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Academic English Health Check (AEHC) is a quick and confidential diagnostic tool that helps you understand your level of Academic English and recommends ELDS resources to help you achieve your academic goals.

Reading and Writing Excellence (RWE) pairs you with an expert writing instructor for support in developing active reading, critical thinking and reflective writing skills. This four-week personalized program will help you understand and meet university-level expectations in a warm, supportive and collegial environment. To learn more about the RWE program, including how to register, please visit . Read our RWE bonus info sheet. 

Academic Language and Communication Workshops

If you would like to improve your English language and academic communication skills in our one-hour workshops (in-person or online), attend the Centre for Teaching and Learning’s Academic Language and Communication (ALC) workshops, consisting of four workshop series (i.e., Reading for Academic Success, Grammar, Academic Communication, and Academic Integrity), covering a range of topics, such as note-taking, mind-mapping, outlining strategies, critical thinking skills, paraphrasing and summarizing, common grammatical error patterns, how to communicate with professors, APA style, etc. Students who attend five workshops in a semester will also be eligible for a notation on their Co-curricular Record (CCR).

Co-Curricular Record (CCR) Eligibility Requirements:
To receive a CCR notation on your university transcript, you must:
  1. Attend at least five full and distinct Academic Language and Communication (ALC) workshops in the same term;
  2. Submit a short written reflection on the ALC workshops that you have attended by the end of the ALC workshop series.

Requirements for the Short Reflection:
Submit a reflection of 200-300 words on the Academic Language and Communication (ALC) workshops that you have attended. Tell us what you have learned from these ALC sessions, what progress you have made and how these sessions have transformed your academic skills (e.g., vocabulary, academic reading, writing, communication, critical thinking, grammatical, citing skills, and so on).

We will notify all students eligible for a CCR via email once we have processed their reflections and confirmed attendance. If you have any questions about this process, please email eld.utsc@utoronto.ca.

Sign up for these sessions this semester by following the event links below! Note: you will be redirected to the Folio event calendar to register. We recommend logging into folio.utoronto.ca first. 

Academic Communication Workshop Series

What is the Academic Communication Workshop (ACW) Series?

The Academic Communication Workshop (ACW) Series is composed of two independent one-hour sessions to train students’ academic communication skills by introducing effective strategies for communicating with professors, participating in class discussions, delivering good presentations, and building professional networking.

Who is the ACW series for?

The ACW series is mainly designed for students who want to improve their communication techniques for academic success at the university level. Anyone who is interested is welcome to join our ACW series.

Fall 2024 SCHEDULE: 

Reading Skills for Academic Success Workshops Series

The Reading Skills for Academic Success (RSAS) series is made up of four independent one-hour interactive sessions focused on developing academic vocabulary, techniques for organizing and retaining information, and critical reading and thinking skills. Students are welcome to attend all four sessions, or to choose any combination of sessions most relevant to their individual needs and goals. The goal of each session is to help foster a smooth transition from high school to university by introducing students to effective strategies for vocabulary expansion, close reading, and information processing skills necessary for academic success at university.

What can students expect to learn in the RSAS workshops?

RSAS workshops empower students by demonstrating techniques for effective active reading strategies, vocabulary expansion, reading comprehension, critical thinking, and advanced organizational skills such as note-taking, mind-mapping, and conceptual outlining. Together, these skills are a vital component of academic success at university.

FALL 2024 SCHEDULE:

Grammar for Academic Writing Workshop Series

The Grammar for Academic Writing (GAW) workshop series emphasizes the centrality of grammar and editing skills in university-level writing, exploring these skills at both the sentence and paragraph levels. This workshop series aims to facilitate a smooth, nurturing transition from high school writing skills to the expectations of undergraduate academic composition. This is achieved by providing students training and active opportunities to practice academic English grammar, effective editing, and the revising strategies necessary for academic success at the university level.

Who will benefit from this grammar workshop series?

Any students who wish to improve their grammatical and editing skills will benefit from the GAW workshop series. Multilingual students and/or students with limited familiarity of grammatical rules and best practices in the context of written academic English will find these workshops a welcoming space to advance their skills in these areas.

FALL 2024 SCHEDULE: 

Academic Integrity Workshop Series

What is the Academic Integrity Workshop (AIW) Series?

The Academic Integrity Workshop (AIW) series is composed of three independent one-hour sessions to help students make a smooth transition from high school to university, by discussing the importance of academic integrity, strategies for crediting original authors, representing others’ work properly, integrating the ideas of others into writing, and using quotes, paraphrases, and summaries effectively. 

Who is the AIW series for?

The AIW is mainly designed for students who aim to raise their awareness of academic integrity and need to learn how to use evidence and cite sources properly. Anyone who is interested is welcome to attend the AIW series.

FALL 2024 SCHEDULE: 

Join your peers for a lively discussion about The Syrian Ladies Benevolent Society by Canadian author and former Scarborough resident Christine Estima.

The ELDS Book Club offers an opportunity for students to meet their peers, develop their oral communication skills, and improve upon their critical thinking and reading skills. 

Each week, we will explore various themes from the text. Through small group discussions, students will have the opportunity to bring their own unique perspective on the text and share their insights with their peers. Participating is also a great way to meet other book lovers in the UTSC community.

The Syrian Ladies Benevolent Society is available as an e-book through the UTSC library and many copies are available through the Toronto Public Library in both digital and print versions. 

The first five students to sign up will receive a free copy of the text to be handed out at the first meeting.

A pizza lunch will be served at the beginning of each meeting with some ice-breaker games. 

Book club schedule:

Tuesday, Sept. 24, 12:30-2 p.m., AC221

Tuesday, Oct. 1, 12:30-2 p.m., AC221

Tuesday, Oct. 8, 12:30-2 p.m., AC221

ELD consultations are confidential one-on-one meetings with a supportive instructor who can provide guidance, support, and resource recommendations to help you maximize your Academic English language skills. We love meeting our students and learning how to best meet your needs, and you are free to discuss your specific language support needs, ask questions and explore which supports best suit you and your learning style. ELD Consults can be booked on or you may reach out to Dr. Xiangying Huo or eld.utsc@utoronto.ca if you have any questions. 

Review the attached instructions on how to book an appointment: How to Book a WCONLINE Appointment (use the drop down menu on WCONLINE to select ELD Consultations).

Communication consultations are confidential one-on-one meetings with a supportive instructor who can provide guidance, support and feedback on a wide range of communication issues that crop up in academic interactions. The student and instructor can discuss how to tackle oral presentations, practice having conversations about an academic subject or work on pronunciation. Anything that involves using language to speak in a university setting is a welcome topic of conversation. 

During the appointments, the student presents the topic they wish to discuss, receives guidance from the instructor and then they work together before wrapping up with key takeaways and next steps. 

Review the attached instructions on how to book an appointment: How to Book a WCONLINE Appointment (use the drop down menu on WCONLINE to select Communication Consultations).

Note: No Communication Consultations will be offered for the Fall 2024 semester. 

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Communication Cafés are welcoming, dynamic workshops with games and interactive activities specially designed to help you improve your academic and oral communication skills.

No Communication Cafés are scheduled for Fall 2024. 

to access CTL Student Resources, including the following ELD resources:

• Academic Reading resources for English Language Learners
• Academic Vocabulary and Grammar resources