Instructor Handbook

This Handbook is written and maintained in order to:

  1. Introduce instructors to the Arts Faculty, providing information about its history, organization, goals, and objectives 
  2. Summarize the most regularly consulted teaching resources and policies 
  3. Provide samples of syllabi 
  4. Provide a brief introduction to other pertinent Arts teaching documents

The Arts First Mandate: To build students' foundational competencies in communication and analysis during their first year at university.

Message from the Director & Associate Director of Arts First

The Arts First program promotes excellence in teaching with a focus on active learning in a small class environment. Student in Arts First classes can expect to practice communication as a means of critical inquiry.

Communication courses help students to develop skills in speaking, writing, listening, critical reading, and collaboration. They also build competencies in analysis, research, and the thoughtful assessment of information, evidence, and data. These skills and competencies will support student success in their academic careers and in their life beyond the university.

To create a unique first-year experience for students, Arts First courses foreground practice-based learning and background discipline-specific knowledge.

Our aim is that students become more effective and confident communicators, better able to understand and influence the world they encounter.

NOTE: During COVID-19 campus closures, most information pertaining to normal on-campus scheduling and physical classrooms is not applicable.