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Administrative Requirements - Experiential Learning Hub

Administrative Requirements

INTRODUCTION

Before the student experience begins, it is imperative that the necessary administrative requirements are in place.

THIS RESOURCE INCLUDES INFORMATION ON:

  • Administrative requirements for setting up student experience.
  • Institutional policies and guidelines relevant to student’s learning outside the classroom.
  • Institutional supports available for students while engaging in experience outside the classroom.

IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT THAT STUDENTS ARE AWARE OF THEIR ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES WHEN ENGAGING IN EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES AS A UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO STUDENT, AS WELL AS AVAILABLE STUDENT SUPPORTS.

Administrative Considerations

Administrative requirements that need to be in place before a student engages in the experience vary depending on the specifics of the student experience.

These requirements can be International, Provincial or Institutional.

Other requirements may be set at a Departmental or Divisional level or by a specific community or workplace organization as prerequisites to student engagement.

Variables that influence the administrative requirements of a student experience include:

  • Location.
  • Payment.
  • The status of the student as domestic or international.
  • The degree of direction on innovation and development that may occur within the student experience.
  • The inclusion of research.

Listed below are a few questions to consider for each of those variables. 

Location:

  • Is the experience on-campus or off-campus?
  • Is the experience local or abroad?
  • If off, campus, what institutional requirements exist for off-campus safety?
  • If abroad, what institutional requirements exist for safety abroad?
  • If abroad, what requirements of the host country/organization exist for visiting scholars/volunteers?
  • If abroad, what requirements of the host country/organization exist for student employment?

Payment:

  • Is it a paid or unpaid student experience?
  • If paid, what may be required in supporting the securement of employment contracts?
  • If unpaid, what unpaid placement agreements may be required by the institution?
  • If unpaid, what may be required to support Ontario Employment Standards Act (ESA) requirements for student trainees (e.g., health and safety orientation, insurance, student and supervisor declarations)?
  • If unpaid, how is the student experience distinguished from employed positions at the same organization?

Student Status:

  • Is the student a domestic or international student?
  • If the student has an international student status, what visa requirements may exist for paid employment?

Degree of Student Direction:

  • Is project work student-led or organizations/supervisor-led?
  • If student led, what should be put in place to protect students’ innovation and intellectual property?
  • If organization led, what should be put in place to protect the innovation and development of the organization?

Research:

  • Will there be research that occurs as a part of the student experience?
  • If yes, what are the associated Research Ethics Board (REB) requirements? Note: REB requirements will vary depending on the specific research and the student’s role in the research.

U of T Policies & Guidelines

Click Here To Review All Policies & Guidelines

Whether students are on or off campus, when partaking in a learning experience that is endorsed by the by institution, they are bound by all University policies and guidelines applicable to students.

At the University of Toronto, these include but are not limited to:

  • Code of Student Conduct
  • Sexual violence and sexual harassment policy
  • Guidelines for off-campus safety.

All policies and guidelines can be accessed in full online. If you have any questions regarding these or other University policies or guidelines, please contact the Office of the Vice-Provost, Students.

Code of student conduct

  • The Student Code of Conduct sets out expectations for student behaviour.
  • Prescribes processes for dealing with student misconduct and behaviour that infringes on rights of community members.
  • Applies to all registered students on or off campus, locally or globally.

Sexual violence and sexual harassment

Use of communication technology

Privacy and confidentiality

The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) was created to “protect the privacy of individuals with respect to personal information about themselves held by institutions and to provide individuals with a right of access to that information”.

EXPECTATIONS FOR MAINTAINING PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY:

  • Personal information must be protected.
  • Information should only be shared on a need to know basis.
  • Ask about the organization’s policies and protocols.
  • The Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) also applies in the health field.

Off-campus safety

A number of guidelines exist for off-campus safety of University of Toronto students, including:

Equity, diversity and excellence

At the University of Toronto, we strive to be an equitable and inclusive community, rich with diversity, protecting the human rights of all persons, and based upon understanding and mutual respect for the dignity and worth of every person.

This includes the active inclusion of individuals from a wide of ethno-racial backgrounds, cultures, sexual diversities, gender and (dis)abilities, as well as identifying and developing new ways to support, engage with and learn from Indigenous peoples.

The creation of an equitable community, one that is diverse as well as inclusive and that is respectful and protects the human rights of its members, requires the work of every member of the community.

Unpaid placement agreements

When the student experience is unpaid, placement agreements are required in lieu of employment contracts, and include:

  • Responsibility of the Placement Site & University
  • Application of Policies and Laws
  • Indemnification, Legal Liability and Insurance
  • Privacy and Confidentiality

All educational placement agreements must be approved by the Vice-President and Provost with these pre-approved templates from the Division of the Vice-President and Provost.

Occupational health and safety act

Under the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act, students trainees have:

  • The right to know about potential hazards in their work.
  • The right to participate in the process of identifying and resolving workplace health and safety concerns.
  • The right to refuse work that they believe is dangerous to either their own health and safety or that of another worker in the workplace.
  • An obligation to follow the Health and Safety regulations, including appropriate immunizations.

This includes paid and unpaid experiences (for-credit or for program requirement) to external organizations as well as service of direct benefit to the organization that is recognized by the institution.

Institutional Support

Numerous student services are offered by the University related to academic success, accessibility, health and wellness and much more.

All of these services are available to students while engaging in a University sanctioned learning experience, whether on campus or in the community, local or abroad.

Students should be encouraged to take advantage of these services so that they may flourish in their learning experience. Please view the image below to identify these student services.

Summary

  • Administrative requirements that need to be in place before a student begins the experience.
  • Administration requirements vary depending on the specific experience.
  • There are several institutional policies and guidelines relevant to students’ learning outside the classroom.
  • All institutional educational supports are also available to students while engaging in experience outside the classroom.

Acknowledgements

These modules are grounded in A Practical Guide for Work-integrated Learning, funded by the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO).

CONTACT THE AUTHOR:

Dr. Ashley Stirling
University of Toronto
Email: ashley.stirling@utoronto.ca

Powerpoint Version

A Powerpoint version of the content provided in each resource section is available for individuals wishing to use this material for local professional development programming.

The resource is licensed for re-use under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License” using the following citation:

Stirling, A. (2019). Administrative Requirements. Presented at the Experiential Learning Hub. Retrieved from https://experientiallearning.utoronto.ca/faculty-staff/plan-and-implement/course-and-program-development-resources/administrative-requirements/

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