Queen’s University is launching an investigation after students raised concerns online about an instructor who is allegedly promoting anti-vaccination theories in an introductory health course.

Current and former students at the Ontario-based school shared lecture slides and materials said to be from the course "HLTH 102 Physical Determinants of Health," offered by the university's school of kinesiology and health studies.

Students said the course, taught by instructor Melody Torcolacci, had been flagged in the past.

In a statement posted on the university’s website, principal and vice-chancellor Daniel Woolf said Wednesday that he’s asked the school provost to work with the Arts and Science department to look into the matter.

"The university is committed to the academic freedom of our faculty members; at the same time, the university expects that faculty members will present intellectually rigorous research and course material and that they will present available scientific evidence objectively and declare their biases," Woolf said.

He also said that he “became aware of the situation” regarding the course on Wednesday.

Queen's provost Alan Harrison told the Canadian Press that he was gathering information on whether Torcolacci's department had received complaints about her lectures in the past.

He wouldn't elaborate on what the school will do if it determines that Torcolacci has been promoting anti-vaccination views in her classes.

He said more information would be required to understand the full context of the slides.

"Slides are not lectures. Slides are a support for lectures. And so a full information gathering would require that I understand the context in which anything that is put in front of the students is used," he told CP.

However, Harrison said the school expects its instructors to meet standards.

"We do have expectations of all of our professors. And those expectations are that they present available scientific evidence, they do so objectively and if they have biases of their own, they declare those biases," he said.

Torcolacci did not respond to email and phone requests for comment.

In a description posted online, the course objectives are listed as providing students with "an understanding that many of the different elements you are exposed to through the course of a day could profoundly impact your physical health."

In a series of tweets, students shared materials they claim were distributed during Torcolacci's class, including materials that questioned the safety of vaccines, linked the polio vaccine with autism, and warned students to "educate before you vaccinate."

Can we talk about how horrible it is that Melody Torcolacci still teaches that vaccines cause autism in university-level classes? #queensu — Michael Green (@lifebettergreen) February 3, 2015

There is a @QueensU prof currently teaching an introductory health course with a lecture called "Vaccines: Good or Bad?" #ONPSE #QueensU — Isabelle Duchaine (@iDuchaine) February 4, 2015

Let's explore how bad vaccines are using a sample of some of the slides. #QueensU #ONPSE #ONhealth — Isabelle Duchaine (@iDuchaine) February 4, 2015

"No scientific evidence exist showing vaccines NOT contributing to increased incidence of chronic illness&disability" pic.twitter.com/lCN8jzRHK5 — Isabelle Duchaine (@iDuchaine) February 4, 2015

There are 60 slides, but I think the last one is my fave. Remember, it's all going to be on the test!!!1!! #QueensU pic.twitter.com/48vy2ucN7B — Isabelle Duchaine (@iDuchaine) February 4, 2015

Just a little summary: University students, in Canada, at @QueensU, are being taught that the polio vaccine caused AIDS. Spoiler: it didn't. — Isabelle Duchaine (@iDuchaine) February 4, 2015

It wasn't long before tweets about Torcolacci's course were tagged with the hashtag #antivaxprof.

The school's Academic Affairs Commission confirmed that it was aware of the materials being circulated online, tweeting that it had informed the school of kinesiology and health sciences.

To those of you as concerned about the vaccine slides as I am: SKHS has been informed and I'm hopeful that decisions will advance positively — AMS Academic Affairs (@AMS_AAC) February 4, 2015

News of the course materials comes amid a measles outbreak in parts of the U.S., as well as on the heels of four confirmed cases in Toronto.

With files from The Canadian Press