I share Picasso’s sentiment, because through art and design we explore our inner selves and will appreciate the world, including our own environment, with greater understanding and perspectives. Hence, art has the power to touch deep within one’s soul, stirs one’s emotions and connects us with creativity and beauty. Art, and its related design, express itself in everything we do - it is a creative way of being. This creativity can and will express itself in an infinite and ever amazing number of ways.

These courses will expect of you to build upon your current levels of artistic ability and creativity through applying and engaging various artistic processes, media and products. It will be my utmost endeavor as your instructor, to encourage and assist you with developing an attitude of risk-taking, experimentation, engagement and discipline, all of which are imperative for true success in this journey, to achieve in particular the following General Art & Design Objectives:

• Creating, Making, and Presenting: Exploring, challenging, developing, and expressing ideas, using the skills, language, techniques, and processes of visual arts and design. To create and present expressive products for a range of audiences and purposes.
• Perceiving, Reflecting, and Responding: Applying critical thinking and problem-solving strategies to reflect on and respond to your own and other’s expressive work. To analyze the relationship between artistic intent and the expressive work.
• Understanding and Connecting Time, Place, and Community: Cultivating respect for any contributions to the arts and design studies by individuals and cultural groups locally and/or globally, as well as to value the arts and design as a recording of human experience and expression.

• You are responsible for submitting all of the assignments listed in each lesson for evaluation, as well as upon successful completion of the same, you will be required to write a Final Exam, as well as in some courses, also a Midterm Exam.
• You are strongly encouraged, before you embark to work on any of the required assignments, to review thoroughly the content of both, the lesson, as well as the assignment instructions.
• As soon as you have completed a lesson, send it in for evaluation, because your marker provides valuable feedback on your marked lessons, which is intended to help you to improve your skills. Please be mindful that the requirements for each succeeding lesson will get more complex and the expectations of your efforts will increase, as you progress through the course. Remember, if all assignments were to be submitted together, just before you intend to write your Final Exam, you will not be able to apply and hence benefit from any of the comments and suggestions provided. Thus, do NOT complete all lessons in a short period of time and submit them all together, but instead complete the lessons in order and submit each one without delay.
• To ensure that your efforts are properly documented, remember that all submitted assignments have to be clearly labeled (your name, course, and assignment #) on the back of your actual artwork and submitted together with the, by you, filled out Lesson Record Form.

• If you are registered in this program directly by your school, the time to complete this course will be scheduled by your school administration and any further inquiries you may have should be directed to your school facilitator. If, however, you enrolled independently, then the following will apply: Students enrolled in this course usually plan to complete their course requirements in a timeframe, which enables them to write their Final Exam in either January or June. Regardless, this is your prerogative, as it will be your responsibility to inform us of your intended completion date.
• A course is based approximately on one semester (16 school weeks), but, depending on how much time you spend on it, evidently it may take less or more time. Thus, after you preview what the course entails, you need to pick a Target Completion Date - one, which you feel comfortable with, and which you feel best represents your personal needs as a learner - and advise me of that date, as I then will set up a personalized timeline for you.
• Be mindful that this timeline is only meant as a guide to assist you to work on your assignments at a pace comfortable for you. If you submit any assignment beyond a due date on your timeline, there will be, as a consequence, no deductions of your marks.
• Nevertheless, I strongly encourage you to adhere to your timeline, as close as possible, as this timeline can help you to schedule your learning in a productive manner. Regardless, if you feel it necessary to change your due dates, please contact me first, as it would be beneficial for you to discuss the reasons for the desired change, before the timeline is adjusted.

·      You can use your Username and Password to check your grades and timeline at anytime. Your web marks username and password will be sent with your course materials. In the event that you may misplace this information, please contact me directly.

·     To view your marks online, go to www.adlc.ca and Click on the “Check Your Marks” link in the green column on the right hand side of the page. Then, enter your username (usually your first initial and last name) and password (a 6 digit number). Click on your respective course and your progress report and timeline will be revealed to you. Please keep in mind that it may take up to 24 hours for your marks to be updated on the Student Marks page.

• Although there is no denying, that in its final assessment, the evaluation of what is considered to be “good” art and design, is, generically speaking, in the eye of a beholder, and thus inherently subjective; however, particular in Art Education & Design Studies, we strive to assure that all assessments of all of your submissions are objective, based solely on fairness, and, most of all, on merit. Hence, it is of utmost importance that you follow meticulously all outlined requirements for each of your assignments, as they will be the sole basis for evaluating your accomplished assignments. Thus, it is imperative that you carefully read each of the provided lesson and assignment booklets and pay special attention to the outlined directions and evaluation criteria for each of the assignments.
• “Opting for a zero” on any assignment is NOT an option. All assignments in each lesson must be completed, to meet the requirements of the respective course curriculum. If you submit an incomplete booklet, it will be returned to you unmarked. Hence, make sure that you contact us if you are lacking clarity about any part of the outlined directions or expectations.
• It is our desire to attempt to evaluate and return any of your assignments within one week of receipt. However, there might be rare occasions where this timeframe might, for us, not be possible.

• Plagiarism is defined as copying and/or submitting another person's ideas, words, images or data as your own, without properly acknowledging that person or source. Thus, plagiarism, a form of academic dishonesty, is tantamount to stealing and will not be tolerated in any of your courses. If you are unsure if acknowledgement is needed, or if you need assistance in citing your sources of information, please contact us for clarification.
• The penalties for plagiarism may include loss of all marks for the assignment, with no opportunity to resubmit. This may significantly lower your final grade. Furthermore, plagiarism may also result in suspension or other disciplinary action taken against you. Refer to ADLC’s Student Code of Conduct for further information: http://www.adlc.ca/content/view/51/100/
• It should be your goal as a conscientious student, particularily in art and design studies, to develop your own unique artwork/design imagery through direct observation, research, expanded art experience, personal exploration, and discussion/critique feedback from others. The assignments reflected in the lessons allow you wide latitude in decision making, choices, and themes to help ensure you develop your own ideas and style in art and design. Hence, it is expected of you to only use your own experiences, views and personal efforts in creating original resourceful expressions through visual art, without any direct physical involvement of others.

• You are strongly encouraged to take photos (digital or otherwise) of any of your original artwork, after you have properly labeled it in accordance with the above instructions, before you submit it to our office. This is a precautionary measure that if in the unlikely event your submission has, during the mailing process, gone astray, we might still be able to fully assess your work for evaluation.
• Once you have received your course material and accompanying documents, you are required to complete the included Introductory Activity, as it will assist us to assess your current level of knowledge, as it relates to your artistic/design ability, as well as it will tell us something about your general interests. This information will enable us greatly to facilitate your learning process with us in a more optimal manner.