Teacher Education program policies

Teacher Education is your professional training. This means that you are already considered future professionals. You will have responsibilities, deadlines to meet, activities to perform and a professional code of ethics to follow. 

The program aims to develop skills and knowledge in various fields. The students must master the content in order to be able to teach it. In addition, they must master the technological tools that facilitate access to and application of this knowledge. During the course of their program, teacher candidates must develop teaching skills and strategies that promote optimal student development. 

According to University of Ottawa Academic Regulation 8, a unit is the numerical value assigned to an academic activity. One unit generally corresponds to 45 hours of work, including, where applicable, attendance in class (lecture, lab, practical training) or online, personal work, practical or other assignments, and preparation for exams. 

Course assignments must be handed in on time, according to the professor's instructions and the schedule established in the course plan. In the event of a delay, there must be a prior agreement with the professor specifying the date on which the work must be handed in. If, for exceptional reasons, you wish to obtain an extension, you must fill out the deferred grade request form (PDF, 73.8KB) and send it to your professor.  

The Bachelor of Education is a program that requires your full participation and attendance is compulsory. The types of activities that occur in Teacher Education courses cannot be replicated with a set of notes and access to PowerPoint slides. You need to be in attendance in order to experience the full range of learning that is essential to becoming a teacher. As a professional program, there is an expectation that teacher candidates will display an ethical standard of behaviour appropriate to the profession of teaching from the beginning of their program. Arriving on time for the beginning of all classes and attendance in all classes are the expected professional standard within the program.

Our TELC (Teacher Education Liaison Committee) which represents the teacher federations in Ontario have asked us to remind teacher candidates of the potential risks of unqualified supply teaching in Ontario or in other jurisdictions. Although you are an associate member of OTF and are expected to act according to the Standards of Practice, you do not have the same protection provided to full members if an allegation, an incident, or significant issue arises. As you are pursuing teaching as a career, any incident or investigation of an allegation may impact upon your ability to complete the Teacher Education program or be certified by the Ontario College of Teachers. We want you to be well aware of the risks. 

As part of your regular classes, there are professional learning workshops and opportunities offered by our educational partners including the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT), the Ministry of Education, the Ontario Teachers’ Federation (OTF) and their affiliates (ETFO, OECTA, OSSTF) and the Qualifications Evaluation Council of Ontario (QECO). These professional learning events are mandatory for teacher candidates and are part of your PED 3150 and PED 3151 classes. A list will be provided at Orientation. There will also be a number of workshops and conferences throughout the year that are valuable opportunities to enhance your own preparation as a beginning teacher.

Throughout the program, you will be developing your professional knowledge, skills, and presence in your coursework, community service learning and practicum experiences, and your personal professional learning.  An essential component of the teacher education program is the ability to demonstrate the teaching competencies and knowledge identified by the Ontario College of Teachers and to clearly articulate your growth as a professional. This includes a digital professional presence that reflects who you are as a developing teacher. All teacher candidates will be expected to create, develop and curate a digital hub to reflect their learning. More information will be provided at Orientation and through your PED 3150 or PED 3151 courses.

Academic integrity is essential and is actively promoted by the University of Ottawa and the Faculty of Education. The University provides its students and faculty with a range of information and tools to help them recognize and avoid the pitfalls of academic fraud, as well as understand the consequences. For more information on this subject, consult the Academic Integrity site. 

The University of Ottawa will not tolerate any act of sexual violence. This includes acts such as rape and sexual harassment, as well as misconduct that take place without consent, which includes cyberbullying. The University, as well as various employee and teacher candidate groups, offers a variety of services and resources to ensure that all uOttawa community members have access to confidential support and information and to procedures for reporting an incident or filing a complaint. For more information, please visit Sexual violence: support and prevention.