An honors option for a course requires careful planning early in the semester, close collaboration between student and instructor, and a serious commitment by both parties to see the project through. An honors project benefits you as you will get more information out of a course than would normally.
Student information
As a student, you MUST consult with your instructor before filling out and submitting this form as much of the information must come from him or her. This form must be submitted by the end of the third week of the semester.
Instructor information
The following are guidelines to assist you in the development of a productive honors option.
- In an honors option, the honors course project should not be an add-on to all the routine assignments but should be done as an alternative to some or all of the assignments. The project should also fit within the content and intent of the course syllabus.
- The honors option course should go more deeply into methodology, structure, and theory; attack more sophisticated questions; and satisfy more rigorous standards than is generally expected.
- Simply increasing the volume of work required does not constitute an honors option. The character and quality of the work should be augmented, but the time required for the honors project should remain commensurate with the number of credits for a comparable honors course.
- A successful honors option experience will include planned regular meetings between the instructor and the student to review, discuss, and revise as the project develops. Whenever possible, specific deadlines should be identified.
- Faculty should feel free to stipulate clarifications, modifications, or alternatives to student proposals and to reject proposals which reflect no serious preliminary thought about projects worthy of honors treatment.
- Students may not be given monetary compensation for work done for honors option credit.
- If for some reason the honors project cannot be adequately completed, please have the student contact the honors coordinator as early as possible in the semester so that modifications to the project can be made.
- At the end of the semester, you will post grades as normal on LionPath; however, you will be contacted by the honors coordinator to ensure that the student adequately completed the honors project.
Grading
The student’s grade should reflect all of the work in the course. Ideally, the honors project work should replace some component of the coursework and graded as part of the course. To earn honors credit, the course should be passed with a grade of 3.0 or better.
Removing the option
The filing of an honors option represents a commitment by both student and mentor to see the project through. The course may not revert to non-honors status without the permission of the honors mentor. The Office of Academic Affairs must receive written notification immediately of such a change, but no later than the end of the sixth week of the semester. This rule applies whether or not a student continues in the honors program throughout the semester.
Supervision
Honors work is to be supervised by a full-time faculty member.