Scheduling Change Requests – A message from the Interim Provost & Vice-President, Academic

Dear Colleagues,

Shortly, you will be receiving your teaching schedule for the upcoming academic year.  As sometimes happens you may find that some of your courses are scheduled on days or times that are not as optimal for you. In the past, the University has made significant efforts to try and meet people’s preferences. However, as enrollment growth has increased, the University’s ability to modify schedules has become increasingly limited. This is evidenced by the fact that each semester University Scheduling must assign teaching space for over 37,000 students taught by approximately 1,400 instructors in almost 4,200 sections in 142 classrooms. Daytime utilization of classrooms is at 92% and higher for larger (100+) rooms.

To assist University Scheduling in its efforts to allocate labs and classrooms in a manner that allows curricula across all programs to be delivered, requests to modify teaching schedules need to be prioritized. You will already have had the opportunity to request scheduling preferences earlier this year when making your teaching requests, including requests to address such things as dependent care responsibilities, accommodations related to disability, a non-teaching day, University committee work, or splitting a class between two separate deliveries. University Scheduling makes considerable efforts to meet these requests.

Once the teaching schedules are released, subsequent requests to modify your current schedule will be addressed with priority given to those based on an accommodation under the Ontario Human Rights Code or relevant university policy (such as disability, dependent care, religious observation). Scheduling changes based on personal preferences may not be considered. Keep in mind that to implement a change for you will impact the schedules of your students and those of your teaching colleagues.

If you do wish to make a request for a change, please forward this to the representative listed below in the Office of the Dean, for your Faculty.

Kathryn Rowan, Faculty of Arts  (krowan@torontomu.ca)

Dan Greenwood, Faculty of Communication & Design (dan.greenwood@torontomu.ca)

Yingli Zhang, Faculty of Community Services (y1zhang@torontomu.ca)

Dorothy Opasinis, Faculty of Engineering & Architectural Science (dopasini@torontomu.ca)

Andrei Cojita, Faculty of Science (a2cojita@torontomu.ca)

Nancy Amaral, Ted Rogers School of Management (namaral@torontomu.ca)

Please provide relevant information in support of your request. Requests for accommodation due to illness or disability will be referred by the Dean’s Office to Workplace Wellbeing Services.

To ensure requests are being addressed consistently, the Deans’ Offices will forward supported change requests to University Scheduling. As such, please do not contact the University Scheduling directly or ask your school/departmental staff to forward change requests to University Scheduling on your behalf.

Thank you for your co-operation on the above.

Sincerely,

Chris Evans,
Interim Provost and Vice-President, Academic

c.c.      Faculty Deans
            Saeed Zolfaghari, Vice-Provost, Faculty Affairs
            Christina Sass-Kortsak, Assistant Vice-President, Human Resources