CHAPTER 5 POLICIES PERTAINING TO CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

SECTION 9 GRADUATE COURSE POLICY

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DEFINITIONS OF SPECIAL GRADUATE COURSES

Independent Study emphasizes a specific topic. The topic selected is not normally a regular course offering. Instruction is generally under the guidance of a professor who meets regularly with the student. Credit may be variable, depending on the workload and the time span over which the course is offered. Topics for which credit has been received cannot be repeated.

Special Topics courses emphasize a topic of narrow focus. The topic selected is generally one that meets the special needs of a group of students. The topic is not intended to be repeated. Instruction is normally in the form of lectures, discussions, or other means of exchange of ideas. Credit may be variable, depending on the workload and the time span over which the course is offered.

Workshops emphasize a topic of interest to a wide group of students. Workshop offerings may be repeated. Instruction involves free discussions, the exchange of ideas, demonstration of methods, the acquisition of skills and techniques in a specialized area within a discipline, and participation and problem-solving given mainly for and by adults already employed or those adequately prepared with common interests and problems based on the needs and wants of the group. The final result should be clearly defined, such as progress in a particular skill, or individual or group reports or papers on the conclusions reached or solutions developed or for class analyses and reactions. Workshops may have variable time spans as well as variable graduate credit.

A Seminar collects a small group of advanced students engaged in presenting either existing or original research under the guidance of a professor who meets regularly with them for reports, discussions, and informal lectures. Seminars may have variable time spans as well as variable graduate credit.

A Colloquium stresses discussion of a specific subject or meetings that several lecturers take turns in leading. Colloquia may have variable time spans as well as variable graduate credit. (Colloquium is normally included under Special Topics.)

A Symposium is a meeting or conference of limited duration for discussion of some topic at which several speakers deliver short addresses on various aspects of the topic. No graduate credit.

MINIMUM GRADUATE STANDARDS FOR DUAL-NUMBERED (SLASH) COURSES

Courses granting graduate credit should be structured and taught primarily at the graduate level of instruction. Ideally, dual-numbered courses should enroll primarily graduate students, with a minority of the course enrollment made up of academically superior undergraduate students. Graduate Council recognizes, however, the impracticality of this ideal in some disciplines. Therefore, Graduate Council establishes the following minimum guidelines for graduate students enrolled in dual-numbered courses:

Graduate students will be required to accomplish at least one additional objective beyond the requirements of undergraduate students in the same course. Faculty are encouraged to utilize more than one of these additional objectives in their classes. Additional objectives shall be qualitative rather than quantitative in nature. Examples of suitable additional objectives are a research project with a written and/or oral report, a term paper, a seminar or presentation given to the class, a classroom utilizable product that can be shared with others, or essay and/or oral examinations as alternatives to objective exams given to undergraduates in the same class. These examples are not inclusive, and faculty are encouraged to develop other qualitative objectives for their specific courses. These additional qualitative objectives will be included in the syllabus for each course.

In addition, faculty members teaching dual-numbered courses are encouraged to utilize modes of instruction that involve dialogue, student discussion, and student presentations. Where this is not feasible for the entire class, faculty are encouraged to have separate or additional discussion/seminar sessions for the graduate students.

Dual-numbered courses will be taught by members of the Graduate Faculty.

All departments offering dual-numbered courses will use these Graduate Council guidelines to develop specific procedures insuring adequate graduate level instruction in those courses. These procedures will be submitted for information to the Graduate Council and filed with the Graduate Dean.