Faculty of Law announces return to in-person instruction starting February 7
On December 15, the University of Toronto announced that all in-person activities, including examinations, were to switch to online delivery immediately, at least until January 31. The decision came in light of the rise of the Omicron variant in Ontario.
Now, almost a month into virtual classes, U of T released plans to increase in-person instruction starting on February 7. This follows the Ministry of Education’s recent guidance that there are no restrictions on in-person instruction for Ontario universities.
While some Faculties have opted to wait until after the February reading week to resume in-person activities, the Faculty of Law confirmed that in-person classes will resume starting February 7 in order to take the “fullest possible advantage of [their] value.”
Unlike in the fall, where in-person attendance was mandated, the Faculty is planning to give both students and instructors the option to participate remotely, at least until the end of reading week on February 28. As part of this, the Faculty will provide “unrestricted Zoom access” for all classes through February 28, a marked change from their policy against Zoom access last semester.
Notably, while the Faculty is currently planning to operate on a hybrid model for the month of February, students are expected to attend classes in-person after reading week, “along the lines of the system that was in place in the fall.” This includes enforcing capacity limits, masking requirements, and the mandatory use of UCheck for building access. This also includes a return to limited Zoom or remote delivery access and requiring documentation for any academic accommodations requests, which were waived in the 2020-2021 academic year. Students who are immunocompromised or have other accommodations are directed to consult with the University’s Accessibility Services. Students experiencing international travel issues may be permitted remote access, but only for part of the term.
The Faculty notes that final examinations that were intended to be conducted in-person will continue to be held exclusively in-person. In other words, subject to public health guidelines, students with scheduled in-person examinations are expected to be in Toronto during the April examination period, even if they opted to attend their classes virtually in February.
In an email to students on January 19, Assistant Dean (Academic) Sara Faherty stated that students may continue to ask questions regarding the return to in-person learning. Given the rapidly changing circumstances imposed by the pandemic, these policies will likely continue to change into the semester.
