U.S. Higher Education: Overview, the Credit
System, and Syllabus Design
Mary Elizabeth Collins, A.M., PhD.
Professor, Boston University School of Social Work
Visiting Lecturer, Vietnam National University School
of Social Sciences and Humanities
Department of Social Work
Outline of Presentation
• Overview: Types and Characteristics of Schools
• Overview: Faculty, Students, Financing, Structure
of Academic Year
• The Credit System: Purpose, GPA, and Transfers
• Syllabus Design
• Processes of Syllabus Construction
• Mechanisms of Curriculum Review: Internal and
External
• Aiming for Teaching Excellence
• Conclusion: Comments and Questions
Types of Schools
• Community colleges
• Public 4+ year colleges and universities
• Private 4+ year colleges and universities
• For-profit institutions (2 or 4 year)
My Experience with These Types
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One year community college
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B.A. – University of Illinois, Chicago Campus (public 4-year)
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A.M. – University of Chicago (private 4-year)
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Ph.D. – University of Chicago (private 4-year)
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Post-doctoral Research Associate – University of Michigan (public 4-year)
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Faculty member (14 years) – Boston University (private 4-year)
Note: except for the community college, all would be considered research institutions
Note: except for community college, all are large institutions
Note: no experience with for-profit institutions (not considered of same quality)
Public 2-year: Community Colleges
• Award associate degrees in vocational fields
• Prepare students for transfer to four-year
institutions
• Serve communities : English language instruction
for immigrants, recreational courses, etc.
Public 4+ year colleges/universities
• Comprehensive universities: range of programs, focused on
undergraduate teaching; some focus on graduate education.
• Some of these are research universities that offer a comprehensive
set of undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees and have
a research mission as well as a teaching mission.
• Every state has at least one of these institutions; funded primarily
by state legislatures.
• Some (large) states have multiple campuses, for example, University
of California – Berkeley, University of Texas – Arlington, University
of Tennessee – Memphis.
• Variation in quality; many public colleges and universities have wellestablished reputations as high quality institutions, for example,
University of Washington, University of Michigan, University of
California.
Private 4+ year college/universities
• Non-profit institutions
• Wide variety of institutions in this category:
- research universities
- four-year “liberal arts colleges”
- specialized institutions (faith-based,
women’s colleges, historically black
colleges).
For-profit institutions
• Primarily focused on vocational programs that
result in certificates.
• I will not be discussing these types of
institutions further.
Number/types of different institutions
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Associate Institutions (41.4%)
- 1054 Public
- 114 Private non-profit
- 752 Private for-profit
Baccalaureate Institutions (17.4%)
- 137 Public
- 532 Private non-profit
- 139 Private for-profit
Master’s Institutions (15.7%)
- 273 Public
- 382 Private non-profit
- 73 Private for-profit
Research Institutions (6.4%)
- 175 Public
- 109 Private non-profit
- 11 Private for-profit
(Source: Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching: http://classifications.carnegiefoundation.org)
Number/types of different institutions
Observations:
• Associate Institutions are the most common,
but these tend to be small.
• Research Institutions are least common but
tend to be large and more famous.
My Institution: Boston University
(Boston, MA)
• “Doctoral/Research University-Extensive”
Wide range of baccalaureate programs
Committed to graduate education through the doctorate.
Give high priority to research ($$$ federal research funding)
• 4+ year Private University (non-profit)
• Large
Students: 33,480
(16,683 undergraduate; 13, 956 graduate and professional)
Includes 5,464 international students from 139 countries
16 Colleges and Universities (College of Arts and Sciences,
School of Management, College of Fine Arts, School of
Theology, College of Engineering, School of Law,
School of Social Work, etc.)
3,936 Faculty
My Institution: School of Social Work
• MSW and Ph.D. (Interdisciplinary with Sociology)
Main campus: Charles River
Off-campus Part-time Program: Meets Friday nights/Saturday
morning (for working professionals)
• Approximately 250-300 students; 28 full-time faculty
• Some innovations:
Bridge Program: supports “newcomer” populations
New on-line MSW program
Faculty
• Faculty vs. staff: “Faculty” is the term given to instructional
personnel (professors, lecturers); “administrator” is the
term given to personnel directing programs, (e.g., dean,
admissions director); “support staff” is the term given to
secretarial level personnel.
• Faculty qualifications: Usually a Ph.D. especially at research
institutions; some professional, arts, or practice programs
utilize some Master’s level educators.
• In social work, Master’s level educators are highly
experienced at the practice of social work and are needed
in the classroom to teach skills.
Faculty
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Levels:
Lecturer
Assistant Professor
Associate Professor
Full Professor
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Tenure:
Tenure-track faculty members are hired at level of Assistant Professor.
In their 6th year they are evaluated for tenure.
If approved: promoted to Associate Professor with life-time appointment.
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Evaluations:
Tenure-track faculty are evaluated on: research, teaching, and service.
Different schools weight these categories differently.
Research schools emphasize research the most.
Non-tenure-track faculty are evaluated solely on teaching and service.
Non-Traditional Students
Three out of four American college students are considered nontraditional:
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They are age 25 or older
Have delayed entry into higher education after completing high school
Did not earn a traditional high school diploma
Are married
Attend part time
Work full time
Or, have children
Source: U.S. Department of Education, 2002, cited in Eckel, P.D. & King, J.E. (n.d.) An Overview of Higher Education in the United
States: Diversity, Access, and the Role of the Marketplace. American Council on Education
Costs and Financing
Major sources of revenue:
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Tuition and fee payments from students and families (including governmentbacked financial aid)
Appropriations, grants, and contracts from federal, state, and local governments
Private gifts
Endowment and other investment earnings
Sales from auxiliary enterprises and services
Some of these sources are more important to some types of institutions than to
others.
• Public institutions (2 and 4 year) more reliant on state government funding
• Research institutions more reliant on research grants, endowments and tuition
Source: Eckel, P.D. & King, J.E. (n.d.) An Overview of Higher Education in the United States:
Diversity, Access, and the Role of the Marketplace. American Council on Education
Structure of Academic Year:
Semesters and Quarters
• Two main ways of organizing the academic year: semester and
quarter.
• Semester: 2 main semesters (approximately 14 weeks each). Often
a summer semester is available. This can be particularly helpful to
make up missed work or ease workload during the school year. But
summer offerings are usually limited.
• Quarter: 3 quarters of approximately 10 weeks each. Often a
summer quarter is available for same reasons as above.
• Semesters seem to be dominant and there is some variation on this
organization.
Questions ???
Any questions related to Higher Education Overview:
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Types of Schools
Faculty
Students
Costs and Financing
Structure of Academic Year
The U.S. Course and Credit System
(Source: www.internationalstudentguidetotheusa.com)
• Academic work is organized into concentrated
modules of subject matter called courses.
• Each U.S. academic course occupies a scheduled
amount of instructional time each term, in
addition to laboratory, field exercise, homework,
and research or creative requirements associated
with the course.
• Full-time student status is typically 3-4 courses
depending on the credit hours of each course.
The U.S. Course and Credit System
(Source: www.internationalstudentguidetotheusa.com)
• Successful completion of a course results in the student's academic record
being marked with both a course grade and a set number of credit hours.
• Credit hours are (usually) the number of hours of instruction that the
course is scheduled for per week. Degree programs require that a
specified number of credit hours be accumulated by the student as one of
the graduation requirements.
• U.S. courses are not always classroom lectures. Laboratory, fieldwork,
seminar, and independent study courses all involve concentrated research
studies and the preparation of reports and papers.
• Field practicum or clinical courses involve supervised activity in
professional work settings (medicine, social work).
The U.S. Course and Credit System
(Source: www.internationalstudentguidetotheusa.com)
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There are various grading systems depending upon the nature of the work being
assessed and the philosophy of the faculty or institution regarding judging student
work.
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Most grading systems use numerical or alphabetical scores to assess
examinations, projects, or papers. Numerical grading systems usually are on a scale
running from 0 to 4.0, with 4 representing outstanding work. Letter systems
generally run from A to F, with A representing outstanding work and F representing
failure.
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Occasionally some schools use detailed qualitative assessments of work
(especially in “creative” or non-traditional programs).
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Pass/Fail can also be used in subjects that do not lend themselves to quantitative
ratings. Two examples: clinical practicum and dissertations.
Transfer Credits
Credits can be thought of as a common “currency” to measure
academic progress.
Credits can often be transferred to another institution if the
receiving institution agrees that the academic rigor and material
in the courses is roughly equivalent to its own similar courses.
Many institutions develop transfer agreements to facilitate
student mobility, determining in advance which courses are of
equivalent value.
Source: Eckel, P.D. & King, J.E. (n.d.) An Overview of Higher Education in the United States: Diversity, Access, and the Role of the
Marketplace. American Council on Education
Transfer Credits: Example
• After my first year of community college I
transferred those credits (basic courses, e.g.,
Introduction to Sociology) to University of Illinois.
• In the summer after my second year at University
of Illinois I took two additional classes at
community college (the community college was
closer to home and less expensive) that were also
excepted at University of Illinois.
BU Undergraduate
• To obtain a bachelor’s degree, most students must complete a
minimum of 128 credits and 32 courses.
• As a guide for completing the four-year undergraduate program:
Sophomore (2nd year): completed 32 credits
Junior (3rd year): completed 64 credits
Senior (4th year): completed 96 credits
• The individual schools and colleges of the University have specific
academic requirements and standards for determining satisfactory
completion of a program of study (e.g., grades, concentrations,
divisional studies).
Credit and Grade Point Average
The University uses a system of letter grades for evaluating coursework. Individual schools and
colleges, however, may place restrictions on the use of certain grades, such as Pass/Fail.
Grade point averages are computed by dividing the number of grade honor points earned by
the number of credits attempted.
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD
F
= 4.0 (excellent)
= 3.7
= 3.3
= 3.0 (good)
= 2.7
= 2.3
= 2.0 (satisfactory)
= 1.7
= 1.0 (low pass)
= 0 (fail, no credit)
E.g., one semester student takes 4 4-credit courses get an A in all classes (4.0 GPA); next
semester the student takes 4 4-credit courses and get an B in all classes (3.0 GPA). This
results in a Cumulative GPA of 3.5.
Credit Transfer Policies at BU
Undergraduate
• Credits and coursework of incoming transfer students are evaluated by the
Admissions Office.
• Recency: Credits received seven or more years before a student’s
expected date of graduation are not transferable.
• Equivalency: Only courses equivalent to those offered by the
undergraduate schools and colleges of Boston University will be accepted
for transfer.
• Quality: No correspondence or distance learning courses will be accepted.
• Limit: The maximum number of courses allowed to transfer is 20; a total
of 32 courses are required for graduation.
• Department: Approval of transfer credit toward major (or minor)
requirements must be obtained from the department of the major (or
minor) after initial approval by the Admissions Office.
• Non-concurrence: No enrolled student may carry courses concurrently in
another institution.
Credit System: Other Issues
• Facilitates transfer equivalency of programs/courses/content
• Used in calculating grade point average (GPA)
• Must have sufficient “credits” and GPA to graduate
• Denotes full or part-time status which can have other implications
(cost, student long repayment )
• Equity in “teaching load”: can be used as a measure of equivalency
in teaching load. One faculty member may teach 2 two-credit
courses while another faculty member may teach 1 four-credit
course.
Questions???
Any questions related to:
• Credit system: Purposes and practices
• Grades and GPA
Course Syllabi
• Content
• Process of Construction and Review
• Evaluation and Assessment
Standard Syllabi Content
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Institution
Instructor(s) name and contact information
Course description
Course objectives
Text(s) and readings
Detailed content per session: topic, readings,
specific assignments
• Assignments
• Grading criteria
• University/school policies
Example: School/Department, Course Name/Number,
Semester
BOSTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK
Social Welfare Policy and Programs on Children
WP 707
Spring 2010
Example: Instructor Name and
Contact Information
Mary Elizabeth Collins, Ph.D.
617/353-4612
mcollins@bu.edu
Room 144
Office Hours: All meeting times available; arrange with
instructor
Example: Course Description
“This course is designed to provide an overview of the field of
child welfare policy and children and youth services.
Background information on the status of children and youth,
and the historical, political and organizational context of
services will be presented, reviewed and analyzed. Several
key substantive areas related to child welfare will be examined
including: child poverty, protective services, substitute care,
adoption, and family support services. Throughout the
course, enduring and contemporary value conflicts that
impact policy debates will be highlighted and discussed. Also,
both class reading and assignments will emphasize the
available research that may guide policy development and
program implementation.”
Example: Course Objectives
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
Examples….
1. Understand the status of America’s children and youth and the scope and
correlates of specific problems that children (and their families and
communities) face.
2. Gain an understanding of the political, organizational, and financing
context and how these factors influence the development of
policy/services for children.
3. Describe and analyze the current status of policy and program models in
several areas of child welfare.
Example: Texts
TEXT & READINGS
Required:
Rauner, D. M. 2000. They Still Pick Me Up When I Fall. New York: Columbia University Press.
Other recommended texts may be of interest:
Lindsey, D., & Shlonsky, A. (Eds.) 2008. Child Welfare Research: Advances for Practice and Policy. New
York: Oxford University Press.
Mallon, G.P., & Hess, P.M. (Eds). 2005. Child Welfare for the 21st Century: A Handbook of Practices,
Policies and Programs. New York: Columbia University Press.
Pecora, P.J., Whittaker, J.K., Maluccio, A.N., Barth, R.P., Plotnick, R.D. 2000. The Child Welfare
Challenge: Policy, Practice, and Research (2nd edition). Hawthorne, NY: Aldine DeGruyter.
Example: Details of course content
each week
Session 2 (January 20): Historical, Political, and Economic Context of Child Welfare Policy
Grason, H. & Guyer, B. 1995. Rethinking the organization of children’s programs: Lessons from
the elderly. The Milbank Quarterly, 73, 4, 565-597.
Jimenez, J. 2006. The history of child protection in the African American community:
Implications for current child welfare policies. Children and Youth Services Review, 28, 888-905.
McGowan, B.G. 2005. Historical evolution of child welfare services. In, Child Welfare for the 21st
Century: A Handbook of Practices, Policies and Programs. G. P. Mallon & P.M Hess (Eds).
Columbia University Press: New York.
Minow, M. & Weissbourd, R. 1993. Social movements for children. Daedalus, 122, 1, 1-29.
Example: Details of course content
each week – a focusing point
Policy: Social Security Act – Title IV
Questions:
What has been the U.S. historical response to vulnerable
children?
How are children’s rights represented in the political sphere?
How are children’s services financed? What are the
strengths/weaknesses of the financing mechanisms?
Example: Assignments
ASSIGNMENTS
There will be three components of the final course grade.
1) Each student will sign up to present readings on one of the session (3-11) topics. In addition
to the assigned readings for the session, the student should also seek out an additional policyrelated article on the topic. In addition to general preparation and contribution to each session
this will account for 20% of student’s grade.
2) Each student will prepare a paper (8-10 pages) which critically analyzes issues related to a
policy topic. It is recommended that the student choose a topic similar to that for which he/she
presented readings (#1 above) in order to build on earlier work. The emphasis of the paper
should be on policy analysis and policy recommendations. It should include a concise literature
review using approximately 8 research-based journal articles. This will account for 60% of
student’s grade. The paper will be due April 28th.
3) Each student will give a short (5-10 minute presentation) on the results of his/her paper in
class session 14. The presentation will account for 20% of student’s grade.
Example: Grading Criteria
COURSE GRADING CRITERIA
Written products are graded according to the following criteria:
addressing the assignment, clarity of writing, selection of appropriate
research sources, integration of articles, focus on policy
recommendation.
Presentations are graded according to the following criteria:
addressing the assignment, time management, clarity and
organization.
Consistent attendance and participation are expected.
Example: Standard University/School
Policies
COURSE POLICIES
Attendance:
It is the student’s responsibility to attend classes regularly and to inform the instructor of any absences – unusual,
anticipated, or repeated.
Academic honesty:
Papers and presentations in the School of Social Work must meet standards of academic honesty and integrity, avoiding
any possibility of plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct. For specific information about the BUSSW policy
regarding academic misconduct, see Ways and Means.
Students with disabilities:
If you have a disability and want to request reasonable accommodation, the University requires that you consult with
Boston University’s Office of Disability Services for information regarding this process.
Writing style and references:
Students are expected to follow the editorial and reference standards set out in the Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association (2001). This manual is available at the Mugar Library reference desk. A Summary of APA
Guidelines for Citations in Writing is provided to students at BUSSW Orientation.
Academic writing assistance:
If you would like academic writing assistance, contact the BUSSW Office of Student Services for information about
available supports.
Some Variations
• Multiple instructors for same course – a common,
agreed-upon syllabus is used.
• Greater detail about grading criteria – some faculty are
more extensive in describing the criteria.
• Additional readings for reference – some syllabi
provide an extensive list of additional recommended
reading.
Processes of Syllabi Construction
• Combination of institutional responsibility and
instructor responsibility
Processes of Syllabi Construction:
Institutional Responsibility
• required courses of the program should maintain
a repository of syllabi
• new instructors should have access to existing
syllabi and guidance from senior instructors
• courses taught by more than one instructor
should have meetings to jointly construct a
syllabus and reflect on/update syllabus
Processes of Syllabi Construction:
Instructor Responsibility
• Review and update syllabus after each course is completed
• Keep up-to-date with new readings, especially courses that
have contemporary relevance
• Reflect on each class session: what worked well and what
did not
• Experiment with new assignments and learning
technologies – better to try something that doesn’t work
than to keep doing the same thing repeatedly
Mechanisms of Curriculum Review
• Internal: Departments and Curriculum
Committee
• External: Accreditation (Council on Social
Work Education)
Curriculum
Department responsibility:
• to administer, plan and evaluate course offerings in
their particular area;
• to evaluate, revise and update curriculum delivery;
• to develop and plan curriculum;
• to present recommendations to the Curriculum
Committee for changes in courses and in the ordering
of courses;
• to engage in such other activity as will further the
objectives of the department and the School.
Curriculum Committee
Purpose: The Curriculum Committee is charged with the general monitoring of the quality and
integration of the total curriculum of the School and is responsible for making recommendations
to the faculty for curriculum development, innovation, evaluation of the MSW Program, and
changes associated with program assessment.
Membership: (12) with voting privileges ensuring full-time faculty representation of the
Departments : 5 full-time faculty, 1 full-time administrator representing Field Education, 1fulltime faculty representing the Dual-degree Programs, The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, 1
representative from Part-time Programs, 1 alumnus/a agency representative appointed by the
Dean, 1 full-time second year student, 1continuing part-time student.
Chairperson: The chairperson must be a full-time faculty member. The term of office for the
chairperson shall be two (2) years. The chairperson shall be elected by the current membership
of the Committee.
Curriculum Committee
Elective Courses: Responsibility for elective courses is
delegated to the departments, the Dean, and the
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
• Elective courses must be initiated through departments
by faculty members in consultation with the
chairperson.
• If a course is approved and will be offered a third time,
it shall be presented to the Curriculum Committee for
approval and then presented to the faculty for a vote.
Program Assessment Committee
Purpose: To develop methods of assessment of the
curriculum to be used for continuous quality improvement
and to address accreditation requirements.
For example: Field education assessments, grade point
averages, identification of specific assignments that
demonstrate competencies in different areas (research, policy
analysis, clinical intervention), pass rates of licensing exams
after graduation.
Caution: There is too much data available!!! Programs must
make decisions on which existing data elements to utilize to
assess their program.
Accreditation
Federal and state governments have some
accountability requirements imposed on
institutions, but they generally have left the
assessment of academic quality to institutions
themselves through the self-study and peer
review processes of accreditation.
Source: Eckel, P.D. & King, J.E. (n.d.) An Overview of Higher Education in the United States: Diversity,
Access, and the Role of the Marketplace. American Council on Education
Accrediting Procedure
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Standards: The accrediting agency, in collaboration with educational institutions, establishes standards.
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Self-study: The institution or program seeking accreditation prepares an in-depth self-evaluation study
that measures its performance against the standards established by the accrediting agency.
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On-site Evaluation: A team selected by the accrediting agency visits the institution or program to
determine first-hand if the applicant meets the established standards.
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Publication: Upon being satisfied that the applicant meets its standards, the accrediting agency grants
accreditation or preaccreditation status and lists the institution or program in an official publication.
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Monitoring: The accrediting agency monitors each accredited institution or program throughout the
period of accreditation granted to verify that it continues to meet the agency's standards.
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Reevaluation: The accrediting agency periodically reevaluates each institution or program that it lists to
ascertain whether continuation of its accredited or preaccredited status is warranted.
Source: U.S. Department of Education (www2.ed.gov)
Types of Accreditation
• There are two basic types of educational accreditation, one referred to as
"institutional" and the other referred to as "specialized" or
"programmatic."
• Institutional accreditation normally applies to an entire institution,
indicating that each of an institution's parts is contributing to the
achievement of the institution's objectives, although not necessarily all at
the same level of quality.
• Specialized or programmatic accreditation normally applies to programs,
departments, or schools that are parts of an institution.
Source: U.S. Department of Education (www2.ed.gov)
Accreditation Example:
Council on Social Work Education
The CSWE's Commission on Accreditation (COA) is
responsible for developing accreditation standards that
define competent preparation and ensuring that social
work programs meet them. In accordance with the
requirements of the Council's recognition body, the
Council for Higher Education Accreditation, the CSWE
Office of Social Work Accreditation (OSWA) administers a
multi-step accreditation process that involves program
self-studies, site visits, and COA reviews.
Source: www.cswe.org
Accreditation Example:
Council on Social Work Education
• CSWE uses the 2008 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS)
to accredit baccalaureate- and master’s-level social work programs.
• EPAS supports academic excellence by establishing thresholds for
professional competence.
• It permits programs to use traditional and emerging models of curriculum
design by balancing requirements that promote comparability across
programs with a level of flexibility that encourages programs to
differentiate.
Source: www.cswe.org
Accreditation Example:
Council on Social Work Education
• Competency-based education is an outcome
performance approach to curriculum design.
• Competencies are measurable practice behaviors that
are comprised of knowledge, values, and skills.
• The EPAS document lists 10 core competencies; for
example, Educational Policy 2.1.1—Identify as a
professional social worker and conduct oneself
accordingly.
Delivery of Curriculum: Instruction
• Supports for Teaching Excellence
• Teaching Methodologies
Boston University Center for Excellence &
Innovation in Teaching
www.bu.edu/ceit
The Center promotes excellence in teaching by:
• assisting and supporting both new and established faculty members
in their teaching roles;
• facilitating the appropriate use of new technologies in classrooms
and laboratories;
• refining methods, instruments, and procedures for evaluating
teaching;
• working with the administration to improve the teaching
infrastructure in classrooms and laboratories;
• improving the training and career preparation of Teaching Fellows;
• providing feedback on classroom performance through videotaping,
observing, and mentoring.
BUSSW Doctoral Teaching Seminar
Janice Furlong, MSW, Instructor
Seminar is for doctoral students to prepare them to teach at the university
level.
• Class #1 Introductions; Starting with the self: who are we, why do we
want to teach; adult learning theory; diversity in learning styles
• Class #2 Class participation and diversity; issues in the classroom:
attending to process and content
• Class # 3 The challenge of grading: setting grading criteria, delivering
evaluative feedback including on writing skills; developing rubrics
• Class # 4 Student problems and problem students: classroom behaviors,
including professional boundary issues, student special needs and
accommodations
Teaching Method 1:
Lecture/Discussion
• Students read material before coming to class
• Lecture for 20 minutes
• Questions for the group (e.g., What is the readings’ perspective on
this issue? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the
argument? How does it apply in current U.S.?)
• Facilitated discussion: Encourage various points of view, monitor
the flow of discussion (keep on point, don’t let anyone talk to much,
correct factual errors, challenge biased points)
• Lecture for another 20 minutes
• Some small group work: Provide questions to the group, allow 15
minutes for groups to discuss, presentation to the class
• Summarize at end: key points, how it fits with what we’ve already
covered, preview of next session and any specific instructions
Teaching Method 2:
Using Case Studies
(adapted from www.bu.edu/ceit)
• Many students learn better from examples than from
logical development starting with basic principles.
• Case studies are used in social work, business, law, and
medicine, but can be used in any discipline when
instructors want students to explore how what they have
learned applies to real world situations.
• Most case assignments require students to answer an
open-ended question or develop a solution to an openended problem with multiple potential solutions.
Requirements can range from a one-paragraph answer to a
fully developed group action plan, proposal or decision.
Teaching Method 3:
Independent Study
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An Independent Study is a course of guided learning in which a faculty member provides an
opportunity for learning, jointly structured by the faculty member and student, and the
student acquires knowledge and skills by studying and working relatively autonomously.
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There is wide variation in terms of the type of work completed by the student (e.g., reading
/discussions with faculty; working on a research project; writing a program evaluation) the
amount of reading, the number of assignments, the number of meetings. At least one
assignment is required so the student can show mastery of the material.
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Students must be in good academic standing (minimum 3.0 GPA, no Incomplete grades) to
participate in an independent study.
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Students should plan to invest approximately the same amount of their own time as they
would in a standard course. Some faculty members estimate this to be 28 hours of classroom
time, plus 2 hours per week of reading, plus 3 hours per week for assignments; thus, 30
hours per credit hour, or 90 hours for a three-credit course.
Any final questions?