Tutorial Program

The Faculty of Law, Common Law Section, recognizes that non-academic factors such as language, culture, disability, race, ethnicity, age and others mean that students may encounter systemic barriers that place an unfair burden on performance. Our goal is to help offset these factors by creating a more effective learning environment where the needs of each individual student can be more fully accommodated.

These tutorials are designed to assist students from equity-seeking groups that have, for various reasons, a need for extra structured assistance.

Who can apply?

1. Mature students may need to re-learn study skills upon returning to formal education.
2. Students with disabilities may require accommodation to make law school more fully accessible, and structured tutorials may be a part of such accommodations.
3. Students who are recent immigrants or refugees may need assistance to adjust to a Canadian university setting and/or English-language instruction.
4. Students who have experienced discrimination or systemic barriers in prior educational settings may need assistance.
5. Students whose first language is not English may need assistance.
6. Students who are parents may need scheduled study and review time to remain on track with their studies.

NEW for Winter: Students may apply on the basis of having obtained a low mid-term mark in Fall 2024. 

These reasons are not exhaustive and other reasons may allow students to be eligible for the Access/Equity tutorials. A maximum of roughly 12 students per section are accepted into these tutorials.

How to apply?

Each student who wishes to participate in Access/Equity tutorials, including those who were enrolled in the fall term who want to participate again, must fill out a Winter application form.

Once your application is reviewed, you will receive confirmation of your registration by email to your uOttawa email account before the Access/Equity tutorials begin.

Schedule:

Tutorials are listed on your timetables on uoCampus. Any changes to the schedule will be communicated to you by the Teaching Assistant.

Teaching Assistants for each large group first year course maintain drop-in hours for an hour and a half on specified weeks. This provides first year students with an opportunity to seek help during the Fall and Winter terms.

Drop-in tutorial sessions are your opportunity to ask questions of and seek clarification from your tutors. Teaching Assistants are prepared to deal with requests for help related to specific concepts and to provide guidance about applying those concepts. In other words, drop-in sessions function in much the same way as a professor’s office hours – you should use them when you have something specific to address. Please do not come to drop-in sessions expecting a mini-lecture; the tutor will not provide a lecture, nor will s/he repeat the professor’s lecture from the previous week.

Teaching Assistants may use and circulate material/practical exercises they have prepared in order to address student concerns or questions during a drop-in tutorial.

Who can attend?

These sessions are open to all first year students; no application is required.

Schedule:

Tutorials are listed on your timetables on uoCampus. Any changes to the schedule will be communicated to you by the Teaching Assistant.

Teaching Assistants for each first year large group course will give two exam preparation sessions per term; one session is open to all first year students whereby no application is required, while the second session is only open to students enrolled in the Access/Equity tutorial for that course.

Teaching Assistants hold the same exam preparation session for both the Access/Equity group and the large group - students will be given access to the material presented at the session.

Please note that some courses will have exam preparation sessions which require that you complete some work or readings in advance. It is your responsibility to be fully prepared for each session if you choose to attend.

This tutorial is offered to students in the French common law program and Programme de droit canadien.