Honors Contract Courses
An Honors contract (previously referred to as an “Honors option”) is an agreement between an Honors student and a faculty instructor outlining how the student will complete an enhanced or enriched component of a standard 200-400 level course within a student’s major or minor, turning it into an Honors course that is applied toward Honors Program completion. This option allows students to pursue their intellectual interests and gain more knowledge about topics related to the course while fostering one-on-one interactions between faculty and student.
Enhancing or further enriching a component of an already existing course can vary greatly in execution. Students might engage in a service project, apply extended methodology or theory to a specific course concept, or attend and even present research at a regional conference. Whatever form the Honors component takes should be equivalent to approximately one credit of academic work, and it should include opportunities for the student to connect with the instructor in meaningful ways. Students may pursue as many Honors contracts as they like, keeping in mind the additional rigor it will add to a course. Read below for detailed information about how to pursue this style of Honors work.
Expectations and Roles of Each Stakeholder
Establishing a contract to enhance a course includes several different stakeholders working in conjunction with one another to ensure a successful experience. Students and faculty, of course, work together to define and implement an enrichment plan. However, Honors advisors and staff have behind-the-scenes roles to play to ensure the enhanced course is recognized as an Honors course as well. Therefore, communication among all invested parties is necessary.
Student Expectation
It is a student’s responsibility to:
- Respectfully approach the instructor within the first week of class requesting to take the course for Honors credit through an Honors contract.
- In collaboration with the instructor, outline an enrichment plan within the context of the course. Consider the following:
- how will the enrichment enhance your experience;
- how does it connect with the course material;
- how does it meet your educational goals;
- what is the plan for student/teacher interaction, etc…
- Adhere to all due dates and deadlines, from submitting the contract through completion of the enrichment plan.
- Remain professional, inquisitive, and intentional about the enrichment process. You will get out of the experience what you put into it.
Teacher Expectation
It is an instructor’s responsibility to:
- Work in collaboration with the student to create a plan that further enhances the coursework.
- Meet with student during pre-arranged times to help them think more critically about the course content in relation to the Honors component.
- Adhere to due dates and deadlines, including approval of the initial Honors contract as well as timely response to indicate successful completion.
- Assess the Honors component; assessment is ultimately up to the instructor, but Honors recommends keeping it simple with a satisfactory/unsatisfactory system.
- Provide Honors advisors with an indication of successful completion when prompted via email towards the end of the semester. This will need to happen prior to Finals Week to allow time for the Office of the Registrar to process the change, especially for graduating seniors.
Honors Staff and Advising
It is the program’s responsibility to:
- Answer any questions the student and/or instructor may have regarding the enrichment plan. Address questions to [email protected].
- Read and approve* the contract no later than the fourth week of classes so the enrichment work may begin promptly. Email confirmations will be sent to both student and instructor.
- Email instructors before Finals Week, requesting indication of successful completion of Honors enrichment for the course. It is important to have this information early for processing purposes, especially for graduating seniors.
- Add the course(s) to the student’s DARS report after instructor indicates successful completion of contract. Students, please be patient, as this is not an immediate action and must be done manually by Honors advisors.
*Note: in rare occasions, revisions to the enrichment plan may be requested.
Student Submission of Honors Contract
Instructor Approval of Honors Contract
Steps to Submitting an Honors Contract
Deadlines
- Student initiates request to their instructor in the first week of the semester (no later than week two).
- Student submits the Honors contract by the end of the second week (no later than week three).
- Instructor approves the submitted contract before the end of the third week.
- Honors approves the contract by the end of the fourth week, at which point work may begin.
- Completion status is determined the week before Finals.
- Honors advisors process the Honors credit with the Registrar's Office, which can take up to two weeks.
Examples of Honors Contract Enrichment Plans
Honors contract course enrichments offer an opportunity to be creative and innovative with course materials and learning outcomes. These projects can truly be anything the student and instructor agree upon that enhances the academic experience in the course. Some examples include (this is not an exhaustive list):
Email Template to Help Get the Conversation Started
Sometimes it is difficult to initiate conversations about a course with a new instructor. This email template can help give some language to initiate a conversation about ways to enhance an instructor’s course. Students will certainly want to adapt and refine this template to fit the situation.
Hello *insert professor’s name and proper title here*,
I am an Honors student currently enrolled in your *COURSE NAME.SECTION NUMBER*. The Honors Program offers the potential to earn an Honors designation for any standard course through means of an Honors contract. Honors contracts outline an agreement between the student and instructor describing ways the student can further enrich the academic experience offered through the course. I am interested in earning an Honors designation through an Honors contract with this course. Some examples of ways to enrich my academic experience in this class could include: presenting course research/assignments at a regional conference, preparing and executing a lesson plan or unit, building upon existing assignments in meaningful ways, completing and discussing additional readings, preparing study guides for the class, or something else entirely. Or perhaps you already have a set Honors contract project for this course? If not, may we meet to discuss a possible Honors contract?
Please let me know if you would be interested in allowing me to earn Honors credit for your course. Here is additional information about the Honors contract, including instructor expectations, deadlines, additional ideas, and the path for instructor approval of a contract.
Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to hearing back from you.
All best,
*insert full name here*