Information Technology Resources

The MD Program utilizes a number of different electronic resources to deliver curriculum and services.

 

MD Program website

http://www.md.utoronto.ca

This is the public website for the MD Program, and has been designed to meet the needs of several specific user groups: students, teachers, course directors, and applicants. Full descriptions of all aspects of the program and the resources that are available to students and teachers are described on the site. In addition, all MD Program policies are posted, as well as links to other important information maintained by the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, the University of Toronto, and outside organizations.

The website also has a student assistance section. In this section, students can: view advice if they are experiencing urgent or crisis situations; access an incident report form to report distressing events that they experience or witness; and, access resources related to absences from the program that they may need to take. Teachers should be familiar with the existence of these resources.

Additional information for faculty is also posted on the website, in the Teaching in the MD Program section.

 

 

UTORid

All University of Toronto faculty members and trainees (including residents) are entitled to have a UTORid, the unique username for a variety of online services including Elentra, the University of Toronto Library system, University of Toronto e-mail, and WiFi access across the campus on the UofT network.

UTORids are typically eight characters long and take the first part (or all) of your last name, usually followed by the first letters of your first name and/or random numbers. E.g., singh516, leungden, etc.

Most faculty members are assigned a UTORid upon appointment, but may not have activated it. Trainees are assigned a UTORid at the time of registration. If you do not know your UTORid or do not believe you have one, please contact:

  • The business officer of your University Department, if you are a faculty member
  • The administrator of your program, if you are a postgraduate trainee or graduate student
  • MedIT Service Desk (416-978- 8504 or discovery.commons@utoronto.ca) if you are a faculty member.
  • The course administrator of the course in which you teach (if you are not a faculty member, postgraduate trainee, or graduate student)

A note about security: Once you have logged into one UTORid-based one online service (e.g. Elentra), you will remain logged in for other services as long as you keep at least one browser window open on your computer. To end your secure session (i.e. to log out), you must close all browser windows.

 

 

Elentra

https://meded.utoronto.ca/medicine/   (login: UTORid and password)

Powered by a platform known as Elentra, the MD Program uses a secure pathway to access course websites. Login requires using a UTORid and password (see above). The Elentra system is designed for internal use only, so that members of the general public cannot access these sites.

Every MD Program teacher is expected to have access to the websites of the courses in which they participate. This access should be given to you automatically, but you may need to provide your UTORid to the course administrator. Upon logging into the Elentra system, you should see all MD Program courses listed for you on the "Courses" page.  Initially, faculty members are enrolled in a single course community, i.e. the course in which you hold primary teaching responsibilities.  A key feature of the Elentra platform is the ability for faculty users to "opt into" any course within the four years of the MD Program curriculum.  If you wish to view the materials provided to students in a course that you have not previously been a part of, click on the name of that course from the list.  The system will ask you if you would like to opt into the course.  If you select "yes," you will be given read-only access to that course's materials.

The Elentra platform integrates currluclum delivery with curriculum mapping.  Faculty and student users may utilize the system's comprehensive curriculum search feature at any time.  The search allows users to obtain an overview of the four-year program, and is capable of conducting real-time searches of the current curriculum using a number of taxonomies, e.g. MD Program Key and Enabling Competencies (program objectives), learning modality, MCC presentations, themes and priority topics, and keywords.  Curriculum and associated materials from previous years are also archived within the Elentra platform.

 

 

Medical Student Information System (MedSIS)

http://medsis.utoronto.ca   (login: UTORid and password)

MedSIS is the secure online system that the MD Program uses to record and calculate student assessments by teachers in all courses, obtain student feedback on their teachers and courses, maintain student registration information, and perform course scheduling in all Foundations and some Clerkship courses.

Teachers who are assigned to complete an online student evaluation form on MedSIS will receive an automated e-mail at the appropriate time from medsis.server@utoronto.ca with instructions on logging in and completing the form. Follow-up reminder e-mails will be sent if the form(s) remain incomplete.

If you receive a prompt to use MedSIS and have never logged in before should go to the MedSIS website (http://medsis.utoronto.ca), click ‘Login to MedSIS’, and then click ‘Forgot your password?’ Enter the same e-mail address at which you received the prompt, and your userid and temporary password will immediately be sent to you by e-mail. For security, when you next log into the system, you will be required to change your password.

In addition to completing student evaluations on MedSIS, teachers can also:

  • update their contact and appointment information
  • see their teaching schedule (all Preclerkship courses and didactic sessions in some Clerkship courses), and sync this schedule to other electronic calendars
  • review their TES reports (select courses – check with your course administrator for details)

 For MedSIS assistance:

MD Program MedSIS Support
In-house MD Program MedSIS support can provide orientation, training, and assistance
medsis.ume@utoronto.ca
MedSIS Help Desk
Support by Logibec (developer) can assist with all aspects of the software

 

 

Online Assignment and Evaluation System (OASES)

OASES is an online tool for written assignments, allowing students to securely upload documents and evaluators to provide feedback. Students will use OASES to submit their portfolio reflections and other written assignments.

For support, contact  your course administrator.

 

 

Examplify

Examplify is the application the MD Program utilizes for written assessments.

For support contact MD Program ExamSoft Support, md.examsoft@utoronto.ca or contact ExamSoft support.

 

 

The Learner Chart

The Learner Chart is a one-of-a-kind application that chronicles and guides students’ progress throughout the MD Program. The Learner Chart will be populated with assessment information from MedSIS, OASES and ExamSoft to provide a rich and holistic view of student progress. At the same time, it allows students to upload files – from documents to images – that tell their unique story of how they are demonstrating competency. Academy Scholars will have access to students’ Learner Charts to support students in reflecting on their assessment data and encourage focused dialogue on what learning strategies students may need to take to enhance their performance, with the ultimate goal of developing a personal learning plan for each student.

For support, e-mail the Student Progress Analyst, elizabeth.christy@utoronto.ca

 

 

UofT WiFi

Networks: UofT, eduroam   (login: UTORid and password)

Before you can access UofT WiFi, you will need to register your UTORid by using the verify tool. This must be done even if your UTORid is working for other services. To verify, use this link: https://www.utorid.utoronto.ca/cgi-bin/utorid/verify.pl

There will be a short delay between verifying and being able to access UofT. Please note that the device will be configured with the UTORid and password that was used to set it up, and it is therefore not recommended for shared computers or devices.

For help with UofT WiFi, call the Information Commons helpdesk at 416­-978-­HELP (4357) or visit: http://help.ic.utoronto.ca/category/20/wireless­-access­-utorcwn.html.

 

 

University of Toronto libraries

http://www.library.utoronto.ca   (login: UTORid and password, or library card barcode and PIN)

The University of Toronto library system has one of the most comprehensive collections of both print and online resources in the world. The Gerstein Science Information Centre is of particular importance in health sciences education. Online resources for Gerstein and the other U of T libraries are accessible to all members of the University of Toronto via their UTORid.

 

 

Electives catalogue and registration system

Catalogue: http://medsis.utoronto.ca/electives/

Registration system (ROUTE on MedSIS): https://medsis.med.utoronto.ca/
AFMC National Portal: http://www.afmcdstudentportal.ca

Elective experiences offered by University of Toronto faculty members are made available to University of Toronto students using the catalogue link above, as well as the experiences that students have registered in ROUTE on MedSIS. Students are also free to arrange electives outside these sources by contacting faculty members directly.

The ROUTE on MedSIS registration system is currently being used by U of T students to propose and register electives offered through UofT (see second link above). When a U of T student proposes an elective with a particular supervisor, a notification is sent by e-mail to the designated Placement Contact (administrative or supervisor) with a request to review the submission. The Placement Contact may then accept, edit or decline the elective. Notification of this decision is sent to the student. If there are submissions that do not comply to present policy, they will first be validated by the Electives Office before notification is sent to the Placement Contact. When a student confirms as elective, it is considered registered. Notifications of confirmed or cancelled electives are sent to the Placement Contact and to the Medical Education Office, where applicable.

A similar process is followed for visiting electives. The AFMC National Portal is used to register electives with medical schools in Canada (third link above).

For changes to the catalogue or questions about using ROUTE on MedSIS for electives by U of T students, please contact the Electives Office at electives.uoft@utoronto.ca. For questions about electives for visiting students from Canadian and US medical schools, please contact the Visiting Canadian and US Electives Office at medicine.electives@utoronto.ca. For questions about electives for visiting students from international (non-US) medical schools, please contact medicine.intelective@utoronto.ca.

 

 

E-learning

In various courses in Foundations and Clerkship, online resources are used to complement more traditional learning methods. For example, students have an opportunity to learn through simulated microscope labs, detailed clinical case scenarios (e.g., Paediatrics), and modules on patient safety (e.g., TTC).

Individual teachers do not generally need to make use of these resources (although the practice in specific courses may vary). Nonetheless, it can be useful to be aware of what materials students are using to deepen or complement their learning. While in some courses, e-learning resources are provided as an optional study aid, in many cases, they constitute mandatory content and/or assessments that all students must complete. (See further details on the individual course sites on Elentra.)

Questions about course-specific online resources can be directed to the course director or course administrator.