Teaching without Quercus at UTM

Stay Updated

  • If Quercus is unavailable, the tools below (all part of the U of T Academic Toolbox) can be used independently to continue your course activities.
  • We will continue posting recommendations and updates on this page while Quercus remains unavailable.
  • You can also monitor U of T’s System Status Page for updates on the Quercus outage.

Information from the UTM Office of the Registrar

Last day to add / drop courses

Please note at UTM the last date to add / drop courses and receive a full refund is May 10, 2026. More information is available on the UTM Office of the Registrar's website: https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/registrar/dates 

Accessing Course Syllabi

In addition to instructors sending students a copy of their syllabus, students can access their syllabus online by going to https://metis.utm.utoronto.ca/CourseInfo/ and then downloading the syllabus after using their UTORid and password.

Information from UTM Library about Reading Lists

Instructors who need support accessing reading lists are invited to contact the UTM Library at reserves.utm@utoronto.ca for assistance.

Online Assignments and Quizzes

Option 1: Collect submissions by email

Where possible, use your institutional email address (@utoronto.ca) to receive submissions and communicate with students.

  1. Ask students to complete their work (for example, in a Word document) and email it directly to you.
  2. Share your email address with students via Outlook, MS Teams, or via your institutional Zoom account.

Note on Turnitin: Assignments received by email cannot be processed through Turnitin. Turnitin access outside of Quercus is not supported at U of T. Instructors must ensure that any alternative submission process during a Quercus outage still abides by the conditions of use for Turnitin at U of T.

NOTE:  When sending emails to the entire class, instructors should bcc all students in the class.

Option 2: Collect submissions and create quizzes using MS Forms

Microsoft Forms is a versatile tool that can be used in various educational scenarios:

  • Assessments: Create quizzes and tests to evaluate student understanding and track progress.
  • Feedback Collection: Gather feedback from students and colleagues on courses, events, or teaching methods.
  • Surveys and Polls: Conduct surveys to understand student needs, preferences, and opinions.

More information is available from https://teaching.utoronto.ca/tool-guides/microsoft-forms/. 

Option 3: Crowdmark 

Crowdmark is an institutionally supported online assessment and grading platform that can help instructors continue administering and grading assessments during the interim period without Quercus. It is already in active use across the University. Please note that use of Crowdmark requires some training and awareness of the system and its options. If you are using Crowdmark for the first time, we highly recommend attending a Crowdmark training session prior to using the tool. You can also review all of Crowdmark's documentation on getting started as an Instructor. If you'd like to go through the process of getting started with a UTM specialist, please submit a ticket to UTM I&ITS.

  • Instructors can create and distribute assigned assessments, take-home exams, and problem sets directly to enrolled students.
  • Students can submit work digitally (typed responses, uploaded files, or scanned handwritten work), reducing reliance on in-person submission or email.
  • Built-in tools support efficient grading, including rubric-based marking, comment libraries, and the ability to distribute grading across multiple TAs or co-instructors.
  • Annotated, graded work and feedback can be returned to students directly through the platform, maintaining a clear record of submissions and assessment outcomes.
  • Crowdmark provides exportable grade data, which can be retained locally or transferred into other systems once Quercus functionality is restored.

Crowdmark helps preserve assessment continuity and academic integrity during the interim period, particularly for courses that rely on regular assignments, quizzes, or exams.

Self-service guidance for Crowdmark is available in the I&ITS knowledge base: https://uoft.service-now.com/utm_iits?id=kb_category&kb_category=e019efac978b42104662f417f053afaf

Crowdmark can be accessed directly during a Quercus outage. If you want to open an existing course in Crowdmark, do the following:

  1. Navigate to app.crowdmark.com/sign-in/utoronto and select "Sign in with email".
  2. Use the email address associated with your Crowdmark account and your Crowdmark password. If you have not set a password, use "Forgot your password?" to create one.

For instructions on signing in to your Crowdmark account via email, see: How to access Crowdmark during a Quercus outage (UTM).

Content sharing – email or OneDrive / SharePoint / MS Teams  

Option 1 – email

You can share course materials directly with students by email.

  1. Where possible, use your institutional email address (@utoronto.ca) to send course communications during an outage.
  2. If you do not have a student email list already downloaded, contact your departmental ROSI administrator. They can pull your course roster from ROSI and share it with you.  Or you can access your course roster via the UTM Faculty / Staff Applications - https://metis.utm.utoronto.ca/adminPro/Staff/ 

NOTE:  When sending emails to the entire class, instructors should bcc all students in the class.

Option 2 – Alternative Content Sharing via Microsoft 365 - OneDrive / SharePoint / MS Teams (I&ITS)

To support continuity of teaching and learning without Quercus, I&ITS will provide guidance and support for using Microsoft 365 tools as an alternative for content sharing. These tools are already institutionally supported, secure, and widely adopted across the University.

  • I&ITS will provide recommended patterns and quick-start guidance for instructors using OneDrive, SharePoint, or Teams for course content. 
  • A dedicated moderated Teams channel will be established to provide instructors with immediate assistance, enabling real-time triage of urgent questions, sharing of guidance, and direct engagement with I&ITS support staff.
  • Support teams will be available to assist with access issues, sharing permissions, and troubleshooting. Submit a ticket.

Proposed Tools & Use Cases

  1. OneDrive
    • Instructors can share course materials (e.g., lecture slides, readings, recordings) directly from OneDrive using secure sharing links.
    • Permissions can be set to "view-only" to prevent unintended edits.
    • Updated files can replace older versions without changing the link, reducing confusion for students.
  2. SharePoint
    • Departments or instructors can use SharePoint sites to host structured course content, including folders for weekly materials, resources, and announcements.
    • SharePoint supports consistent access control, version history, and reliability for larger cohorts.
    • Links to SharePoint content can be reused across communications without re-uploading files.
  3. Microsoft Teams
    • Teams can be used as a central course hub for file sharing, announcements, and instructor-student communication.
    • Files shared in Teams are stored in SharePoint/OneDrive, ensuring stability and traceability.
    • Posts can be pinned or highlighted to guide students to key materials.

Self-Service Resources

Instructors and staff can access existing I&ITS knowledge base articles for step-by-step guidance:

NOTE: When creating a folder to share, please select "Can view" rather than "Can edit" when configuring share permissions, unless students need to contribute files and it is permissible for them to see other students' files, e.g., for collaborative work.

Online class meetings – Zoom or Microsoft Teams

Option 1 – Zoom

  • I&ITS will provide recommended patterns and quick-start guidance for instructors using Zoom or MS Teams for courses.
  • A dedicated moderated Teams channel will be established to provide instructors with immediate assistance, enabling real-time triage of urgent questions, sharing of guidance, and direct engagement with I&ITS support staff.
  • Support teams will be available to assist with access issues, sharing permissions, and troubleshooting. Submit a ticket.
  1. Access Zoom via the desktop app or log in at utoronto.zoom.us using your UTORid.
  2. Schedule your meeting, then share the meeting link with students via email.

Self-Service Resources

Instructors and staff can access existing I&ITS knowledge base articles for step-by-step guidance:

Option 2 – Microsoft Teams

  1. Schedule a Microsoft Teams meeting through Outlook on the Web.
  2. Share the meeting link with students via email.

For instructions on scheduling a Teams meeting, refer to the following guide from CTSI: Microsoft Teams Meetings

Self-Service Resources

Instructors and staff can access existing I&ITS knowledge base articles for step-by-step guidance:

Extended Microsoft Suite

Beyond core file sharing and communication, the broader Microsoft suite offers additional tools that instructors can leverage to enrich teaching and learning experiences:

  • OneNote / Class Notebook: Instructors can organize lecture notes, distribute reading materials, and provide a collaborative space for student annotations and group work.
  • Microsoft Forms: Useful for creating quick polls, surveys, knowledge checks, and informal assessments to gauge student understanding.
  • Microsoft Stream: Provides a secure, institutional video hosting platform for lecture recordings, with built-in captioning and transcript search.
  • Whiteboard: Supports real-time collaborative brainstorming, diagramming, and visual instruction during live or asynchronous sessions.
  • Planner / To Do: Can help instructors organize course tasks, milestones, and student group projects with shared visibility.
  • Word, PowerPoint & Excel (Online): Enable real-time co-authoring of documents, presentations, and spreadsheets, supporting both instructor preparation and student collaboration.
  • Power Automate: Helps instructors and departments reduce manual effort by automating routine tasks across the Microsoft ecosystem. Example use cases include notifying students when new course materials are posted, routing Microsoft Forms responses into SharePoint lists or Excel for easier tracking, sending scheduled reminders for deadlines or live sessions, and aggregating quiz or feedback responses into a central location for instructor review. I&ITS can provide template flows to help instructors get started quickly.

While these tools can help provide a flexible, integrated ecosystem that can support a wide range of pedagogical activities during the interim period.

Additional self-service guidance for the extended Microsoft suite is available in the I&ITS knowledge base: https://uoft.service-now.com/utm_iits?id=kb_category&kb_category=e81b1588876f65107471ed3e8bbb3518

Questions about teaching activities and assessments can be directed to the RGASC educational development team (eddev.utm@utoronto.ca).

For questions regarding Quercus availability, please contact the UTM Library Instructional Technologies team
Email: utml.instructech@utoronto.ca
Instructional Support on the UTM Service Portal