Independent Study
Carroll College’s Independent Study process offers students a flexible opportunity for pursuing research or other academic experience with the guidance of a faculty member. Advanced students who wish to undertake an Independent Study will work closely with a faculty member to initiate, design, and execute a credit-bearing learning experience. The topic of an Independent Study is generally not offered in the established curriculum.
Independent studies are offered as a service by the college to those students who have demonstrated a clear ability to pursue a subject in a creative and independent fashion. Independent studies are offered only as faculty time permits.
Policy, Procedure, and Eligibility Requirements for Independent Studies
· Students who are juniors or seniors may enroll in an independent study. Graduate and Post-Baccalaureate students may be eligible and must meet with the program director before initiating the process.
· At the time of application, a student must have earned at least a 3.00 cumulative grade point average.
· Arrangements for an independent study must be finalized no later than the first week of the term in which the student plans to do and receive credit for the work.
· A maximum of three (3) semester hours of independent study can be completed in any one term.
· Students may not take a course offered in the College’s regular curriculum by independent study unless there are extenuating circumstances.
· The Independent Study Request form can be found in MyCarroll. To complete the form, a student must meet with the supervising faculty member to plan out the Independent Study objectives, learning activities, and method for evaluating outcomes, all of which must be submitted as part of the application.
· A complete Independent Study Request form must be submitted via MyCarroll and approved by the student’s faculty Advisor, the Instructor overseeing the Independent Study, the appropriate Department Chair, Associate VP for Academic Affairs, and Registrar’s Office before a student will be allowed to register.
Regular and Substantive Interaction
The U.S. Department of Education regulations for distance (online) education require regular and substantive interaction between students and their instructors. The phrase “regular and substantive interaction” comes from the federal definition of distance education. The requirement for regular and substantive interaction applies to both synchronous and asynchronous instructional modalities.
Regular and Substantive Interaction has three elements. It must be:
- initiated by the instructor;
- frequent and consistent;
- focused on the course subject.
Definitions of Key Terms:
Substantive Interaction is defined as engaging students in teaching, learning, and assessment, consistent with the content under discussion, and also includes at least two of the following:
1. Providing direct instruction. Examples include:
- Actively facilitating an online discussion.
- Participation in regularly scheduled learning sessions where there is an opportunity for direct interaction between the student and the qualified instructor.(Note: merely logging into class is insufficient without further participation.)
- Providing an overview video to accompany pre-recorded lectures that are not generated by the Carroll faculty member.
2. Assessing or providing feedback on a student’s coursework. Examples include:
- Providing personalized comments (in any medium) for an individual student’s assignment or exam
- Providing post-assessment debriefings based upon class performance.
3. Providing information or responding to questions about the content of a course or competency;
4. Facilitating a group discussion regarding the content of a course or competency;
5.Other instructional activities approved by NWCCU and/or any relevant specialized accrediting agency/ies.
Regular Interaction requires the opportunity for substantive interactions with the student on a predictable and recurring basis commensurate with the length of time and the amount of content in the course or competency. The instructor is responsible for promptly and proactively engaging in substantive interaction with the student, as well as monitoring students’ academic engagement and success.
Monitoring Academic Engagement can include:
1. Evaluating a student’s level of participation in synchronous class sessions;
2. Monitoring the student’s activity on course websites or materials;
3. Considering the quality of the student’s assignments or responses to questions about course materials;
4. Evaluating the level of the student’s understanding of course materials during conversations with instructors or performance on exams; and
5. Other forms of monitoring the student’s engagement and success in the course or competency.
Direct Instruction occurs in a synchronous environment where both the instructor and student are present at the same time and are both engaged.
Distance Education is a means of delivering educational programming to students physically separated from the instructor using technology. Distance delivery courses may be synchronous or asynchronous and must meet the same academic standards as all other Carroll College courses.
All faculty are responsible for complying with this policy and its associated federal regulations. Faculty teaching distance education (online) courses are responsible for ensuring their courses are designed to facilitate regular and substantive interaction between instructors and students. Each department or academic program is responsible for ensuring instructors who teach online courses in their department comply with this policy.
Examinations
Examinations, recitations, and reports are required within the semester at the discretion of the instructor. In addition, a final examination is given in most courses during the final examination week of each semester. Students absenting themselves from a scheduled examination without justifiable cause will receive a failing grade for the examination. A scheduled examination is any examination that is announced by an instructor in advance of the class meeting when the examination is administered. A supplementary examination may be taken for a justifiable cause approved by the instructor of the course.
Final Examinations
The final examination week is an essential part of the academic semester. Although final examinations are not required in all classes, it is expected that classes will meet during the time scheduled for the final examination. Final examinations are to be conducted according to the guidelines of the College catalog and according to the final examinations schedule published at the beginning of each semester as part of the class schedule. The following guidelines are to be observed with respect to final examinations:
- Final examinations are to be given according to the published schedule.
- Take home final examinations are not due until the scheduled time for final examinations for that class.
- Final examinations for evening classes (6-10 p.m.) will be given at the regular class time during finals week or as scheduled.
- Laboratory and studio art final examinations may be given during the final week of classes.
There are many things required of students during the last few weeks of classes. Faculty are encouraged to work with students in planning for these last weeks and to be sensitive to the many requirements of the end of the semester.
Note: It is possible that individual students may have three finals scheduled during a given day. This creates a difficult situation for some of those students. If requested and reasonable, the faculty will work with the individual student in rescheduling a test at another time during finals week so as to remedy this situation.