What do UNIV instructors do?

Let's start with what they don't do. UNIV 101 and UNIV 301 are pre-designed courses, and our goal is to provide a shared experience for our students. The course syllabus, readings, and assignments are developed by the course directors in collaboration with the full-time faculty. That means that instructors for UNIV 101 and UNIV 301 get to focus on being instructors! Our instructors are provided with a fully built D2L course shell that requires minimal editing, complete with grading rubrics and a fully developed grade sheet. We do instructor training and onboarding and, for in-person sections, provide a comprehensive course facilitation guide.

In a typical week you can expect to:

  • Prepare for class by reviewing the course guide (in-person) or provide a weekly overview for your online class (online)
  • Facilitate your classes (in-person) or engage in the discussion board (online)
  • Grade student reflections and assignments weekly, providing individualized and/or group feedback
  • Respond to student communications and meet with students for office hours (most instructors set office hours by appointment)
  • Meet with your team (other PT instructors led by a FT faculty member)
  • Get to know your students very well through their reflective work!

What do instructors say? 

“It's a great experience! The predesigned course makes it easy to teach, but also leaves plenty of room for instructors to personalize their content delivery.”

“I thoroughly enjoyed teaching UNIV 101! This class is an amazing course that genuinely allows a student to really dig deep, think, reflect, and ponder over what is important, and how life is about the journey, the people you meet, and the lessons learned. As an instructor, you get to witness this and be a part of the student's journey. It is truly something special."

Frequently Asked Questions

How big are the classes?

All UNIV 101 and UNIV 301 classes are capped at 25 students max.

What modalities are these courses?

UNIV 101 is in-person for Main Campus students. They meet once a week for 50 minutes for the full 15-week semester. UNIV 101 is online, asynchronous, for 7-week terms for Arizona Online and Arizona International Direct students.

UNIV 301 is online, asynchronous, for 7-week terms for all students.

Who can teach these courses?

Please visit our job descriptions for more information. To best understand the student experience, we typically require that instructors have taught UNIV 101 at least once prior to teaching UNIV 301.

Can I teach more than one type of class?

Within a single term, instructors are only scheduled to teach one course/modality. For example, in a Fall semester, an instructor might teach two UNIV 101 in person classes or two UNIV 301 classes, but not one of each. This is for the sustainability of scheduling our many courses as well as our small team structure.