Instructor Responsibilities

To provide a complementary view of your courses, this page describes an instructor's basic responsibilities. The points below are taken from the School's "Guidelines for Faculty and Part-time Academics," which is based largely on university regulations.

During a course, the instructor may ask for your assistance in carrying out some of these responsibilities. If you notice that an item is not being followed, please check first with the instructor (or ask one of your class reps to do so). If that doesn't solve the problem, check with the undergraduate/graduate coordinator.

Before the term:

  • Include all of the required items in the course outline.
  • Assisted by the term coordinator, coordinate the course requirements and schedule with those of other courses.
  • If the course has special needs for labs, equipment, printing, exhibition space, etc., confirm that these needs can be met.
  • If the course includes research involving human subjects, consult with the chair of the School's Research Ethics Committee (who is also the chair of the Humanities Teaching Group). (This does not apply to thesis projects, which must follow a university-level process.)

During the term:

  • Follow the course outline. If a substantial change is needed (e.g., to an assignment worth 10% or more of the final grade), obtain approval from at least two-thirds of the students in the course.
  • Keep the class within its weekly time slot. If a class has to be rescheduled, consult with the students on an alternate time.
  • At the end of each class, remove any leftover materials and move furniture back into place, so that the room is ready for the next class.
  • If an extra classroom is needed beyond what is noted on the School timetable, submit an online room request to Campus Bookings in advance.
  • If you plan to take students on a field trip, ensure that they fill in the two travel forms and submit them to the Architecture office before leaving.
  • Before changing a due date for an undergraduate assignment, consult with the term coordinator or the undergraduate coordinator to avoid a conflict with other courses.
  • If a student requests a deadline extension for a medical or compassionate reason, follow the Student Declaration of Absence procedure.
  • Respond promptly (e.g., within a weekday) to student inquiries, either in person or by e-mail.
  • Issue assignment grades to students confidentially: by e-mail or in a hidden format.
  • Return grades for assignments in a reasonable time (during the term, within two weeks).
  • Do not permit a student to do supplementary work to raise a grade for an assignment or a course.
  • Reserve 15 minutes of class time for students to complete the SLEQs for the course.

Responsibilities for Others

Instructor responsibilities are only part of the academic picture.