OISE Student Success Centre (OSSC)
COVID UPDATE: All appoinments will be online until further notice.
The OISE Student Success Centre (OSSC) is an academic skills and support centre that offers OISE graduate students the opportunity to book one-on-one appointments with an OSSC advisor to improve their abilities in a wide-range of areas. Our advisors have a range of professional and academic experience. Students are encouraged to consult the advisor profiles below as a guide when booking appointments for a specific subject.
Types of appointments offered: Face-to-face appointments and online appointments via WCONLINE. We do not offer email appointments.
- Face to Face Appointments: OISE Student Success Centre, 8th floor, Rm 8-202
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Online Appointments: If you choose an online appointment, log back onto the WCONLINE system approximately five to ten minutes before the start of your appointment. Then, open your appointment and click "Start or Join Online Consultation". In situations where we/you are encountering technical difficulties with the online booking system, your advisor will email you with SKYPE or Zoom instructions.
Tech Specs: For your online appointment, make sure you have a working webcam and microphone, a quiet space and ensure that your local internet provider has not put up any firewalls for modes of this form of communication. Firefox and Chrome browsers usually work best for online appointments on the WCONLINE system. Be sure that you have the latest version of your browser installed.
Limits: Students can have two active appointments a time and book up to 5 a month. Each appointment is 50 mins.
Booking an appointment: Click on the blue button on the menu to the left. Please note we do not review your work outside of appointment times. We also do not allow for back to back appointments as we feel students should have time to reflect on the appointment, suggested changes and revisions before booking their next appointment with an Advisors.
What to know/bring:
- Bring the rough draft of the assignment you would like to work on, your questions and ideas.
- If this is a course assignment, the assignment instructions and/or syllabus.
- Feel free to bring your laptop or a print out of the assignment (for in person apts)
If there are any accommodations we can provide in order to better facilitate your learning during an appointment or improve your experience in the writing center, please contact Viel Tolentino or Jeananne Robertson.
Understanding the legend/colour blocks on WCONLINE: WCONLINE provides a legend (i.e. colour blocks) to easily identify when appointments are available, booked, online etc. For easy viewing, please see the legend below which is also available on the appointment booking system.
Appointment Cancellation/Missed Appointment Policy:
If you need to cancel an appointment, please do so as soon as possible but at least 24 hours in advance. This will allow other students to plan ahead when booking an appointment. If you fail to cancel your appointment within the required time or miss the appointment twice, it will result in a "missed appointment" and you will be blocked from booking further sessions.
Services
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Advisors will be able to provide support in:
- Academic Writing
- French
- English Language Development
- Graduate Student Writing Groups
- Literature Review
- Presentation Skills
- Resume and Cover Letters
- Mock Interviews
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Teacher Skills Development
Please note: We no longer provide academic support for SSHRC and OGS grant/scholarship applications. Please inquire with your department about workshops and resources on these award competitions.
We do not provide editing or proofreading services, rather we work together with the student to provide feedback, and work together through the writing process to develop your skills long term. Advisor Profiles
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Sana Abuleil
Doctoral candidate, Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult EducationExpertise: Navigating research databases, academic writing, resumes and cover letters, lesson plans/mock lessons
Languages: English, Arabic
Services: Research skills, academic writing, English language development, designing teacher-trainee resources
Harriet Akanmori
Doctoral candidate, Department of Social Justice EducationExpertise: Academic writing, qualitative research methodologies, international and ESL/ELL teaching
Languages: English
Services: Academic writing, English language development
View Harriet's BioGabrielle Breton-Carbonneau
Doctoral candidate, Department of Social Justice EducationExpertise: Academic writing and scholarships, working with multicultural learners, ESL/FSL teaching, qualitative research
Languages: English, French
Services: Academic writing, presentation skills, resumes and cover letters, French language proficiencyKatherine (Katie) Brubacher
Doctoral candidate, Department of Curriculum, Teaching and LearningExpertise: Experienced OCT certified teacher, working with multilingual learners, academic writing and scholarships, presentation skills, publishing research
Languages: English
Services: Academic writing, presentation skills, teacher skills development, English language development
View Katie's BioJeanette Cepin
Doctoral candidate, Department of Social Justice EducationExpertise: Academic writing, qualitative research methods, sociology of education - childhood and youth, Canadian education, academic publishing, teaching methods, familiarity with applying to school boards
Languages: English
Services: Academic writing, conference/classroom presentation skills, lesson/unit plan development, resumes and cover letters
View Jeanette's BioVelta Douglas
Doctoral candidate, Department of Curriculum, Teaching and LearningExpertise: Academic writing, environmental education, Indigenous education, international ESL teaching experience
Languages: English
Services: Academic writing, English language development
View Velta's Bio
Lucy El-Sherif
Doctoral candidate, Department of Curriculum, Teaching, and LearningExpertise: Academic writing, coaching English language learners, comparative and international education
Languages: English, Arabic
Services: Academic writing, presentation skills, English language development
View Lucy's Bio
Mary-Ann Fowler
Doctoral candidate, Department of Curriculum, Teaching, and LearningExpertise: Using research databases, qualitative research methodologies, experience with international English language learners, previous OCT certified teacher
Languages: English
Services: Research skills, academic writing, English language development, conference/classroom presentation skills, lesson/unit plan development, resumes and cover lettersNatalie Geiger
Doctoral candidate, Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult EducationExpertise: Academic writing, sport and education, student-athletes, experienced learning strategist, qualitative research methodologies
Languages: English
Services: Academic writing, resumes and cover letters
View Natalie's BioJade Kim
Doctoral candidate, Department of Curriculum, Teaching and LearningExpertise: International student experience, qualitative research methods, academic writing, oral classroom discourse
Languages: English, Korean
Services: Academic writing, English language development, presentation skills
View Jade's BioMichael Koslowski
Doctoral student, Department of Curriculum, Teaching and LearningExpertise: International and ESL teaching, plurilingualism, oral presentations, adjusting to new educational cultures
Languages: English
Services: Academic writing, English language development, research development, transition advising, presentation skills, teacher skills development, interview preparation
View Michael's BioXimena Martinez Trabucco
Doctoral candidate, Department of Social Justice EducationExpertise: Qualitative research methods, ethnographic techniques, experienced classroom teacher, adjusting to new educational cultures
Languages: English, Spanish
Services: Organization of ideas for academic writing, presentation skills, teacher skills development
View Ximena's Bio
Fiona Purton
Doctoral candidate, Department of Curriculum, Teaching and LearningExpertise: lesson and unit plans; mock teaching; reflective writing (self study); teaching or pedagogical philosophy statements; academic (faculty) job interview prep; qualitative research
Languages: English
Services: teacher skills and development; reflective/personal writing; research skills; interview preparation
View Fiona's Bio Contact and Location
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OSSC is located inside the OISE building, Room 8-202.
For general questions and to submit documents, please contact:
ossc.oise@utoronto.ca
For scheduling questions, please contact: nicole.ryan@utoronto.ca
For Emergencies, please contact:Viel Tolentino (Primary)
Recruitment and Diverse Student Success Coordinator
416-978-1852
viel.tolentino@utoronto.caJeananne Robertson (Alternative)
Student Success Counsellor
416-978-2448
jt.robertson@utoronto.ca Additional Resources + OSSC Event listings
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Additional Resources
APA Citation: Overview, Guidance and Resources (update 1/18/21)
Plagiarism Workshop video (updated 9/21/2020)
Plagiarism Workshop powerpoint (updated 9/18/2020)
University of Toronto Academic Success Centre
Graduate Centre for Academic Communiction
Style Guide Resources
iSSD - International Student Support DashboardiSSD is a new digital tool for OISE students and is intended for all students who wish to learn more about academic integrity practice at the University of Toronto. The Academic Integrity Module contains 5 case-based topics structured around typical scenarios that students face in their coursework. The module is self-access and contains video, knowledge quizzes, and self-reflective activities. Resources related to academic integrity practice are included for students who wish to learn more. Users are also encouraged to participate in OISE research on the effectiveness of the module by completing a short student survey and providing their consent. However, participation in the research project is not required to access the module. To access iSSD and assess your knowledge of academic integrity practice, please register here to receive your login information.
On-line Write-In sessions with Professor Anne Jordan - Winter 2021 termDr. Anne Jordan invites PhD, EdD and MA thesis candidates to participate in the Thesis in Motion project, an OISE initiative to help students get their thesis/dissertation completed.
Dates: Every Wednesday (Doctoral and Masters) and Saturday (Doctoral flex and full time).Time: 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Join the Zoom support meeting at 3:30 p.m.
If you are interested please - email anne.jordan@utoronto.ca from 9:30 am on a writing day.Include the following:
Time you start
Time you intend to finish
One writing goal for the day.Whether you will join the Zoom meeting at 3:30.
