The Honors Contract allows an individual student to earn Honors credits for a non-Honors course. This opportunity is only available for non-Honors courses that are not already offered as an Honors section and have an open seat. Honors Contracts are not available for classes that are shorter than 8 weeks.
To be eligible, a student must have taken at least one Honors course. To begin, the student selects an instructor for a class in which the student is enrolled and presents an idea or topic to that instructor.
Note: The Dean does not need to sign the proposal. Part-time faculty should consult with their Dean to make sure that this project does not adversely affect their teaching load. The Honors Contract does not affect the full-time faculty load. The Dean will ensure that the stipend will be paid.
Then, with the approval of the faculty member and the Honors Program chair, the student is given the opportunity to complete an extra or enriched project, aligning with Honors course criteria, that is connected to a topic in the course syllabus. The project must entail approximately 15 hours of work outside of regular course expectations for the student, and approximately 3-5 hours of consultation with the faculty member. The project must result in a product that is intended to be shared with an audience beyond the instructor.
Completion of the project with a “B” or better will convert the regular course into an Honors course. (The project grade will not be part of the regular course grade. It is only for determining whether the student has earned Honors credit.) For the individual student, the course will be designated as Honors on the student’s transcript.
Purpose
- Allow individual students to earn Honors credits for courses that are not offered as Honors sections.
- Enable individualized, comprehensive exploration of an academic topic of personal interest not covered in an existing Honors course.
- Present an intellectually challenging enterprise for students and
- Provide the opportunity to further develop critical thinking skills and perform significant research with one-on-one guidance from the instructor.
- Provide an opportunity to produce scholarly and creative work (a product) that will be shared with an audience.
- Prepare students for advanced undergraduate work upon transfer to a 4-year college or
- Address the needs of students who need honors credit to complete Honors Program transcript credentials or transfer scholarship requirements.
Process
Before agreeing to an Honors Contract, part-time faculty should contact their Dean to make sure that this project will not affect their teaching load. (This does not apply to full-time faculty.) The Dean will ensure that the stipend is paid by the Division. Faculty are strongly encouraged to take PDH in the Honors Program once a year. The Honors Contract will be monitored by the Honors Program through Etrieve, our electronic forms system at COD. Students will submit the Honors Contract Proposal through Etrieve. Faculty assigned to the non-honors course will approve or deny the contract through Etrieve. Upon successful completion of the project, faculty will return to Etrieve to complete the Project Evaluation.
Upon agreeing to direct the Honors Contract project, the instructor:
- Part-time faculty only: contacts their Dean to make sure this won’t affect adjunct teaching load,
- works with the student as they complete the proposal,
- approves the honors contract through Etrieve (after an email is sent from Etrieve)
The completed form must be submitted through Etrieve for review/approval by the Honors Program chair.
The instructor and student agree to:
- Work together to create an honors contract
- Choose a topic in the syllabus that warrants more research or
- Develop an Honors Contract project that should make the student’s experience qualitatively different from the non-Honors course Accordingly, the student and instructor will describe the qualitative differences in the Honors Contract Proposal Form.
- Propose a project that will result in a product that will be shared with an
- Submit the Honors Contract Proposal Form on time through Etrieve.
Upon approval of the project by the Honors Program, the student commits to dedicate the time and effort necessary to complete the Honors project (approximately 15 hours outside of regular course expectations).
The faculty member commits to working with the student for approximately 3-5 hours throughout the term.
Deadlines: Thursday of the third week in 16-week or 12-week term; the second week in an 8-week term. Honors Contracts are not available for classes that are shorter than 8 weeks. Honors Contracts for Field Studies/Study Abroad courses must be proposed and approved prior to travel. Early submissions are encouraged.
Project Evaluation
When the honors contract project is complete, the instructor fills in the Project Evaluation section of the form in Etrieve, indicating whether the project was completed with a “B” or better, or is incomplete. (The project grade will not be part of the regular course grade. It is only for determining whether the student has earned Honors credit.) At that time, the course may be converted into Honors credit on the transcript.
Deadline: When grades are due.
Frequently Asked Questions
Upon completion, the student is required to have a product of some kind that will be presented to an audience. The product could be:
- a paper/essay
- a professionally printed poster
- a PowerPoint-type presentation
- a demonstration
- artwork
- a musical composition
- a computer program
Although the instructor is the primary audience, it is important that the student prepare a product for a wider audience. Engaging with a wider audience will help Honors students develop as scholars, leaders and citizens. Presenting during the term is ideal.
The instructor and student may work with the Faculty Chair of the Honors Program to find a suitable audience. Possibilities include:
- a presentation to a small group in the Honors conference room,
- a presentation to a class,
- submission to a publication for undergraduate student work such as COD’s Essai or the National Collegiate Honors Council’s UReCA,
- presentation at the Honors Council of the Illinois Region’s Student Symposium,
- presentation at the COD Library Student Research Symposium,
- or some other
Only two Honors Contract classes can be counted toward fulfilling the Honors Candidate or Scholar requirements.
Additional Notes
- If an honors section is offered and has seats available, other regular sections of that class cannot have a contract. This opportunity is only available for non-honors classes that are not currently offered as an Honors section. If the Honors section is filled, then a student may engage in an Honors Contract for a regular class section.
- Service Learning: If the project includes Service Learning/Community Engagement (e.g. a volunteer project connected to course curriculum), contact the Service Learning Office in Career Services for the criteria needed to earn a “Service Learning” designation on the student’s transcript.
- Printed Posters: Writing, Reading, Speech Assistance (WRSA) has a mini-module workshop and other assistance available to students who want to create a professionally printed academic poster. Contact the WRSA office in the Learning Commons. Color posters can be printed for approximately $17.00 - $27.00 in Print Services. (Depending on the audience, this cost might be covered by the Honors Program with prior approval.)
- Faculty Compensation: Faculty compensation will be a stipend based on the equivalent of one credit hour
of Independent Study, as calculated in section “F 10 Payment for Cooperative Education,
Internship and Supervision of Independent Studies” in the CODFA contract.
An Honors Contract does not count toward a full-time faculty member’s teaching load. However, it does count towards an adjunct faculty member’s teaching load. Adjunct faculty are advised to communicate with their Dean as early as possible.
The stipend will be paid regardless of whether the student satisfactorily completes the project.
Contact Information
Honors Program Office
Berg Instructional Center (BIC), Room 3418
(630) 942-3318
Email: honorsprogram@cod.edu
Dr. Trina Sotirakopulos
Faculty Chair, Honors Program
Professor of English