"There's something going on in my class, and I don't know what to do."
It's hard to know where to go. Depending on the issue, the University has all kinds of offices and processes. This quick reference guide focuses just on academic issues, like what happens in class and how courses are run. It's still complicated, but here's somewhere to start.
What you want to write down
- Take a few minutes to gather your notes and look back through your calendar and syllabus. What class section? What date(s)? What assignment(s)? Who's the instructor? What have you already tried? Is this related to protected grounds?
- If someone else was in the same situation, think about the facts you would need if they asked you for help.
Where you might go
- That specific course falls under a department. Talking to the right Department Chair is often a strong choice. We've included a basic email template to get you started!
- Someone at the Associate Dean level is another straightforward choice. Titles can vary, but each faculty has a senior admin for this kind of thing, like the Associate Dean (Academic) in Native Studies, the Associate Dean (Advocacy & Wellbeing) in Medicine & Dentistry, or the Associate Dean (Undergraduate Programs) in Arts.
- Academic advisors in your faculty or that specific course's faculty. Academic advisors are a great place to start if you're worried about impacts on your academic career, and can point you to other resources. Some faculties run this kind of contact through the Student Service Portal. Other faculties have special offices, like Medicine & Dentistry's Office of Advocacy & Wellbeing, that cover academic issues and more.
- The Office of the Student Ombuds is a confidential, neutral service focused on fairness. They can help with a wide range of issues, including complicated issues that aren't 100% academic.
- Try the Faculty Association for that specific course's faculty. They can help you know who to talk with, or even advocate for you.
- For serious issues around discrimination, ethics, misconduct, health, and safety, try the Office of Safe Disclosure & Human Rights (OSDHR). They can't act as an intake for formal complaints, but they can walk you through your options, confidentially.
- Later in the course, you can also put concerns on the record when you take Student Perceptions of Teaching (SPOT) surveys. Flagging serious issues can benefit future students. If you're not entirely sure what part of the survey to use, any text field will do. Here's what to expect!
Sample letter template
I'm writing to share a challenge I'm having in [class section] with [instructor] in [semester]. The main issue I'm worried about is… [One or two sentences.]
If specific comments from instructors or TAs were involved, or the syllabus or University policies aren't being followed, note that here so the administrator knows what kind of problem you're talking about. Note if there's a lot more information you could provide.
The main impact I'm facing is… [Two or three sentences.]
The mood you want is 'I am a serious person with a concern that's serious enough to raise in this way.' Some examples:
- 'I planned for the exam format in the syllabus, and because the format is changing on short notice with no clear reason, I am really struggling to prepare.'
- 'Because the test focused so much on the instructor's unpublished works, our midterm results were low and a friend of mine dropped out of the course.'
- 'Because I never consented to be graded by AI, I'm worried about personal information, the quality of this course, and whether my grades are fair.'
- 'These remarks felt so unprofessional that my friends and I are now uncomfortable participating in class.'
- 'Because we can't get clear guidelines on what kinds of AI use are appropriate, I'm concerned about fair grades and worried that I'll make a mistake.'
- 'Because my grades are taking so much longer than scheduled, I am struggling to plan for the rest of the semester.'
- 'I need my exam rescheduling accommodations confirmed in a reasonable time, or this problem will keep interfering with my approved accommodations.'
If a protected ground is involved, here's a good place to note it. If it's relevant to the problem and you're comfortable with this, you could also note something like 'I am a disabled student' or 'I am an Indigenous student.'
I've already tried… [Zero to four sentences.]
- If the issue was serious enough that you weren't comfortable talking to the instructor about it, going straight to the Associate Dean or Department Chair is perfectly fine. If you've already tried talking to the instructor, they'll need to know that, and how that went. If you tried an academic advisor or some other office, note that too.
At this point, what I'm hoping is… [One sentence.]
- You may not know what you want the outcome to be, and that's fine! You could say something like 'I'm not sure of the best way to fix this problem, and I could use some advice about my options.'
I hope to set up a call or a meeting with you to figure out a good way forward.
Sincerely,
Student X