student rights and responsibilities
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knowing your rights
The Canadian Association for Graduate Studies Guidelines
The Canadian Association for Graduate Studies has published a document that outlines principles for graduate student supervision. These principles are worded in general terms to be applicable across graduate schools, departments, and programs in the country.
Here are a few highlights that may be relevant to you:
You should be able to identify your supervisor and your supervisory committee early.
You should be provided with guidelines that establish the rights and responsibilities of both the student and the supervisor.
You should be able to consult your supervisor frequently (especially if you’re new to Canada) on a variety of issues.
If your supervisor is going to be absent for a long period of time, the school should make sure you will be provided with supervision without interruption.
You should be able to have a professional relationship with your supervisor.
Apart from supervising your research and writing process, your supervisor should help you develop professional skills, network with scholars in the field, and support you in the publication process.
You should never be in the dark about your intellectual rights—you should be able to discuss with your supervisor any questions related to authorship, ownership of data, and other similar issues.
You should be provided with a clear and non-escalating way to resolve a conflict with your supervisor.
You should be assigned an alternate supervisor, if necessary.
You should be able to take charge—if any supervision- or supervisor-related issues arise, you may need to be proactive.
You can read the guiding principles in their entirety here: Guiding Principles for Graduate Student Supervision
The University of Toronto Supervison Guidelines
In The University of Toronto Supervision Guidelines for Students, you can find out more about what to expect from your student-supervisor relationship that is specific to your experience at the University of Toronto in that it was prepared by the School of Graduate Studies (to which you belong as a doctoral student, in addition to your affiliation with OISE).
Here are a few highlights that may be of interest to you:
Good supervision consists of supervising (i.e., having someone oversee you as you perform tasks) and mentoring (i.e., having someone advise you on how to build a career).
Having a good supervisor is key to a good experience in the program, success in your doctoral journey, and smooth transition into a life after you’ve earned your degree.
Both you and your supervisor have responsibilities.
University of Toronto provides Accessibility Services. If you’re facing a barrier related to a disability, contact the services. You can do so here: Accessibility Services
You can read the supervision guidelines in their entirety here: Supervision Guidelines for Students – Section 1: Introduction – School of Graduate Studies
knowing your responsibilities
One of your responsibilities is to be respectful in interactions with your advisor/supervisor.
Although many professors at OISE are quite informal in their approach to students, it’s not a bad idea to remain conscious of your manners.
To be respectful and appropriate can be challenging if (Canadian) English is not your first language or you’re new to the culture (Canadian culture, North American higher education culture, specific OISE and/or University of Toronto culture).
If you’re not sure about how you’re coming across, there are a few things you can do:
You can mention being unsure about being appropriate in English to your advisor/supervisor.
You can ask classmates who you trust for advice.
If you find yourself in doubt unexpectedly, remember that you’re less likely to come across as inappropriate or disrespectful if you choose to be more formal rather than less formal.
A number of professors (especially in the LLE program) are international academics, speakers of multiple languages, and researchers within the field of language learning, so the good news is that your advisor/supervisor is likely familiar with the challenges you might be facing adjusting to a new language and culture.
testimonial
IVAN (LLE)
When I was accepted into the master’s program in LLE, I had been a highly-proficient English speaker and EFL instructor for many years in my home (non-English-speaking) country. Even so, after coming to Canada, I found myself questioning everything I wrote in my e-mails to my advisor, especially if I was making a request of some kind. My advisor addressed me by first name and signed the e-mail with her first name when she wrote back to me. That was completely new and different to me—in my home country (using my L1), I would always be required to use the polite formal forms (titles, pronouns, verb forms, etc.) with a professor and they would do the same in return. My American partner told me that the professor’s informal signature made it okay for me to address her by her first name, but the first time I wrote an e-mail like that he actually had to hit the “send” button. I knew the rules in English were different, but I still felt quite uneasy about it. These things are so ingrained and it can take time to reprogram your mind.”
additional resources
Find out which university resources are available to you: Supervision Guidelines for Students – Section 9: Appendix 1 – Resources for Students – School of Graduate Studies
If you want to learn more about guidelines for civil conduct, you can find the Guideline on Workplace Harassment and Civil Guideline by the Human Resources at the University of Toronto here: Human Resources Guideline on Workplace Harassment and Civil Conduct
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