any term may have a total weight greater than 25% of the final mark.

All term tests must be held on or before the last day of classes. No term test may be held during the “Reading Week” in February, during the “Study Week” in April, or during Faculty Examination Periods, except for those in H and Y courses scheduled by the Faculty in December.

Missed Term Tests 

Students who miss a term test will be assigned a mark of zero for the test unless they satisfy the following conditions:

1.      Students who miss a term test for reasons entirely beyond their control may, within one week of the missed test, submit to the instructor or department/ program a written request for special consideration explaining the reason for missing the test and attaching appropriate documentation, such as a medical certificate.

2.      If a written request with documentation cannot be submitted within one week, the department may consider a request to extend the time limited.

3.      A student whose explanation is accepted will be entitled to one of the following considerations:

(a)    In courses where there is no other term work as part of the evaluation scheme, a makeup test must be given.

(b)    In other courses, the department/program may either give a makeup test OR increase the weighting of other graded work by the amount of the missed test. In no case may the weighting of the final examination in a 100-level course be increased beyond 2/3 of the total course mark.

4.      If the student is granted permission to take a makeup test and misses it, then he or she is  assigned a mark of zero for the test unless the department/program is satisfied that missing the makeup test was unavoidable. No student is automatically entitled to a second makeup test. Note: this means that if the Professional & International Programs Office is persuaded of the student’s grounds for missing the makeup test, it may decide to compensate for the missed test in whatever way it chooses, which could be by giving another makeup test; the student cannot demand another makeup test.

5.      A student who misses a term test cannot subsequently petition for late withdrawal from the course without academic penalty on the grounds that he or she has had no term work returned before the drop date.

Final Examinations

Final examinations are held at the end of each session or subsession. Students taking courses during the day may be required to write evening examinations, and students taking evening courses may be required to write day examinations.  Students should contact the Professional & International Programs Office immediately if illness is affecting their ability to write final examinations. 

Students who make personal commitments during the examination period do so at their own risk. No special consideration will be given and no special arrangements made in the event of conflicts.

Information regarding dates, times and locations of examinations will not be given by telephone.

Students who have two Faculty final examinations in the same time slot, or three consecutive Faculty final examinations (e.g., morning, afternoon, evening; or afternoon, evening, next morning) should contact the Office of the Faculty Registrar.

The ratio of term marks to examination mark will be the same for all sections of multi-section courses that have final examinations.  The relative values of each part of a written examination must be indicated on the question paper.

Rules for the Conduct of Examinations

1.      No person will be allowed in an examination room during an examination except the candidates concerned and those supervising the examination.

2.      Candidates must appear at the examination room at least twenty minutes before the commencement of the examination.

3.      Candidates shall bring their signed student cards and place them in a conspicuous place on their desks.

4.      Bags and books are to be deposited in areas designated by the Chief Presiding Officer and are not to be taken to the examination desk or table. Students may place their purses on the floor under their chairs.

5.      The Chief Presiding Officer has authority to assign seats to candidates.

6.      Candidates shall not communicate with one another in any manner whatsoever during the examination.

7.      No materials or electronic devices shall be brought into the room or used at an examination except those authorized by the Chief Presiding Officer or Examiner. Unauthorized materials include, but are not limited to: books, class notes, or aid sheets. Unauthorized electronic devices include, but are not limited to: cellular telephones, laptop computers, programmable calculators, MP3 players (such as an iPod), Personal Digital Assistants ("PDA" such as Palm Pilot or Blackberry), pagers, electronic dictionaries, Compact Disc Players, and Mini Disc Players.

8.      Candidates who bring any unauthorized materials or electronic devices into an examination room or who assist, or obtain assistance from other candidates or from any unauthorized source are liable to penalties under the Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters, including the loss of academic credit and expulsion.

9.      In general, candidates will not be permitted to enter an examination room later than fifteen minutes after the commencement of the examination, nor to leave except under supervision until at least half an hour after the examination has commenced.

10.    Candidates shall remain seated at their desks during the final ten minutes of each examination.

11.    At the conclusion of an examination, all writing shall cease.  The Chief Presiding Officer may seize the papers of candidates who fail to observe this requirement, and a penalty may be imposed at the discretion of the instructor.

12.    Examination books and other material issued for the examination shall not be removed from the examination room except by authority of the Chief Presiding Officer.

Special Accommodations Fee

Students who request permission to write an examination outside the normal examination  arrangements must submit a petition making their request at least three weeks prior to the beginning of the examination period. Late requests cannot be accommodated. Students who have been granted permission to write a deferred examination will pay the deferred examination fee of $70.00 per examination.

If permission has been granted for the examination to be written at an “Outside Centre”, students are also responsible for all costs for invigilation, postage, etc. charged by the centres involved. These costs can reach as high as $100.00 per examination; students are advised to determine the total cost before petitioning. Such permission is granted only in the most extreme circumstances.

TESOL Grading Scale

A student’s final marks in each course are reported in percentage form to the Program Director. They are recorded on transcripts and reported to students in both percentage and letter form according to the following table:

 

Percentage	Grade	Grade Point Value*	Grade Definition	Description
90 – 100 85 – 89 80 - 84	A+ A A-	4.0 4.0 3.7	Excellent	Strong evidence of original thinking; good organization; capacity to analyze and synthesize; superior grasp of subject matter with sound critical evaluations; evidence of extensive knowledge base.
77 – 79 73 – 76 70 – 72	B+ B B-	3.3 3.0 2.7	Good	Evidence of grasp of subject matter, some evidence of capacity and analytic ability; reasonable understanding of relevant issues; evidence of familiarity with literature.
67 – 69 63 – 66 60 – 62	C+ C C-	2.3 2.0 1.7	Adequate	Student who is profiting from his/her university experience; understanding of the subject matter; ability to develop solutions to simple problems in the material.
57 – 59 53 – 56      50 – 52	D+ D D-	1.3 1.0 0.7	Marginal	Some evidence of familiarity with subject matter and some evidence that critical and analytic skills have been developed.
0 - 49	F	0.0	Inadequate	Little evidence of even superficial understanding of subject matter; weakness in critical and analytic skills; with limited or irrelevant use of literature.

                                                   

Honours   H               No Value

Pass         P               No Value                  

Fail           FL%          0.0

Note:  In order to “obtain standing” in a course, a student must receive at least a passing grade (50%) in that course. A grade of “F” is a failure. There are no supplemental examination privileges.

*The grade point values above apply to marks earned in individual courses; grade point averages are weighted sums of the grade points earned (see below), and thus do not necessarily correspond exactly to the scale above.  For example, a B+ average would include grade point averages from 3.20 to 3.49, while the lowest B- average would be 2.50.

Other notations which have no grade point values, and which may be authorized only by petition, are:

AEG          =               Aegrotat Standing on the basis of term work and medical evidence

GWR         =               Grade Withheld Pending Review

IPR            =               (Course) In Progress

NGA         =                No Grade Available

SDF           =               Standing Deferred; granted by petition

WDR         =                Late Withdrawal without academic penalty after the relevant deadline.

 Removal of a grade for incomplete work when withdrawal before the end of the course has been caused by circumstances beyond the student’s control, arising after the last date for normal withdrawal. Changes to the record will be authorized by petition only in exceptional circumstances.

XTR or X  =                Extra Course:  not for credit in the Certificate Program

Grade Point Average

The Grade Point Average is the weighted sum (a full course is weighted as 2, a half-course as 1) of the grade points earned, divided by the number of courses in which grade points were earned.  However, courses noted “AEG” are not included in the average, nor are transfer credits, courses taken elsewhere on a Letter of Permission, nor courses designated as “extra”. 

Three types of grade point averages are used:

1.               The Sessional GPA is based on courses taken in a single session (Fall, Winter or Summer);

               2.               The Annual GPA is based on courses taken in the Fall-Winter Session;

3.               The Cumulative GPA takes into account all courses taken for credit in the Certificate Program.

Academic Standing

There are four kinds of academic standing:  In Good Standing; On Probation; On Suspension; Refused Further Registration.

Academic standing is assessed twice a year:

1.      At the end of the Winter Session; the GPAs used for this status assessment are the annual and the cumulative GPAs.

2.      At the end of the Summer Session; the GPAs used for this status assessment are the sessional and the cumulative GPAs.

In Good Standing

Students are described as In Good Standing if they are neither On Probation, Suspended nor Refused Further Registration; these terms are explained below. 

A student graduates “with honours” with a cumulative GPA of 3.20 or more in a certificate program.  This designation will appear on the official transcript.

Probation; Suspension; Refused Further Registration

The following regulations on academic status will be applied to certificate students who have attempted at least 1.0 full-course equivalent in the TESOL program or who have been admitted on probation. Courses attempted are those in which a student remains formally enrolled on the last date for withdrawal, unless the academic penalty normally attached to a later withdrawal is removed by petition.

1.        A student shall be on academic probation who:

(a)    has a cumulative GPA of less than 1.50 ;

(b)    returns from suspension or;

(c)    is admitted on probation.

2.      A student, who at the end of the Winter or Summer Session during which he or she is on probation:

(a)    has a cumulative GPA of 1.50 or more shall be in good standing;

(b)    has a cumulative GPA of less than 1.50 but an annual GPA of 1.70 or more (Winter Session)/sessional GPA of 1.70 or more (Summer Session) shall continue on probation;

(c)    has a cumulative GPA of less than 1.50 and annual GPA of less than 1.70 (Winter Session)/sessional GPA of less than 1.70 (Summer Session) shall be suspended for one calendar year unless he or she has been so suspended previously, in which case he or she shall be refused further registration.

(d)   A student who fails the same required course twice shall be refused further registration in the program.