OSOT Home | Current Students | MScOT Student Handbook | Getting Started In the Program | Orientation to the Program

Orientation to the Program

The first year of the MScOT program begins with the following:

  • Department-run academic orientation, mandatory
  • “O-Week” a student-run social orientation, optional
  • School of Graduate Studies “Making the Most of your Studies” orientation, optional
  • Fieldwork-related orientation sessions (e.g., ID Badge Photo Shoot, Mask Fit Testing), and submission of coverage forms (e.g., health immunizations, vulnerable sector screening), mandatory

 

Email
All students must have a U of T Mail Plus (+) email account before the start of classes. Email is the main form of communication between the faculty, staff and students. Important notices and academic instruction will be communicated to students from faculty and staff by utoronto.ca email. Students are required to monitor their email on a daily basis. Students can create their own U of T email account after getting a T-card. Registered students automatically receive free support services for email usage. The Department will accommodate for any problems arising from the U of T email servers only. If students forward their @mail.utoronto.ca account to another server (e.g. gmail), the onus will be on the individual student to ensure they did not miss messages if their email account was full or server down.

 

Faculty Advisor
All students are assigned a faculty advisor who can assist them as they navigate the program. In first year, students will be informed of the name of the faculty member who will act as their faculty advisor, generally for the duration of the program.

 

Health Coverage
All students should ensure they have provincial health insurance. Students from other Canadian provinces should investigate whether they can maintain their home province coverage. Any shortfall may require supplementary insurance. International students are covered by UHIP, a mandatory health insurance equivalent to OHIP, which they pay with their fees.

 

Graduate Student Union – Supplementary Health Insurance Plan
OT students are automatically covered by this plan. The cost is included in the Graduate Student Union fee.  The plan pays for some medical expenses not covered by OHIP or UHIP. Students should consult with the GSU directly for plan details.

 

O-Week, Student-Run for OT1’s by OT2’s
Students in second year of the program organize orientation activities for the first year students – both social and informative.  These activities are completely optional.

 

Invoices and Fee Payment (or online Request to Register Without Payment)
A student is considered to be registered as soon as he or she has paid tuition and incidental fees, or has made appropriate arrangements online through ACORN to request to register without payment on the basis of a major award or government student loan.

 

Lockers
Lockers are located in the Rehabilitation Sciences Building for St. George students, and the Terrence Donnelly Health Sciences Complex for Mississauga students. Students will be assigned a locker by the Department at registration which will be theirs for the duration of the program.

 

Student Card / T-Card
The T-Card Office at the University provides official identification for students. All new OT students must obtain a TCard, which serves as their primary identification card to access university services.

 

Information Technology and Email Help Desk
-St. George Campus Walk-In: Robarts Library, First Floor, 130 St. George Street
-Mississauga Campus Walk-In: CCT Atrium
-Telephone: 416- 978-HELP (978-4357)
-E-Mail: help.desk@utoronto.ca (St. George) or helpdesk.utm@utoronto.ca (Mississauga)
-Website: help.ic.utoronto.ca/ (St. George) or www.utm.utoronto.ca/iits/contact-us (Mississauga)

 

Occupational Therapy Student Course Union
The Occupational Therapy Student Course Union (formerly the OT-PT Student Council) encourages participation in a variety of activities and events: athletic, social, academic, community and professional.  The new Course Union Co-Presidents will address new students during their Orientation Week to discuss the elections which are generally held in the first two weeks of the academic year to fill the remaining Student Union positions.

 

Course Enrollment
The Department aims to automatically enroll students in required courses prior to the start of a term. However, it is the student’s responsibility to ensure that their course enrolment is accurate in the Accessible Campus Online Resource Network, known online as ACORN.  Students should access their academic history (courses) in ACORN and determine if the courses listed for a particular term correspond to those listed on the Program Schedule. This is of particular importance to students permitted to register in courses not aligned with the mandatory curriculum. If there is a problem, the student should inform the Program Manager immediately.

 

Quercus
The University of Toronto utilizes Quercus as its official academic learning portal. Quercus will allow instructors to post course information and course materials, readings and assignments and provides functionality for basic discussion forum and other collaborative tools. All courses will use Quercus for their web-based component (sharing announcements, resource information and other course-related information).

 

Accessible Campus Online Resource Network (ACORN)
This is U of T’s online student record system made available through ACORN. Throughout the program, students are responsible for keeping their personal information in ACORN current. Through ACORN, students are able to:

  • Check their financial account balance and request to register without payment
  • View grades and academic status
  • Order transcripts

 

Audio-Visual and Computer Equipment Booking & Use
The Department has a variety of electronic equipment, such as laptop computers, in very limited quantities which are made available to students. You can borrow this equipment by visiting the OT department’s reception desk.

 

Room Bookings
All room booking requests for group meetings must be made via email to ot.reception@utoronto.ca. Rooms should be returned to their standard set-up and left tidy for the next users.

 

Major Annual Events

1. Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists Conference:

OT professionals and OT students will be exploring OT through presentation, discussion, exchange of ideas and research.

2. Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy Graduate Research Day

In 1997, the University of Toronto established The Thelma Cardwell Annual Lecture Series to honour one of Occupational Therapy’s most prestigious alumna, Thelma Cardwell. Held in June of each year, this event showcases the Year Two student research.