York University’s Senate Executive Committee has recently approved the extension of the Principles to Guide Fall 2020 Graduate and Undergraduate Course Planning to the Winter 2021 term. This means the same fundamental approach to course delivery in the Fall will also apply for the Winter 2021 term. The guidelines are premised on preparing for online / remote delivery of both undergraduate and graduate courses. Where remote learning is not well suited to accommodate course components, such as labs, studios or small graduate classes, York is preserving flexibility and will make best efforts to accommodate requests for in-person instruction.

Instructors will be polled to identify those courses that require in person activities to achieve their learning outcomes. Instructors will also be invited to propose optional in-person learning components where this could enhance the learning experience for students able to attend in person.

In-person teaching and learning will be accommodated as far as possible within health guidelines, which even in Stage 3  include limits on the number of people who can gather indoors or outdoors, as well as physical distancing, nose and mouth coverings, and other precautions.

Students will be informed at the time of course registration whether a course has a required in-person component. Courses with optional in person components should also have a fully remote version that allows students to complete that way if they need to. Wherever a course can be delivered remotely in its entirety, instructors will have the choice to do so.

Those faculty members teaching in the Fall or Winter term will also be accommodated wherever possible to come onto campus if they require access to faculty offices or other spaces to deliver their courses  Requests can be made here

Staff will continue to work from home unless asked to return to campus to support research, in-person teaching, in-person student service activities, or other required services.  Managers will be in touch with those who need to be on campus and will provide as much notice as possible in order to plan for any accommodations or special arrangements needed.  We expect most employees will continue to work from home throughout the Fall and Winter terms.

York continues to meet all public health and provincial guidelines related to COVID-19. As part of our gradual, phased return to campus, we look forward to welcoming additional in-person teaching, learning, research, and other activities back to York University campuses as soon as we can safely do so.

Lisa Philipps
Provost & Vice President, Academic