TATP Policies

The TATP is a recognized certificate program of the University of Toronto. As a credentialed opportunity for graduate students, participation in the program is subject to all applicable University policies concerning accessibility accommodation, academic conduct, behavioural conduct, and protection of privacy.

Over years of service provision, the TATP has developed policies specific to our program. Before registering, attending, or enrolling in TATP programming, please familiarize yourself with our policies, procedures, and standards of conduct.

At the TATP, we understand that individuals may require specific accommodations for our programming and materials. We are committed to providing these accommodations to ensure equitable access to our educational resources and opportunities. Here is the process for requesting accommodations:

If you require accommodations for our programming or materials, please contact our Programs Coordinator, Alli Diskin. Our Programs Coordinator will work with you to develop a plan tailored to your needs. This plan may include modifications to materials, alternative formats, or other adjustments to our programming. We will implement the agreed-upon accommodations in a timely manner to ensure your full participation in our programming and access to materials. We will also schedule follow-up discussions to ensure that your accommodation plan remains suitable and effective.

Enrolling in TATP Certificate Programs: Participants may enroll in multiple certificate programs through the TATP. All certificate enrollment is managed in the TATP’s registration and certificate tracking system, EVE (tatp.eve.utoronto.ca). Workshops and practical sessions can only be counted towards one certificate.
Workshop Attendance Policy: Participants who arrive more than 15 minutes late to an online or in-person session will not be able to count the session towards a certificate program. Participants who must leave a workshop early are asked to inform the workshop presenter that they are leaving the session early. If a participant leaves a session more than 15 minutes early, they will not be able to count the session towards a certificate program. For in-person sessions, attendance is collected at the end of the session. For online sessions, attendance is tracked through the video conferencing platform (Zoom/Teams)
Completing Certificate Requirements: As of September 2023, there are no longer time limits for the completion of TATP certificates, participants can complete certificates at any time. All workshop and practicum components are tracked within the registration system (EVE), and can only be applied to a single certificate. The TATP reserves the right to verify that all of the requirements are fulfilled before issuing a certificate.

Disruptive Behaviour: Participants in TATP workshops are expected to conform to University of Toronto expectations regarding academic and behavioural conduct. Further, comments and participation must conform to university policies that guide teaching and learning environments, such as the Ontario Human Rights Code. We ask that all participants respect the efforts of TATP GEDs and your peers in creating a dynamic professional development environment for graduate students. To this end, please refrain from disruptive behaviour that distracts from others’ full participation in the learning environment. This behaviour can include , but is not limited to: talking over or interrupting; using phones and laptops in a distracting and disruptive manner; perfunctory participation in group activities. We ask that you refrain from, ironically, all the behaviours that you can’t stand in your own classrooms.
Respectful Questioning: The TATP Workshop Series is highly interdisciplinary. TAs from all backgrounds, disciplines and levels of experience attend our sessions. This means that the discussion, activities or question-and-answer period in a given session cannot always speak to your particular teaching context. Keep this in mind when listening to others and asking questions in a workshop. During TATP workshops, seek to ask thoughtful questions with a broad enough focus that the answers may interest your fellow workshop participants as well. TATP Workshop Series facilitators cannot always answer questions with a specific disciplinary focus, but TATP staff members are very happy to discuss specific concerns about teaching in a given department or discipline following our workshops.
Respectful Feedback: When commenting on a peer’s point of view in a workshop, or when providing feedback to a peer on his or her teaching during a Microteaching session, it is extremely important to maintain a professional demeanour and to focus on constructive comments that point toward future development or future discussion. Especially when commenting on someone else’s teaching, be sure to provide descriptive comments that paint a picture for the teacher and describe what it is like to be a student sitting in that person’s class, and avoid prescriptive comments that seek to enumerate everything the person is doing wrong and seek to tell the teacher what she or he must do differently. Feedback is not evaluation: you are not meant to critique your peers. You are sharing observations and perspectives.

Please note that any written work submitted to the TATP office in pursuit of the TATP Certificates is subject to the same rigorous standards as written work submitted in academic programs. Any work associated with the office is governed by the University of Toronto’s code of conduct, and as University of Toronto students, you are bound by the rules and regulations surrounding the submission of individual written work at this institution.

PLAGIARISM OF TEACHING PHILOSOPHY STATEMENTS, WRITTEN REFLECTIONS, OR ANY PUBLISHED WORK CONSTITUTES ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT. The following documents will be checked to ensure that no content has been downloaded off the Internet or copied from other print or online resources:

teaching dossiers, including teaching philosophy statements
written reflections
teaching materials used in Microteaching
Assignments or syllabi used in peer review sessions

If a student copies any portion of a teaching philosophy statement or teaching dossier, or copies any text from any source without proper citation when preparing a written reflection or a scholarly paper, the student will be considered to be misrepresenting themself. The student will not receive a TATP Certificate, and further action may be taken, meaning the incident may be brought to the attention of the student’s home department. This can have serious consequences as the department may choose to include a citation in the student’s file.

Students who are found to have committed plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct will be removed from the certificate program.

This policy governs everyone participating in TATP’s professional development certificates and training offerings, outlining how AI tools may and may not be used when completing requirements. You retain full responsibility for all AI-generated content that you include. AI use must be transparent: you must disclose how, why, and which tools were employed.

Acceptable Uses of AI:

You may use AI tools for:

Initial research and generating a list of sources to consult
Brainstorming creative ideas
Drafting outlines or boilerplate text
Editing or proofreading for plain and inclusive language
Designing visuals (e.g. diagrams, slides)

Provided that you:

Review AI-generated content for accuracy and appropriateness;
Accurately and transparently cite and annotate all AI-generated content;
Clearly distinguish between your own and AI-generated work;
Ensure your own intellectual input is central to final deliverable.

Unacceptable Uses of AI:

You must not use AI to:

Complete major requirements of certificate (e.g., teaching dossier reflection; assignment instructions; critical reflections; etc.)
Develop or research content that substitutes your own work
Produce final drafts or presentation materials

Misuse & Academic Integrity:

You should be prepared to explain and defend the AI-assisted elements during evaluations. TATP reserves the right to require evidence of original work and AI disclosure. Any undisclosed or unauthorized use of AI may be treated as a violation of the U of T Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters. Severe misuse may invoke TATP or University academic misconduct procedures, up to sanctions.

TATP reserves the right to refine or restrict AI use based on emerging best practices or evolving University policy.