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Independent Study Projects
Winter Term Independent Study Projects offer you a unique opportunity to explore an area of special interest.
These month-long projects must offer significant learning experiences,
and should neither duplicate on-campus courses nor repeat previous
projects or summer job experiences. The student works closely
with a supervising faculty member who serves as the principal
point of contact, to whom the student reports the result of
the project. Students are expected to be occupied approximately
35-40 hours per week during the Winter Term.
Begin by identifying a topic you would like to study during Winter Term and then set up an appointment to meet with a Winter Term representative. After meeting with a Winter Term advisor, you must formulate the basic outline of the project and find a member of the faculty who is willing to work with you to fully develop your project. Next, continue working with the faculty supervisor to develop a fully worked-out, detailed project proposal/learning contract, spelling out the learning goals, methodology, final product, etc.
The deadline for submitting this information to the Winter Term
office in an application is Friday, October 26,
2007. This deadline is strictly enforced: if the
application is not submitted by the deadline, the project will
not be approved for credit.
The second step is to work with the faculty supervisor to develop
a fully worked-out, detailed learning contract,
spelling out the learning goals, methodology, final product,
etc. The deadline for submission of this document (as well as
a completed liability release and medical authorization for
off-campus projects and immunization checklist for international destinations) is Friday, November 30, 2007.
During Winter Term 2007, 123 students participated in independent
study projects, with approximately three-quarters of all project types taking place off-campus
sites, and one-quarter on-campus. |
PLEASE READ THESE GUIDELINES CAREFULLY
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The main responsibility for conceiving and organizing an independent study project lies with you. Early in the process you will find it helpful to consult with a Winter Term advisor who can offer some suggestions about how to focus and shape the project. In addition, you must find a faculty member who agrees to serve as supervisor of the project, who helps you turn your idea into a fully worked-out proposal, and to whom you will report your findings. In most cases the supervisor should be a member of the full-time faculty and they should not be on leave or leading an off-campus study or service project during Winter Term so that they are available to you for consultation during Winter Term.
Note: While there have been many successful examples of projects undertaken by small groups of students, the notion of a “group independent study” is antithetical. Students are expected to submit individual project proposals. If multiple proposals are received for the same general location, these proposals will be reviewed with particular care to ensure the projects are truly independent. This may mean a limit on the number of proposals for the same destination. Decisions on which proposals are approved within the limit will be based on (1) quality of the proposal and (2) time and date of proposal submission. |
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Important Deadline:
Applications due Friday, October 26, 2007. The
information contained in your preliminary application will form
the basis for your final project proposal/learning contract. Your
faculty supervisor must agree to work with you to develop the
contract and must endorse your application on the appropriate
line. |
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Student Support
Applications: If you hope to carry out a project off-campus
and wish to apply for an award from the Winter Term Student
Support Program, you must submit the Student Support Application
by the same Friday, October 26, 2007, deadline. There is a separate
application form for funding.
Important note: Because final
approval of the independent study project is dependent on satisfactory
development of the learning contract, student support award
decisions are not final (and checks will not be issued) until
after the signed learning contract is submitted and students
are enrolled for the project. |
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Orientation: Students who are completing
independent study projects off-campus are required to attend a Winter Term off-campus
orientation session, which will be held during mid-November 2007.
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Second Important
Deadline: Learning Contracts due Friday, November 30, 2007.
With the assistance of your faculty supervisor, you must fully
develop the project and prepare a detailed, formal learning
contract. This document is due to the Winter Term office by Friday,
November 30, 2007. There is no single acceptable format, but in
this document (typically 3-4 pages) you must provide:
- a detailed description of the project
with a timeline
- a clear statement of the your learning goals and how you plan to achieve them,
including what research or preparation you need to do before beginning your project
- a detailed methodology for carrying out the project
- a description of the role of the faculty supervisor (how often you will consult, submit materials, etc.)
- a description of the potential outcomes and expected nature
of the final "product" (paper, presentation, performance,
etc.) and an indication of the basis on which your project
will be evaluated
- a section in which you and your faculty supervisor agree to the terms of the contract,
including the deadline for submission of materials.
Once you have written a draft of the learning contract, review it with your faculty supervisor. If necessary, make any changes and revisions. When you and your faculty supervisor are satisfied with the content of the contract, be sure that both you and your supervisor sign and date a final draft. Be sure to make two additional copies of the signed contract, keeping one for yourself and giving one to your faculty supervisor. The original copy should be submitted to the Winter Term office |
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Release and Medical
Authorization, also due Friday, November 30, 2007 (for off-campus
independent study projects only): If your independent study project
will be carried out off-campus, you must also complete and submit
a Release and Medical Authorization form, which is available
on the Winter Term website. The document must be signed both by
you and by your parent or legal guardian.
For students traveling internationally, a Immunization Checklist, two copies of your passport, and a travel itinerary must also be submitted. |
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Registration:
After the above materials have been submitted by the November 30, 2007, deadline, you will be enrolled by the Winter Term office.
Only students who have submitted all of the necessary documents
will be registered.
Note: You are not permitted to change independent study projects
after the application deadline. If a problem requires your withdrawal
from this Winter Term project after registration, and if you
intend to fulfill a Winter Term commitment this year, you may
register for an on-campus course. |
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Submission of Final
Materials, due Thursday, January 31, 2007: You must submit
to your faculty supervisor for evaluation any final papers, reports,
and other materials, as indicated in your learning contract, by
Thursday, February 1, 2007. On the basis of your work, your faculty
supervisor will assign and submit your Winter Term grade. |
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©2000-05 DePauw University
Email comments to:
winterterm@depauw.edu
or call (765) 658-4355
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