independent research course

Moody College of Communication

Independent study and research, see all policies, what are independent studies and research courses.

Independent studies and research courses provide well-motivated students opportunities to explore their interests deeper and make important decisions about how and where they will direct their talents in the future. They are a way for students to learn specialized material or gain research experience. A student and faculty member agree upon a topic for the student to research with guidance from the faculty member.

To register for an independent study/research class, you must contact the faculty member you’d like to work with, and discuss an independent study/research arrangement with them. Once you have the agreement of the faculty member, you can start the process of registering for an independent study/research class.  If they agree, please work together to determine:

• Which readings you will do
• Any deliverables and their deadlines
• Frequency and method of contact with the faculty member

How do I register for an independent study or research course?

• Your primary email address
• The faculty member’s name
• The faculty member’s EID
• The course you plan to take
• The unique number for your course
• The semester you plan to take the course
• Once you send the correct information, an electronic DocuSign form will be created. You will then receive an email request to complete and sign the form, then it will be completed and signed by the faculty member, and then the department chair or the dean.

Once your form is signed and fully approved, you will receive a Secure Academic Note notifying you that you can register for the class. You must then add class to your schedule during your next add/drop period.

Please email  [email protected]  if you have any questions.

Program Specific Course Information

ADV/PR 179J, 279J, 379J, 479J, 379H

Special projects courses require a specific type of work from students. This can be a special research project, a comprehensive paper, a case analysis, or a review of literature documented by a paper.

All assignments in the course will be agreed upon between the instructor and the student. It is the student’s responsibility to maintain contact with the professor about assignments and grade information.

Grading:  If students elect to take the independent study course on a pass/fail basis, it cannot count toward the Moody degree.

COM 326 ( UTNY)

On occasion a Moody College student may secure an opportunity in New York that does not meet the standard requirements for internship. In these cases, the student may apply to pursue credit through independent study (COM 326) rather than an internship course. The option for independent study is NOT intended to support students who cannot find an internship, rather to support creative and independent place-based work in New York City that does not meet the expectations for an internship.

The student must obtain the agreement of a Moody College faculty member to supervise their work. Neither the UTNY Program, the student’s academic department, nor the Office of Undergraduate Education has responsibility to assist a student in obtaining the agreement of a faculty member. Assistant Instructors/Teaching Assistants are not eligible to supervise COM 326.

The agreement must be submitted to the Office of Undergraduate Education by 5:00 pm CT one week prior to the beginning of the University registration period for the applicable semester, or one week prior to the opening of the add/drop period for the applicable semester. The agreement will be reviewed by the Assistant or Associate Dean to determine if this opportunity is suitable for credit.

Grading:  If students elect to take the independent study course on a pass/fail basis, it cannot count toward the Moody degree.

COM 326 (non UTNY)

If there is a subject you are interested in, but you can’t find a course on that topic, you can contact a faculty member and ask them to do an independent study. Feel free to explore any option as our faculty members have diverse interests.

COM 360H – Independent Study Honors – Web Based (Moody College Honors Program)

This course is restricted to students in the Moody College Honors Program and will only be approved by the Program Director when the student cannot fulfill their capstone requirement before their expected date of graduation. Please email  [email protected]  if you have any questions.

Grading : If students elect to take this independent study course on a pass/fail basis, it cannot count toward the Moody degree or toward the fulfillment of Moody Honors Program requirements.

CLD 122, 222, 322

CMS 177K / 377K / 477K

Faculty-Initiated Research

This course allows undergraduates to work with a Communication Studies faculty member on the faculty member's research. The faculty member will have designed the research project and the student will work as an assistant on the project. The exact nature of a student's tasks will be agreed to by the student and faculty member. Typically, students will be required to read related research and to write a paper about the research.

Textbooks/Materials

• Determined by instructor.

Assignments/Papers

• All projects, papers, and/or assignments must be submitted by the last class day of the semester.

Method of Evaluation

CMS 178K, 278K, 378K, 478K, 578K, 678K

Student-Initiated Research in Communication Studies

This course allows undergraduates to pursue their own communication research project. Students taking this course are expected to come up with their own idea about what to research and to create their own plan for completing the research. Students must find a Communication Studies faculty member who is willing to supervise the project before enrolling in this course. Typically, students will need to read related research and to write a paper reporting on the results of the project. It is recommended, though not required, that students complete CMS 177K, 377K, OR 477K before enrolling in 178K/378K./478K.

• Determined by topics of media ethics case studies chosen by the student.
• Student will propose topics for case studies, research them, and then write the finalized case studies in coordination with a faculty member’s feedback and revisions. The number of case studies will be determined by the student and the faculty member. This number needs to be added to the DocuSign form. These are due on or before the last regular day of the semester.
• Student will attend Media Ethics Initiative events over the course of the semester, schedule permitting, to gain background knowledge on media and communication ethics. The number of Media Ethics Initiative events will be determined by the student and the faculty member. This number needs to be added to the DocuSign form.
• Student will assist the Media Ethics Initiative in publicizing its events [ungraded].

Amount of face-to-face student/faculty contact

• Student will meet with the faculty member periodically concerning their case study research and writing. Meetings will occur on the Austin campus or virtually via Zoom every two weeks.
• The student’s case studies will be evaluated by the faculty member and will receive feedback. The student will then incorporate this feedback into revising the case studies. The successful completion of this revision process for all the cases assigned will be the final standard of assessment. All of the revised case studies are due the last regular day of the semester.  Drafts of half the assigned case studies are due mid-semester.

J 363F, 178P, 278P, 378P, 379

The design and execution of special projects showcasing the individual student’s interests in one or more journalistic platforms. This is a supervised project in the field of journalism.

Grading: If students elect to take the independent study course on a pass/fail basis, it cannot count toward the Moody degree.

Special Projects RTF 336 is a course that involves an intensive research, writing, or production project in an area of special interest to the student. The student develops and executes the project under a faculty member’s supervision. When the topic varies, this course may be repeated only once for credit. The independent study class does not qualify students for insurance the department provides, equipment, or studio space.

To enroll in RTF 336, complete the following steps:

• a study of a specific filmmaker.
• writing a feature-length screenplay.
• research in a developing communication technology.

A production project is possible only if you have access to non-departmental equipment (e.g., your own, ACTV, KVR9, Austin Cinemaker Coop, etc.). RTF equipment may NOT be used.

Special Projects should never serve as a substitute for engaging in the learning process that is otherwise available in organized courses.

Special Projects should always offer academic learning that goes beyond just gathering data or doing, in essence, secretarial work that will be for the benefit of the faculty sponsor.

Fill out the DocuSign.

• Any Lecturer, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor who is teaching the semester that you will be enrolled for this course is eligible to sponsor your project. Assistant Instructors (graduate students) are NOT eligible to sponsor.
• If you are doing a group project with TSTV, please also get the TSTV/Special Projects Guideline sheet from the department.

If this is your second RTF 336, please meet with your advisor before registration in order to have two RTF 336 courses count toward your degree.

Students who want their work on a Texas Student Television (TSTV) group project considered for fulfillment of RTF 336-Special Projects must be in one of the primary creative and management roles (i.e., producer, director, writer, director of photography, and editor).

In addition to the required application for Special Projects courses, students must submit the following information on their DocuSign form to the RTF chair for consideration:

• a description of the project, including the project’s genre, structure, content, length, audio & visual elements, and the final product;
• the names and duties for each primary crew position; and
• a projected timeline.

Requests should be submitted as early as possible and no later than one week before the twelfth class day.

All RTF majors involved in TSTV group projects are encouraged to work with the same faculty sponsor.

Grading:  Undergraduate students may take this course ONLY on a letter grade basis.

SLH 178K, 278K, 378K

Our faculty members welcome undergraduate students into their labs as there are many opportunities for you to participate in ongoing research projects. Learn more about what each lab does and reach out to the principal investigator for the one that interests you. Feel free to explore all the options as our faculty members have diverse interests.

Division of Student Success and Well-Being

Directed Independent Research (4912)

If you have students conducting research with you during a semester, they can enroll in Directed Independent Research (XXX 4912) to record their efforts and to create a formal structure for expectations. All that is required is a form from the mentor’s college, a very brief syllabus/set of goals and deadlines, and some signatures.

Directed Independent Research credits (XXX 4912) document and formalize independent research activities for undergraduates. UCF defines undergraduate research as an inquiry or investigation conducted by an undergraduate student that makes (or supports the creation of) an original intellectual or creative contribution to the discipline.

This course is different from Independent Study because students enrolled in this course are helping to contribute to scholarly discourse– by addressing problems with unknown answers or contemporary debates of interest to other scholars and professionals– rather than simply learning about a topic not offered through another course in the department.

Note : Students who are University Volunteers ( learn more here ) are not eligible to receive course credit of any kind (including 0 credits) and they must donate products  or creations to UCF, without reservation of rights (including IP).

• This course shows up on a student’s transcript: this is a very good thing for students applying to graduate programs and professional schools.
• Enrolling in 4912 keeps students accountable and creates a structure around the research experience.
• This course is linked to faculty’s records. OUR collects data on enrollment in this course (and many other research programs) and can provide you a report with your mentorship activities for your tenure and promotion files and for TIP and RIA applications.

The process is different in every college, so be sure to check with your college’s/departments’ administrators and academic advisors first. Generally, though, the following steps are necessary:

• 0 Credits: available for students with a full course load or who do not have the option to take 4912 as an upper-division elective. This option is usually no-cost for students who are enrolled in other courses during the semester when they are taking a 4912 course.
• 1 – 3 Credits: If students take a 4912 course for credit, it will contribute to students’ GPA. This option can be selected if it fits into students’ academic plans.
• This form can be requested from the college to which the faculty mentor belongs , because the 4912 course’s full course code will reflect the mentor’s department (not necessarily the department of the student’s major).
• Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences: https://med.ucf.edu/biomed/files/2021/10/Restricted-Undergraduate-Course-Registration-Form.pdf
• College of Arts and Humanities: 
• College of Business Administration: https://business.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Management-Undergraduate-Intern-Indep-Study-Form.pdf
• College of Computer Science and Engineering: https://stirlab.org/wp-content/uploads/CAP4912_Undergraduate-Registration-Form.pdf
• College of Optics and Photonics https://creol.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/09/Restricted-Course-Form.pdf
• Nicholson School of Communication: https://communication.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/01/Independent-Study-Form.pdf

https://performingarts.cah.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/10/independent_study_form_department.pdf

• The code will reflect the faculty mentor’s specialty/department
• This is a list of 4912 codes available as of Spring 2019
• You can also check if that three-letter prefix exists for a 4912 section at my.ucf.edu
• Make sure you decide whether grades will be A-F or S/U
• Make sure due dates fall on or earlier than the last day of classes
• If you are not sure which office will receive the form, ask your college’s or department’s Academic Advisors. OUR might also be able to recommend someone to contact.

We recommend beginning this process the semester beforehand, but students can be enrolled in 4912 for credit through the ‘Add’ Deadline for courses: the first Friday of the semester. 

If you begin working with a student during the first half of the semester, there is “variable semester” that runs 7 weeks and is 0 credits. Speak to your college advising office about this option. 

Upcoming Add Deadlines: These are the last days to enroll, but we encourage students to make use of registration windows to enroll in 4912 courses.

Summer A or C 2023

• Full semester: Sunday, May 14th

Summer B 2023

• Full semester: Sunday, June 25th
• Full semester: Friday, August 25th
• Variable semester: Friday, October 20th

Spring 2024:

• Full semester: Friday, January 12th
• Variable semester: begins Monday, February 26th (enroll by Friday, February 23)

Colleges’ enrollment forms will require you to list major deadlines and objectives for the semester or to attach a syllabus to the form. OUR recommends creating a course schedule that outlines when you will meet with the student(s) and when you expect students to meet benchmarks or submit materials to you.

Appropriate learning outcomes include, but are not limited to:

• Strengthen oral and written communication of research
• Develop critical thinking skills
• Improve their information fluency skills
• Strengthen peer reviewing skills
• Gain an awareness of ethical issues in research
• Strengthen their ability to formulate appropriate research questions
• Evaluate primary and secondary literature sources
• Synthesize literature
• Learn how to use research related equipment or technology
• Gain skills in quantitative or qualitative data analysis
• Improve knowledge of academic writing conventions of the discipline
• Learn about different dissemination modes

Possible final deliverable assignments include, but are not limited to:

• Research Proposal
• Research Paper
• Manuscript draft
• Poster Presentation
• PowerPoint Presentation (or other comparable format)
• Work of art or performance
• Prototype/Model

See a full sample syllabus here.

Excellence, Innovation, and Distinction

Independent Studies and Research Courses

Independent studies and research sections are modes of study that involve substantial interaction with and instruction by faculty and are set up on an ad hoc basis.  All independent study and research courses are taken for pass-fail credit only. Independent Studies may be set up with variable credits.

A Harvard Chan faculty member or an adjunct faculty member must supervise all independent studies and research sections taken for degree credit at the School. Students who wish to enroll with a faculty member who has an annual appointment at the School or a faculty member from another Harvard school must enroll in the section sponsored by their Harvard Chan School academic adviser. By sponsoring the independent study, the School adviser agrees to the appropriateness of both the work and the non-School supervisor. The academic adviser must contact the non-School section supervisor to assign a grade for the student. The student’s academic adviser must submit the grade at the end of the course as required by the School’s Committee on Educational Policy.

Non-Degree students may enroll only with a faculty member with a School “annual appointment.” Non-Degree students are not permitted to take research courses.

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Customized Academic Learning: Research, Internships, and Independent Study

Introduction, what is customized academic learning (cal).

Effective Fall 2023, Hopkins transitioned to using the term “ Customized Academic Learning ” in place of the term “Independent Academic Work” (IAW). One’s approved Research, Internship or Independent Study courses all fall under the umbrella title of Customized Academic Learning. Please bear with us as we update forms and websites transition to the new CAL term.

How many total credits may I earn for research, internship, or independent study?

You may earn up to 6 credits of “independent work” per academic year. The academic year begins in the summer, and you can register for up to 3 credits of independent work in the summer, fall, intersession, or spring terms until the 6-credit limit is reached. Internships for credit earn 1 credit per term and count toward the 6-credit maximum of independent work per academic year. There is no limit on how many independent work credits you may use toward your total credits required for graduation.

How do I register to receive credit for research, internship, or independent study?

You must submit an “Independent Academic Work Form”. The form is available in SIS/Online Forms. Please refer to these instructions before completing the online IAW form. You will be required to have a faculty sponsor (see directly below). The Registrar’s Office posts the deadlines to apply for research, internship, or independent study on their Undergraduate Registration page.

What is a faculty sponsor?

A faculty sponsor is a full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty member in KSAS or WSE or another ASEN faculty member specifically designated to serve as a faculty sponsor. Your faculty sponsor is responsible for determining the appropriate academic product you will submit for grading and will submit your grade and award credits at the end of the term. The academic product you will produce is determined at the time of registration, not after you have completed the experience.

I did some independent work over the summer but I was not registered for it and I was not paid. Can I add it to my fall schedule?

No. Independent work is just like a class; you are expected to register for it and do the work during the term you are registered. At the end of the term, you must submit an appropriate academic product for grading so that credit may be awarded.

Do I have to pay to register for independent work in the summer?

No. You are not charged tuition for registering for research, internship, or independent study credits during the summer. During the fall and spring semesters, part-time students do pay for the credits they earn through independent work.

How much work do I have to do to earn credits for independent work?

The amount of work you do should be proportional to the amount of work you would be expected to do for a regular course of similar credit. For example, to earn 3 credits for research or an independent study, you should expect to do the same amount of work (and spend a similar amount of time) that you would on a regular, on-campus 3-credit course.

Can I register for more than one type of independent work in a given term?

Yes, but only for a total of 3 credits.

Research is the systematic investigation of a particular topic to learn facts and draw conclusions. Research is work to acquire new knowledge. Research is a careful inquiry. A science professor may define research in terms of the scientific method. A philosophy professor may define research in reference to a particular philosopher. Regardless how you define research, it’s an experience many undergraduates hope to obtain.

When an undergraduate student engages in research, it can mean that the student has defined an independent project that they may work alone on or that the student becomes part of a large research team working on a long-term project. In either case, to earn academic credit for the project, the student will need to complete an academic product for grading during the time frame in which the student is registered.

Some undergraduate majors, such as neuroscience, molecular and cellular biology, and biophysics, require students to complete research to complete major requirements. These departments have guidelines for students doing research and students should consult their departmental materials for more information.

How do I find a research position?

Finding a research position requires time and energy. The best way to find a research position is in fact to do some research. Faculty members respond best to students who demonstrate active interest in their work and who reflect qualities such as curiosity, discipline, enthusiasm, and focus that will make them good researchers. You can show these qualities by your approach to finding a research position with a faculty member. Be informed, prepared, and entrepreneurial.

A student who emails 20 faculty members and writes, ” I’m hoping to work in a lab next semester and wonder if you have any openings?” will be less successful than a student who writes a targeted message that says, “I’ve read several of your papers and am intrigued by your work with protein energetics. We did a fascinating laboratory experiment related to this in cell biology last semester, and it was my favorite part of the course. I wonder if I could come and see you about becoming involved in your research team.”

The  Hopkins Office for Undergraduate Research  (HOUR) can also help you find a research position. See the question below.

Tips for finding a position:

• Talk to a faculty mentor. Your mentor can help you determine how to ask a faculty member for a position and may know if a colleague is looking for an undergraduate student researcher.
• Utilize the  ForagerOne  website as a resource to find and contact researchers.
• Talk to fellow students who are doing research about how they found their position.
• Read departmental websites to learn about the research interests of faculty. This is the easiest way to learn what topics faculty members pursue in their research.
• After identifying a short list of faculty members you’d like to ask about research opportunities, look at their publications to learn more about what they study. This allows you to refer to specific topics that interest you when you initiate contact with them. You don’t need to become an expert, but you should have some knowledge of their research area.
• Prepare your resume. The  Life Design Lab  can help. Do not assume that what you used in high school will work. Reach out to your Life Design Educator or the  HOUR staff  to assist with reviewing your resumes, personal statements and proposals.
• Commonly, students email faculty members to inquire about a research position. In your email you should address why you are specifically interested in working with them and any background or skills that you have that may help them. Be brief in this email and be sure to ask for an interview. HOUR staff strongly encourages follow up emails every 3 – 4 days if you do not receive a reply.
• When you do have an interview, treat it as if you are interviewing for a job. The  Life Design Lab  offers advice on interview preparation. While students do not typically dress formally for these interviews, it is appropriate to dress business casual.

What is HOUR?

HOUR is the Hopkins Office for Undergraduate Research. The staff of HOUR:

• Guides students to find opportunities
• Shares research programs at JHU and beyond
• Provides students venues to share projects
• Showcases events across JHU
• Highlights JHU’s great resources
• Celebrates student research successes

Office hours are held Monday – Friday from 3 – 4pm ET via  Zoom . You may also contact HOUR staff at  [email protected]  or schedule a 1:1 through the  HOUR Undergraduate Research Community on Hopkins Groups .

I am planning to conduct research at the medical school (or another Hopkins institution). Can that faculty member serve as my sponsor?

No. Even if you have a supervisor at the medical school, you must still have a faculty sponsor.

Can I get credit for research that I plan to conduct someplace besides JHU?

Yes, but like research done here at JHU, you must have a JHU faculty sponsor. If you plan to do this research during the summer, regular summer session registration deadlines must be followed.

How will I be graded for my research?

Research can be conducted either for a letter grade or for S/U. Some majors have requirements for research and may define specific rules for any research used to complete a major requirement. You must have an academic product at the end of the term that can be evaluated. Again, check with your major department or your faculty sponsor for more details. You should be clear about this expectation when you register for research.

How many hours do I have to work on my research project to earn credit?

Research can be done for 1 to 3 credits and the amount of credit to be earned is determined by the scope of the proposed project and expectations of the academic product to be submitted for grading.

Internships

How do i find an internship.

The Life Design Lab has numerous resources to assist you.

Can I earn credit and be paid for a Fall or Spring semester internship?

Yes, students are permitted to earn both academic credit and pay for an internship. For more information on the policies concerning internships please refer to the Academic Catalogue .

Can I earn credit for an internship in the summer?

Yes. Regular summer session registration deadlines must be followed.

How will I be graded for my internship?

Internships may only be taken on a S/U basis.

How do I earn my S/U grade if I’m not sure what I will be doing in my internship?

Credit can be awarded for internships only if there is an academic component and a tangible academic product is produced. Arrange this with your faculty sponsor before beginning the internship.

What is an academic product that I might turn in to earn credit for my internship?

An academic product is like an assignment you might do for a traditional class. It might be a research paper, speech, multimedia presentation, annotated bibliography, lab report, or other assignment typical for the subject area.

Independent Study

An independent study is when you pursue a topic of special interest that is not covered in regular course offerings. You must initiate the process. The content and expectations are formalized in negotiations between you and the faculty sponsor. The credits assigned to an independent study cannot contain an internship component, though it is acknowledged that an internship experience may inform the academic product(s) of an independent study.

How will I be graded on my independent study?

An independent study may be taken for a letter grade or S/U.

Can I do an independent study in the summer?

Yes. Regular summer session registration deadlines must be followed

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School of Arts & Sciences

Department of Biology

Undergraduate program, independent research.

Our independent research courses allow students to gain academic credit and research experience in biological science labs on River Campus or at the University of Rochester Medical Center during the fall and spring semesters.

BIOL/NSCI/CHEM/IND/BCH/MBI/PHP/PTH* 395/395W: Independent Research courses are hypothesis-driven research experiences. Students work with University of Rochester teaching faculty to design a project that aligns faculty's overarching research goals of their laboratory.

*The course prefix is determined by the supervising faculty member’s appointment.

Projects are usually hands-on and non-clinical in nature. Students typically use laboratory and computational experimentation to gather and analyze primary data. At the end of the semester, students work with their instructors to write a final report or poster, and upload a copy of the report or poster to Blackboard.

Registering for the Program

Before registering for a biology independent research course students will need to:

• Find a full-time faculty member who will agree to supervise an independent research course
• Meet with the instructor to come to an agreement on course details before the semester begins
• Learn how independent research courses apply to biology majors or other intended program of study

To register, submit the Biological Science Independent Research: Registration Request Form by the drop/add deadline line for the current semester.

Just a reminder, all courses must follow the department’s course rules and regulations .

Final Report or Poster Requirement

All students enrolled in Biological Science Independent Research Courses, including 395 and 395W, must submit a final scientific paper at the end of the semester. Independent researchers taking BIO 395 courses without credit for upper-level writing have the option to submit a final report or a poster.

Final reports and posters should address the scientific question the undergraduate research attempts to answer and the means taken to answer it. The formatting, length, and grading of the report or poster are at the instructor's discretion.

Students who want to use an independent research courses to satisfy upper-level writing requirements for their major should consult their faculty advisors first, as applications vary. Additionally, most biological science majors require students to send their advisors a copy of their final report for approval before they can apply it to their program of study.

Those who elect the poster option may use presentation software to create the poster and upload a copy of the file into Blackboard. Please note that slides must fully explain the research findings. Slides with one-word bullet points are not acceptable.

Posters are a good options for students interested in presenting at scientific events such as the UPBM Poster Session in October as well as the Undergraduate Research Expo or other annual conferences organized by the Office of Undergraduate Research during the spring semester.

At the end of the semester, the Department of Biology Undergraduate Office requires students to upload a copy of the report or poster to Blackboard by the last day of final exams. Those who fail to submit a final report or poster may not register for another independent research course until they resolve the matter.

A report or poster must be submitted each semester a 395/395W course is taken. Each should reflect the individual research activities done in the semester taken.

Course Rules and Regulations

Students who want to earn academic credit for research involving clinical trials and patient studies need to follow a different registration process . It’s also important to note that 391 clinical research courses do not apply to biological science tracks .

Please note that students are not required to use the independent study form to register for a 391. Additionally, approval from the biology undergraduate office is not required for 391 courses.

Student can choose to satisfy one or both of their upper-level writing requirements selecting "395 W " in the BIOL 395/395W registration form. Students may not select the poster option if the course is taken for upper-level writing credit (BIOL 395W).

Students in 395W must work with their instructors to produce a six-page , high-quality final report that is well written and effectively communicates the scientific justification and results of their research. Students should submit the paper to mentors at various stages of development for their suggestions for improvement so that students may fully benefit from the writing experience.

The final report must be emailed to the department three weeks before the semester ends so there is sufficient time for evaluation. Additionally, the department requires students to upload a final draft of their final report to Blackboard by the last of finals at the end of the semester.

Although the instructors for 395W courses will assign a final grade, the decision to permit the course to fulfill a writing requirement for the student's major is determined by the advisor of their intended or declared program of study.

If the experimentation does not yield enough data to write a report about or runs out of time, the student or faculty may email the department to request the removal of the writing component "W" changing the course registration to "BIOL 395".

Students taking two semesters of independent research with writing (BIOL 395W) can reference experiments done in previous semesters but should include at least six new pages of content for the second semester. When requesting advisor approval, students must email a copy of the paper from the first and second semesters.

The key to finding a mentor is networking with faculty who work in your area of interest and will agree to mentor you. Research mentors are typically members of the University teaching faculty , and should have labs located either on River Campus or in the Medical Center.

See the research mentor page for more information.

Students who want to change their course registration from a 395 to a 395W or vice versa may do so by emailing to the Department of Biology Undergraduate Office requesting a registration revision.

Students can register for independent study courses in increments of half, one, two, three or four credits.

Time commitment is dependent on the number of credit hours the course will be taken for over a 15 week semester, or a different number of weeks as long as an equivalent amount of contact hours is devoted to the course. Students should plan to devote at least three hours for each credit the course is registered. See guidelines below:

• Four credit hours : 180 hours, 12 hours per week for 15 weeks or equivalent
• Three credit hours : 135 hours, 9 hours per week for 15 weeks or equivalent
• Two credit hours : 90 hours, 6 hours per week for 15 weeks or equivalent
• One credit hour : 45 hours, 3 hours per week for 15 weeks or equivalent
• Half a credit hour: 23 hours , 2 hours per week for 15 weeks or equivalent

*Contact hours may include lab time, academic work, and activities spent outside the lab doing things like literature reviews, lab meetings, presentations, and final reports.

All forms must be submitted by the drop-add deadline of the semester they are taking the course. See the University’s credit hours policy and compliance for more information.

The number of independent study credits you can take are limited both by semester and by instructor:

• Per semester: Students can only take one four-credit independent studies course per semester.
• Per instructor: Students can take no more than eight credits of independent research with the same instructor unless approved.

Students Biological Independent Research Registration Request Form needs to be submitted with approval of the instructor by the last day of the drop/add period of the current semester , even if the course has not started yet.

Members of the University "teaching faculty" or faculty who are authorized by their department chair may supervise independent studies. See our list of approved faculty .

Biological Independent Research Request for Registration Forms will automatically forward to the course instructors for their review and signature. Be sure to enter accurate email addresses as incorrect addresses could delay submission. The system will automatically send daily reminders to the instructors until it is signed. Notification will be sent to students once their PI approves the form.

All students, including those who have registered 395 in the past, need to consult their instructor each semester on the course details. Hence, there is a mutual understanding of expectations. Scroll to the bottom of the form and print out a copy to review with your faculty.

Students cannot get paid for research for which they also earn academic credit. However, a student may hold a paying job within the same lab but must keep their work separate from their research project.

Students will not be allowed to register for another BIOL 395 course until any courses with incomplete grades from a previous semester are resolved.

Office of Undergraduate Research

Mentor's guide: independent research courses, all students involved in research and creative projects should have their experience recognized on their transcript. this could be through academic credit or zero semester hour registration through ures or appropriate departmental courses..

This page explains independent research courses, non-credit bearing courses, best practices, and grading.

Departmental Courses

Most departments have research courses available for majors within their department. URES and HONR courses are not the same as departmental research courses. Departments may or may not accept URES courses for Honors in the Major. This needs to be verified with the major department BEFORE registration.

URES Research Courses

OUR offers the following courses each semester, available for registration through MyUI. If you are not listed in the 'View Instructors' drop-down box of MyUI, please contact us and we will add you for the specific URES course.

URES:3992  is a 0-semester hour course that is not graded. This course is primarily used for transcript verification and tracking of research involvement.  Students should register for this course if they:

• Are paid. (Students cannot receive course credit and payment for the same work).
• Are volunteering in a research position.
• Do not want to accrue extra tuition costs or fees (i.e., summer semesters).

URES:3993  is offered for 1-4 semester hours, graded pass/fail. Tuition/fees applicable where appropriate.

URES:3994  is offered for 1-4 semester hours, graded A-F. Tuition/fees applicable where appropriate.

For credit-bearing courses, outline clear expectations for grading and semester hours before they register . Writing these out so that they are accessible to you and the student helps both of you stay on the same page. According to  University of Iowa Guidelines , 1 semester hour of credit is equal to approximately three hours of research work per week or 45 hours over the full 15-week semester. 

More Information

Course goals and expectations.

OUR holds no goals or expectations for this course other than to further a student's research understanding while honoring their time commitment. Any further goals or expectations are at the sole discretion of the instructor/mentor.

OUR highly encourages mentors to begin each semester by meeting with their mentee to outline all goals and expectations. If a course is graded, the expectations for each grade should be clearly explained. A written contract between the mentor and mentee can serve as a mediator if any issues or confusion arise later in the semester. It can also be carried forward and revised from semester to semester.

Examples of topics to cover:

• Time commitment (how many hours per week) and flexibility 
• Preferred communication (lab notebooks, research group platforms, illness notifications, email)
• Semester goals (learn a technique, get through a dataset, readings, independence)
• Expected progression 
• General lab etiquette 

Grading is entirely up to the instructor/mentor. The Office of Undergraduate Research does not have criteria other than the student showing up to put in their best effort. It is important for mentors to clearly discuss grading criteria with their mentees. Set up distinguishable features of what an A, B, C, etc, student does. OUR recommends a written (typed) mentor-mentee agreement or syllabus that aligns both parties' expectations.

Routine feedback on performance is also beneficial for both mentor and mentee. This alleviates any anxieties mentees may feel about their progress or grade and allows the mentor to identify and resolve problems before they get too big. It also prevents discrepancies between mentor and mentee ideas of what a grade may be at the end of the term. We have found that properly aligned expectations and evaluations usually result in an A grade.

Mentor-Mentee Agreements

Mentor-Mentee Agreements or Pacts are commonly used tools in research settings. You can find many examples of these online and potentially from colleagues. Some research groups use them as manuals and have them available for all members.

OUR Fellows and their mentors are asked to fill out THIS form.  

Independent Study & Individual Research Courses

Independent Studies are voluntary agreements between individual faculty members and individual students, in which students complete a course of study and assignment. The course of study and assignment for a three-point independent study typically consists of a reading list comparable to that required for a regular three-point course, which can range from 75 to 150 pages per week, and a research paper (at least 20 pages). Independent study courses can also be taken for 1.5 points; in this case, the reading and research paper are customarily half the length of a three-point course. Because independent studies (particularly for three-points) are intensive activities, faculty members regard them as a significant commitment. Faculty members are not obligated to supervise independent studies, and they typically do so with students who have completed a class or other educational/research activity under their supervision.

If a SIPA faculty member is willing to supervise an independent study, the student should ask the faculty member to sign this form, the “Application for Individual Research Course,” and then submit the signed application to the Office of Student Affairs no later than the change of program deadline. Full-time faculty members who are not appointed at SIPA, but are appointed in other schools, are also eligible to supervise independent studies with SIPA students. Non-SIPA faculty follow the policies and procedures established by their schools, not SIPA. SIPA students typically ask SIPA faculty members or other faculty with whom they have taken a class to serve as their independent study faculty supervisor. On occasion, adjunct faculty members currently teaching at SIPA supervise independent studies. Since adjunct faculty receive no additional compensation for supervising independent studies and are generally engaged in full-time activities outside of SIPA, many adjunct faculty are reluctant to undertake this obligation. If a student approaches an adjunct faculty member about supervising an independent study and is interested in learning more, they should contact the SIPA Office of Academic Affairs.

Application for Individual Research Course

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• Independent Research in the Summer

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Independent Research in the Summer (IDRS S300) may be taken either remotely or in person in Summer 2024. For college students and beyond. Must be taken pass/fail. May not be taken as part of a senior project or be deemed to be constituent of the senior requirement. Independent Research in the Summer consists of special projects set up by the student in an area of particular interest with the help of a faculty adviser and the director of undergraduate studies, intended to enable the student to cover material not otherwise offered by the department. The course may be used for research, design projects, or directed reading, but in all cases a term paper, written report on the research project, or equivalent final assessment as determined by the faculty advisor and DUS is normally required. The student must meet regularly with the faculty adviser. Interested students should review carefully the course description for application requirements; students are expected to work well in advance to prepare their project description and secure the required approvals, all of which must be submitted to [email protected] by no later than the relevant application deadline, listed at summer.yale.edu. Because faculty members serve as advisers on an entirely voluntary basis, without additional compensation or teaching credit, students should consult closely with prospective advisers about their willingness and availability to take on this commitment over the summer.

Students taking Independent Research in the Summer for one credit should expect to spend approximately 35 hours a week on their research for five weeks (either Session A or B); for two credits students should expect to spend approximately 35 hours a week on their research for ten weeks (both Session A and B). Students may receive academic credit only if they are not being paid for doing research, but they may work for credit in one five-week period and for pay in the other. Upon completion of the course, the faculty advisor must submit a substantive report that both describes the nature of the independent research and evaluates the student’s performance in it. The report must include the grade, Pass or Fail. These reports should be shared with the student and the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the department or program in which the research is based and kept in the office of the student’s residential college dean.

Tip: Faculty advisors volunteer their time when they work with students on Independent Research in the Summer.

Application Process

• Complete the Yale Summer Session application
• Provide a 1-2 paragraph project description of the research to be undertaken, written in collaboration with the faculty advisor, including the proposed starting and ending dates. Send this to [email protected] with "IDRS S300" and the student's name in the subject line.
• The faculty advisor
• Either the Director of Summer Sciences for students in STEM (Professor Robert Zinn: [email protected] ), or the Dean of Summer Session (Dean Alexander Rosas: [email protected] ) for students in the Humanities or Social Sciences
• The director of undergraduate studies of the applicant's major department
• The Yale Summer Session Registrar will reach out if further information is needed.

Date: IDRS S300 Application Deadlines (note that these are different than other YSS courses for credit) Session A:  April 25 Session B:  May 30

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Department of psychology, independent research.

• Undergraduate
• Graduate/ Professional
• Adult Education

Independent Research Courses

An independent research project in an area of Psychology under the direction of a Faculty Research Mentor. A research contract must be signed by the student and the Faculty Research Mentor. May be repeated to a maximum of 12 credits, in combination with other independent research credit hours. Students should be capable of doing "independent research" in the sense that they can conduct the experiments with little direct supervision. They are expected to become familiar with related research in the current literature by regularly reading scientific journals.

Prereq: Psychology or Neuroscience major and permission of faculty research mentor. A signed contract between student and faculty member must be filed prior to enrollment in the course.

PSY 394 Learning Contract

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• Independent Research

What is Independent Research?

According to the College Bulletin, an independent research course "should be designed as original research and practice in presenting the results of an investigation". This pursuit must culminate in the student's own contribution to a discipline, whether in the form of fully-supported conclusions or in the form of a creative effort. In other words, the goal of independent research is to answer a question, not simply to gather information. Unlike independent study, independent research projects must have the potential to yield new knowledge

In the Environmental Studies Department, independent research projects involve field, laboratory, and/or library research. Research questions may come from the independent research student, the faculty research advisor, or both. The work may range from very independent activity by the student under the guidance of a faculty member to collaborative work with one or more faculty members and, perhaps, other students.

How do I pursue Independent Research?

Ideally, the process of conducting independent research begins early in a student's career by talking with faculty about research and by generating ideas for possible research topics. Environmental science and studies majors may work on research with faculty from any department. As soon as the first year, and depending on faculty members' schedules and funding, students may have the opportunity to volunteer to participate in research projects or even work on these projects as a paid assistant. At the latest, students should discuss their interest in research with faculty by the midpoint of the semester before the independent research is to begin. For example, students wishing to pursue independent research during the senior year should begin discussions with faculty no later than the spring break of their junior year. Students who are abroad can conduct these discussions with faculty by e-mail. In developing possible topics for independent research, students should keep in mind that they are more likely to find a faculty research advisor for a project if the topic is related to a faculty member's research interests. But it may also be possible for students to develop and pursue projects that are not related to faculty research projects. Once a faculty member has agreed to advise a research project, work should begin, usually with preliminary reading about the topic. The summer is an excellent time for this initial work. Depending on the advising faculty member's schedule and funding, a research student may be able to work with the advising faculty member for a summer of research. To enroll in the independent research course students must complete the form available from the registrar and obtain the research advisor's signature (it is not possible to register on line for independent research). In consultation with the faculty research advisor, the student will choose a brief title for the course that will be included on the student's official transcript.

What are the requirements for Independent Research?

Students enrolled in independent research during the academic year will receive a grade.  You should speak with your research advisor to discuss their criteria for assigning grades.  Any expectations for written reports, presentations, and/or additional requirements should be established in tandem with the research advisor.  At the least, all independent research students will present their research orally at an Earth Issues seminar series at the end of the semester.

Timeline for Environmental Studies/Sciences Research Process

* Students may receive approval from the department to have research supervised by an advisor outside of the Environmental Studies Department. Students should talk about the proposed research with two ES faculty members before asking for approval. If approved, students should ask one of the ES faculty to serve as a department liaison to the research advisor. Research advisors outside of the department should regularly communicate with an Environmental Studies Department liaison about the progress of student research.

** All honors committees should have at least two Environmental Studies faculty.

*** Committee considers student progress, proposal, and presentation to determine if research should be eligible for honors consideration. The committee will inform the student if they are invited to be considered for honors.

View a list of Student Independent Research Topics  

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Department of anthropology.

Independent Study Course

• Undergraduate

Independent study offers course credit to students who participate in an in-depth research experience within the department, supervised by a faculty member. For more information, email the Undergraduate Chair and the faculty member with whom you are interested in working. Course credit as ANTH 3999 can be given for pre-approved Independent Study and research work. Independent Studies cannot be applied retroactively; they must be approved and registered for in advance, like any other course. Students may count no more than two ANTH 3999 courses for the Anthropology major, and no more than one for the minor.

Independent Research

Course Information

Courses offered in the past four years. Courses offered currently are as noted.

BIOL 0500 Current Upcoming Independent Study

Course Description

Independent Study In this course students complete individual projects involving laboratory and/or field research or extensive library study on a topic chosen by the student and a faculty advisor. Prior to registering for BIOL 0500, a student must have discussed and agreed upon a project topic with a member of the Biology Department faculty. Additional requirements include attendance at all Biology Department seminars and participation in any scheduled meetings with disciplinary sub-groups and lab groups. This course is not open to seniors; seniors should enroll in BIOL 0700, Senior Independent Study. (BIOL 0211. Approval required) 3 hrs. disc.

Terms Taught

View in Course Catalog

BIOL 0700 Current Upcoming Senior Independent Study

Senior Independent Study In this course students complete individual projects involving laboratory and/or field research or extensive library study on a topic chosen by the student and a faculty advisor. Prior to registering for BIOL 0700, a student must have discussed and agreed upon a project topic with a member of the Biology Department faculty. Additional requirements include attendance at all Biology Department seminars and participation in any scheduled meetings with disciplinary sub-groups and lab groups. (BIOL 0211. Approval required; open only to seniors) 3 hrs. disc.

BIOL 0701 Current Upcoming Senior Thesis

Senior Thesis Seniors majoring in Biology who have completed one or more semesters of BIOL 0500 or BIOL 0700 and who plan to complete a thesis should register for BIOL 0701. In this course students will produce a written thesis, deliver a public presentation of the research on which it is based, and present an oral defense of the thesis before a committee of at least three faculty members. Additional requirements include attendance at all Biology Department seminars and participation in any scheduled meetings with disciplinary sub-groups and lab groups. Open to Biology and joint Biology/Environmental Studies majors. (BIOL 0211 and BIOL 0500 or BIOL 0700 or waiver; instructor approval required for all students) 3 hrs. disc

Course Goals

• Provide students with an opportunity to conduct independent research in biology.
• Provide students the opportunity for close (one-on-one) contact with the faculty advisor for their research.
• Promote opportunities for interactions among students across disciplines.
• Provide opportunities for students to interact with seminar speakers and other departmental visitors.

Research students are expected to:

• Prepare and submit a budget and full budget justification at the beginning of the semester detailing the expected expenses of the research project. This will be approved by the advisor and department chair. A photocopy of the budget will be made by the department coordinator before being returned to the student.  It is your responsibility to read and adhere to all of the funding guidelines presented on the “Funding Your Research” and “Preparing Your Budget” pages.
• Attend all meetings and present results/progress report on research efforts once per semester.
• Attend all departmental seminars, and participate in the informal interactions with seminar speakers when appropriate.
• Spend at least 1 additional contact hour per week with advisor, alone and/or in lab group meetings.

Helpful Resources

• Funding request form
• Purchase request form
• Reimbursement form
• Sources for funding
• Creating a budget
• Ordering supplies

Deciding to do a Thesis

If you make satisfactory progress on an independent study project that requires more than one semester to complete and you wish to write a thesis and present your research in a more public forum, you may apply to continue your work for one additional semester as a senior thesis. The typical schedule for thesis work would involve enrolling in BIOL 700 during fall semester of your senior year and BIOL 701 during the spring semester.  Other schedules are possible, however, and should be discussed with your faculty research advisor.

Enrolling in BIOL 701 (or the equivalent MBBC or NSCI thesis course) and conducting your work in the context of a senior thesis changes the nature of the expectations placed on you.  By submitting the intent to continue thesis form and enrolling in BIOL 701, you are agreeing to accept those additional responsibilities. Because thesis work is a distinct class, note that a decision to pursue a thesis is subject to the same add/drop deadlines of any other course — you cannot therefore decide NOT to do a thesis after the drop deadline of the semester in which are enrolled in BIOL 701 without petitioning the Administration Committee!

• Requirements for completing a Senior Thesis
• Thesis Declaration form
• Departmental Honors in Biology
• I nstructions for final thesis submission
• Fillable Thesis title page

Non-thesis projects or the semester before a thesis is finished

Semester when completing a thesis, course director.

Fall 2023-Spring 2024 Sam Byrne McCardell Bicentennial Hall 312 [email protected]

Meeting Format

The design of these courses recognizes that there are three “spheres of interaction” in which students and faculty participate: (1) one-on-one contact between student and advisor, (2) interactions among all students and faculty with common research interests, and (3) interactions among all members of the biology department and between the biology department and its guests. We have designed a variety of meetings within BIOL 500/700/701 in order to promote all three interactions. You are required to attend the following meetings.

General Schedule

One day a week (see subgroup head for specific day) 12:30-1:20 pm: reserved for meetings of students & faculty within sub-disciplines. These intra-disciplinary meetings might utilize a variety of formats, but will probably include student presentations, discussions of methodological issues, brainstorming or problem-solving sessions. Students should attend meetings of the sub-discipline that is most appropriate for their research.

One day a week (usually W) 12:30-1:20 pm: reserved for meetings between students and their advisor. This may take the form of one-on-one meetings, or lab group meetings. This meeting will be scheduled by the advisor, and students should consult with their advisor to determine the format and scheduling of this meeting.

Friday 3:00 - 4:00 pm: Reserved for departmental seminars .  Research students are required to attend all departmental seminars, including seminars scheduled during time periods other than this Friday time slot. Informal lunches or other gatherings between speakers and small groups of interested students will also be scheduled whenever possible.

Department of Biology

McCardell Bicentennial Hall Middlebury College Middlebury, VT 05753

Missey Thompson, Coordinator

McCardell Bicentennial Hall 375

(802) 443-5437

[email protected]

David Allen, Chair

McCardell Bicentennial Hall 372

(802) 443-5218

[email protected]

University of Virginia School of Law

VI. Courses and Course Enrollment

H. independent research.

Eligible students may receive degree credit for independent research projects resulting in substantial research papers supervised and graded by eligible Law School faculty members. NOTE :  Independent research projects are subject to the same policies as other courses. Policies governing withdrawal, paper deadline extensions, the upper-level writing requirement, grading, etc., with the exception of class attendance all apply. 

Independent research projects are subject to the following restrictions: 1) First-year students are not eligible to enroll in independent research projects.

2) Only resident law faculty members may supervise independent research projects (see  section I.G ). Emeriti, part-time resident faculty, and visiting faculty members may supervise with the permission of the vice dean. Supervision by a member of the faculty of another school in the University is permitted with consultation by a member of the law faculty and with permission of the assistant dean for academic services.

3) Enrollment in semester-long and fall/spring yearlong research projects must be completed through the Student Records Office by submitting a form (available in Student Records or on  LawWeb ).  NOTE:  The form requires confirmation from the supervising faculty member that he or she is willing to supervise the project. 

4) Students may earn one, two or three credits for each project based upon the substantiality of the paper produced. The number of credits to be earned is specified at the time of application. Students need to realistically plan the number of credits a given research project can support.  

5) Credit for a single independent research project of two or three credits may be spread over two consecutive semesters for students whose actual work on the project extends over this period.

6) The supervising faculty member, in consultation with the assistant dean for academic services, may approve credit and time period changes to the project. However, no changes can be made after November 1 for projects due in the fall or April 1 for projects due in the spring.

7) Unless the supervising faculty member establishes an earlier deadline, the research paper must be submitted no later than noon on the day before the last day of the exam period in the semester in which the paper is to be graded. Exceptions to this deadline may be granted only by the assistant dean for academic services or the assistant dean for student affairs.

8) Guidelines for paper length by number of credits are provided here. Typed, letter-sized (8 1/2” x 11”), double-spaced pages, footnotes included, are assumed. These are intended only as guidelines; final determination of requirements is left to the supervising faculty member.

9) The final research paper must be submitted through the Law School’s online exam/paper submission system in accordance with the announced deadline. Late paper submissions will be penalized in accordance with section IV.D. of the Academic Policies.

10) No independent research credit may be earned in an academic year during which the student is enrolled in a third-year thesis (see  section III.D ).

11) Any paper submitted for academic credit as independent research and also to satisfy membership or publication requirements of a journal must be completed and submitted before the editorial process begins. Papers submitted after editorial work has begun will not be accepted for academic credit. This does not mean a student cannot discuss the project with anyone; quite the contrary. It is desirable to discuss the research and findings with others, including the journal editor who might know about the topic. The writing, however, should be entirely and exclusively the student’s own work.

12) Independent research credits will be combined with directed research credits for purposes of applying the overall ceilings on independent research credit (see  section VI.E.F ); i.e., students may earn a maximum of eight credits; a maximum of four credits per academic year; and a maximum of six credits under the supervision of any one faculty member. The hour limits described above are prescribed by the faculty and will not be waived except in very unusual circumstances, and then only upon request of the supervising professor to the assistant dean for academic services.

I. January Term Courses

The January Term is a distinct short course term separate from the fall and spring semesters. As such, January Term courses are not included in calculating course loads for the fall or spring semesters, but the credits are included in calculating the 86 credits required for graduation. January Term courses are offered each year during the weeks immediately preceding the start of spring semester courses. Typically, they meet for 150 minutes (2 1/2 hours) per day for five consecutive days or 180 minutes per day for four days, and students earn one credit for the course. Courses are offered in both the morning and the afternoon, but a student may enroll in only one January Term course each year.

EXCEPTION:  While considered January Term courses, the rules for the Trial Advocacy College and study-abroad January term courses differ. As long as there is no time conflict, eligible students can enroll in the Trial Advocacy College and one regular week-long January Term course.

Exams and papers for January Term courses are due no later than noon two weeks after the course ends; final grades are due no later than four weeks after assignments are due (no later than six weeks after the course ends). Instructors may not grant deadline extensions; all authority in this matter is delegated by the faculty to the assistant dean for academic services and the assistant dean for student affairs.

Students are expected to attend 100 percent of J-term class sessions. An instructor may take absences into account for grading purposes, and an instructor shall notify the Student Records Office if a student’s absences make it impossible to meet the Law School’s minimum attendance requirements (see section I.A ).

1) Adding a January Term Course:

a) A student can self-add a J-term course via SIS from mid-November until the announced add/drop deadline in SIS, typically just a few days before the class starts. Once the SIS add deadline passes, if seats are available in a J-term course, students seeking to enroll must make a written request to enroll to the Student Records Office. If a student submits such a request after the first class session but before the second, confirmation of first-session attendance will be required by instructor signature on the form.

2) Dropping a January Term Course:

a) A student can self-drop a J-term course via SIS from mid-November until the announced add/drop deadline. After that, a student must make a written request to the Student Records Office, no later than the start of the second class session, to drop the course.  

J. JAG School Courses

Each year the Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School invites law students to request to enroll in a few of their courses. The Student Records Office administers the enrollment and waitlist process for these courses, but it is ultimately within the discretion of the JAG School to approve a student’s enrollment in one of its courses. While the JAG School is not a department at the University, its courses are akin to courses in other University  departments ( section VI.E ) as follows:

• Students who wish to enroll in a JAG School course must submit a completed JAG School course application form.
• Students may enroll in a maximum of three one-credit JAG short courses in a given semester, or in a single semester-long course.
• JAG School course forms will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis, and are always subject to JAG School approval.
• With the approval of the assistant dean for academic services and registrar, students may apply up to six JAG School credits toward the J.D. degree. Students who wish to receive more than six JAG School degree credits must submit a petition to the assistant dean for academic services to be approved by the Curriculum Committee. This petition must describe the direct relevance of the additional JAG School courses to the student’s intellectual development in the study of law. A maximum of 12 JAG School course credits may be applied toward the J.D. degree.
• With the approval of the assistant dean for graduate studies, LL.M. students may apply a total of three non-law/JAG School credits toward the LL.M. degree.
• JAG School courses often begin and end on different dates than Law School courses. The JAG School may, at times, need to adjust the schedule or meeting pattern for its courses.
• It is the student’s responsibility to arrange courses so that full attendance is possible. Students may not enroll in a JAG School course that has a time conflict with another course in which the student is enrolled, no matter how minuscule the overlap. At least 10 minutes must be allowed between consecutively scheduled courses at the Law School and the JAG School.
• JAG School courses shorter than a full semester in length are considered “short courses.” Students may add and drop JAG short courses in accordance with Law School short course policy ( section VI.N ).
• JAG School course grades are not included in the calculation of Law School grade point averages or in the consideration of Law School honors.

K. Mutually Exclusive Courses

Mutually exclusive courses are courses that cover material so duplicative of each other that only one of the courses may be completed for credit. Students may not enroll in mutually exclusive courses including multiple sections of the same course (e.g., two sections of Evidence). Mutually exclusive courses are listed in the online course descriptions on the Law School’s website.

L. Prerequisite Courses

Many courses have prerequisites (or, in a few cases, concurrent requisites or "co-requisites"). Pre- or co-requisites are listed in the online course descriptions on the Law School’s website. Students must meet all such requirements for courses they wish to enroll in or have an appropriate written waiver on file in the Student Records Office in order to be enrolled.

M. Repeating Courses

Students may not repeat courses in which passing grades were earned. Students may re-enroll in courses in which they earned failing grades. Each enrollment will appear, with associated grades, on the student’s transcript. All grades received are included in GPA calculations. A student who earns a failing grade in a required course may elect to re-enroll in the course with any instructor she or he chooses unless the faculty member assigning the failing grade requires otherwise.

N. Short Courses

Short courses, noted with “SC” in the title, are specialized courses typically offered by visiting experts in a given area of the law. While most short courses are scheduled for a consecutive two-week period, some may be structured differently.

Exams and papers for short courses are due by noon no later than two weeks after the course ends unless the instructor sets an earlier deadline; final grades are due no later than four weeks after assignments are due (six weeks after the course ends).

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Open Access

Ten simple rules for leading a successful undergraduate-intensive research lab

Roles Conceptualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing

Affiliation MIT-WHOI Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science & Engineering, Cambridge and Woods Hole, Massachusetts, United States of America

Roles Conceptualization, Project administration, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing

* E-mail: [email protected]

Affiliation Biology Department, Utah Valley University, Orem, Utah, United States of America

• KJE Hickman, 
• Geoffrey Zahn

Published: April 11, 2024

• https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011994
• Reader Comments

Participating in mentored research is an enormous benefit to undergraduate students. These immersive experiences can dramatically improve retention and completion rates, especially for students from traditionally underserved populations in STEM disciplines. Scientists typically do not receive any formal training in management or group dynamics before taking on the role of a lab head. Thus, peer forums and shared wisdom are crucial for developing the vision and skills involved with mentorship and leading a successful research lab. Faculty at any institution can help improve student outcomes and the success of their labs by thoughtfully including undergraduates in their research programs. Moreover, faculty at primarily undergraduate institutions have special challenges that are not often acknowledged or addressed in public discussions about best practices for running a lab. Here, we present 10 simple rules for fostering a successful undergraduate research lab. While much of the advice herein is applicable to mentoring undergraduates in any setting, it is especially tailored to the special circumstances found at primarily undergraduate institutions.

Citation: Hickman K, Zahn G (2024) Ten simple rules for leading a successful undergraduate-intensive research lab. PLoS Comput Biol 20(4): e1011994. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011994

Editor: Russell Schwartz, Carnegie Mellon University, UNITED STATES

Copyright: © 2024 Hickman, Zahn. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Funding: The authors received no specific funding for this work.

Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

This is a PLOS Computational Biology Benchmarking paper.

Introduction

Undergraduate research (UR) is a high-impact practice that has been demonstrated to benefit student learning, persistence, and career preparation [ 1 , 2 ]. Undergraduate research serves as a robust intervention for students from underrepresented groups who are at risk of dropping out of college [ 3 , 4 ]. By engaging students during their early years of study, they develop a sense of community and gain access to faculty mentors. A preliminary introduction to the research environment gives students time to develop their science identity and makes them more resilient to difficulties encountered during their educational careers [ 5 ]. The literature on positive outcomes associated with participation in UR is broad [ 6 ], encompassing large public research institutions, private institutions, and liberal arts colleges.

Faculty at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs) face a unique set of challenges to maintain scholarly productivity and “successful” research programs. They often have fewer external funding opportunities [ 7 ] and far higher teaching loads than faculty at research-intensive (R1) universities. Many R1 institutions provide research opportunities for undergraduates by incorporating them into ongoing projects led by graduate students and/or postdocs, via short-term programs or with course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs, see Rule 10), which can be successful at any type of institution. However, the luxury of graduate student and postdoc labor is not available to most faculty at a PUI—instead, they must rely on the involvement of undergraduate researchers.

Working with undergraduate students themselves presents some unique challenges. Typically, graduate students have a more refined set of skills and direction when they begin mentored research. They also have more financial support and time dedicated to research. Conversely, undergraduate students generally require a high investment toward training before they can be independent researchers. This is because undergraduates are enrolled in full-time coursework and are only with the lab for a short time before they graduate and move on to careers or graduate programs.

While there is considerable overlap in practices that lead to successful labs in both R1 and PUI settings, the unique challenges of running a lab at a PUI require specialized approaches for recruiting lab members and fostering lab success. There has been rich discourse on methods to increase the health and productivity of research labs [ 8 – 11 ]. However, we note that much of the advice (even when about undergraduate students) has been geared toward R1 labs with postdocs, graduate students, and reduced teaching expectations for faculty. Here, we discuss some “rules” tailored to the specific challenges facing the principal investigators of research labs at PUIs, particularly at public universities that serve a diverse student body.

Rule 1: Determine what “success” means in your lab

The crucial first step is to decide what “success” means for your PUI research lab. Setting this down in writing and communicating it to lab members will help to set the tone and focus of the lab. While external funding and publication quantity/quality are important metrics for lab “success” in some settings, we would argue that lab success at a PUI is most usefully defined as student success ( Fig 1 ).

• PPT PowerPoint slide
• PNG larger image
• TIFF original image

Defining lab success as student success is foundational to the 9 other rules for running a successful undergraduate-intensive research lab. This definition is informed by lab standards, training methodologies, and recruitment strategies. Cultivating the principles endemic to each rule promotes student success which, in turn, provides further opportunities to strengthen the lab’s success. These mutually reinforcing processes build lab community and facilitate successful undergraduate research labs.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011994.g001

Student success can be measured in many ways, from retention and graduation in STEM, to increased science identity and critical thinking skills, to poster presentations, internal grant awards, and placement in graduate/professional programs. Selecting and tracking these metrics of importance will help you define your lab’s role in student success and prioritize your lab’s activities and engagement. Students who join your lab will have diverse educational and career goals, so it is imperative to have a plan in place for incorporating them into your lab’s pursuits. For example, a student planning on medical school might want to attend a different conference than one planning on graduate school, or a student considering other callings (communication, law, science policy, etc.) might benefit from altogether different career-development experiences. At all points, maintain an open dialogue with lab members about how their activities will lead to their own success in the context of the lab, and solicit feedback from each of them (individually) about what they view as “success” on short-term (approximately 3 to 6 months), medium-term (approximately 1 to 2 years), and long-term (>3 to 5 years) timescales.

The diversity of skill levels and interests you encounter with undergraduate lab members may shape your lab’s research goals in ways you did not anticipate. Some students may want to simply assist on someone else’s project, while others will be eager to start their own line of original research. Keeping a flexible research agenda to accommodate student interests and skills is fine, but undergraduates may want to push the boundaries of your lab’s unique focus beyond what you are capable of effectively supporting. Having a clear statement of “lab success” and putting lab goals in writing in a formal document will help you to guide students toward activities that support both them and your lab. An example undergraduate lab handbook has been archived online via Zenodo [ 12 ].

Rule 2: Approach students early

Science is a multifaceted and often slow process. With the high training investment and heavy course loads characteristic of undergraduate students, the research process is slowed even further. Be prepared for things to take much longer than you expect. Actively recruiting early-stage students, even local high-school students, is a winning strategy to overcome this challenge. This will provide you with ample time to test mentoring strategies, train the students in relevant methodologies, and benefit from their application of this training. Moreover, allotting sufficient time for the students’ training will facilitate their development into independent scientists with the ability to generate and investigate their own questions and ideas.

Freshmen and sophomores in your courses may not be aware that undergraduate research is even an option. PIs at teaching-focused institutions usually have consistent access to early students through the courses they teach. Spend a bit of time in class discussing research opportunities and benefits at your institution, and use examples of student research to highlight course content. Invite your current research students to present their projects in class to help you recruit, and invite interested students to shadow in the lab for a day. Highlighting the availability and inclusivity of undergraduate research and its importance to student success can help raise awareness in student populations who otherwise may have never been told that they could be a scientist.

Rule 3: Structure projects for peer collaboration

As a faculty member at a PUI, teaching is typically your first priority. With such restrictions on research time, a peer-mentor model can be a useful asset in your lab. This is analogous to the peer-mentor models employed by PIs at R1 institutions, with postdocs helping mentor PhD students [ 13 ]. In an undergraduate-only setting, the time and effort spent training students to serve as peer-mentors is significantly greater. After they are trained, peer-mentoring roles can be negotiated that lead to beneficial experiences for both mentor and mentee students [ 14 ]. This model can be an especially empowering role for the student mentor, developing their self-perception as a scientist. Moreover, this model develops teamwork skills and adds an element of peer-accountability which has been shown to improve retention and enjoyment of the scientific process [ 15 ].

In a PUI research setting, most students generally benefit from rotating through projects and/or duties. This variety exposes them to ideas and processes that may eventually shape their career path. Incorporating new students into senior students’ preexisting projects facilitates a flexible lab environment, which cultivates skill exploration, preparing them for independent research [ 16 , 17 ]. Good communication between the PI and the student research teams is also important for clearly defining roles, authorship credit, and project development. A collaborative lab environment will always be more successful than a competitive one, and you should take care to model and reinforce good collaborative practices.

Rule 4: Get students’ hands dirty

Undergraduate students typically seek out research labs because they have a vision of what research looks like and a perception of themselves as part of this process. For example, students may visualize researchers in a white coat at the lab bench, knee-deep in a bog, or logging onto a supercomputer. There are many ways to conduct research and these variations may not be equally recognized among undergraduates. Consequently, students should be engaged throughout various steps in the research process in order to enrich their contextual understanding and experience. There is no substitute for hands-on experience. Engaging students in active research protocols early on increases retention and improves chances of attaining high-skill positions in STEM [ 18 ].

A few roles on research projects in which new students can easily participate range, for example, from data collection and entry, to student–student peer review, to computational analyses, depending on student background. As students progress, this list can expand to include more intensive responsibilities. Allowing students to participate in a broad range of scientific tasks will equip them with an applied understanding of the hidden processes in science and build early intuition for this work [ 19 ].

Rule 5: Encourage a well-rounded education

Science is a highly creative pursuit and meaningful STEM careers can follow myriad paths. For example, a student may take interest in science communication, policy, or advocacy. Encourage your students’ diverse interests and allow them to follow their passion. This applies to the lab, their research questions, and their academic and personal life. They may want to take a ceramics class, learn to scuba dive, or spend time volunteering with campus organizations. Extracurricular activities and experiences build well-rounded individuals and more creative scientists, as well as making them more competitive applicants for jobs and postsecondary educational programs [ 20 ].

Talking to your students about their non-research passions may inspire new research paradigms or even inform how you communicate science from your lab. Promoting a healthy work/life balance and embracing the diversity of personal interests in your lab will make you more approachable and help foster an environment where lab members feel respected and fulfilled. Happy students do better science and have a positive effect on lab success.

Rule 6: Tailor your lab to your mentorship style

Different personalities and skill sets lead to different mentorship styles. When organizing your lab, it is helpful to do some self-reflection about what sort of mentor you want to be. Developing a formal mentoring philosophy can be facilitated through mentorship training from your institution, professional societies, and government agencies. These are excellent methods to spark introspection and define your strengths, weaknesses, and goals as a mentor.

How many students can you effectively supervise? How many different ongoing projects are feasible? The right answers to these and other questions will vary for every PI. Some may be comfortable establishing a large research group with formalized peer-mentoring and defined projects. Others may do better with a small group and closer interactions with each student. It takes time to develop trust and rapport with students, and without it, they may not feel comfortable failing or asking for help. It is important to be intentional and aware of your limitations. It is also important that each student in your lab gets the individual attention that they need.

Rule 7: Collaborate early and often

Science is inherently collaborative, and collaboration is a skill [ 21 ]. This is particularly important when running an undergraduate research lab where student training and graduation timelines do not leave much room for extensive data collection. Multiyear projects that students contribute to during their short tenure can leave most participants without tangible products to show as they apply for the next steps in their career pathway. To get things done on an undergraduate timeline, collaborations with external partners can be key.

Your lab will likely have some methodological focus that could be invaluable to other research teams. For example, if your undergraduate lab focuses on computational training, you will probably have external research labs eager for you to analyze data. Colleagues at R1 institutions often see PUI partners as a benefit for funding opportunities as well (e.g., NSF Broader Impacts). Use your professional network to advertise what your students can do and actively seek out collaborative opportunities with your academic, industry, and governmental contacts. This creates opportunities for your students to participate in projects they could not do alone, builds their professional networks, and teaches them how to be good collaborators.

Rule 8: Practice radical inclusivity

Building an inclusive lab takes effort and commitment. Most of the excellent advice for establishing an inclusive and antiracist lab [ 8 , 11 , 22 ] is directly applicable to undergraduate research settings as well, so we will not repeat it here. However, special considerations should be noted for PUIs. For example, you will likely encounter a greater proportion of first-generation/low-income and underrepresented students at a public PUI, as each stage of the educational pipeline successively excludes more students from those populations.

Students who are the first generation in their family to attend college, who come from low-income backgrounds, and/or who identify with underrepresented groups in STEM are far less likely to approach and interact with faculty either formally or informally [ 23 ]. This makes it crucial for faculty to proactively initiate discussions and actively recruit undergraduate lab members rather than wait for students to approach them. Underrepresented students benefit more from faculty-mentored research than any other group [ 24 ] and inclusion in undergraduate research has been shown to improve these students’ persistence in STEM [ 25 ]. Find the time to meet with students from these groups, whether in your classroom or by attending extracurricular events geared toward these student groups. Invest in creating a lab environment that will support a diverse group of students and then actively recruit them early in their educational journey.

Rule 9: Compensate students for their contributions

One of the most impactful differences between graduate and undergraduate researchers is that the latter are primarily full-time students, typically with no expectations or compensation for research activities. Finding ways to compensate undergraduates for research equalizes who can afford to participate. Your university may have internal grant mechanisms that pay or subsidize wages for undergraduate student research labor. Be proactive in finding these and other funding sources and, if paying your students is not an option, you may be able to compensate with course credit. Aside from equalizing access, compensating your students fosters mutual respect for their work/life balance which sets a precedent for students to respect their own time, manage expectations, and not overcommit.

Rule 10: Incorporate research into your teaching

While one-on-one mentoring has the highest impact on students [ 19 ], the time investment required for this practice is not always scalable. Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) offer a way to reach more students [ 6 ]. CUREs can make research participation more inclusive and available to students who may not be aware that mentored research is an option, and they reach a “captive audience” of students who may never have considered engaging in research. It also allows a wide range of students to add meaningful research experience to their professional portfolio while earning credits toward their degree. Teaching a CURE is separate from running a research lab, but it invariably extends and informs your mentoring. The pedagogical literature has many good examples of how to design and effectively manage a CURE in your classroom [ 26 – 30 ].

Conclusions

While the habits and attitudes that lead to successful research labs overlap considerably between an R1 and a PUI, there are unique features and special challenges in an undergraduate-only lab group that deserve special consideration. Here, we have tried to highlight some of the important practices that can transform those challenges into opportunities. Faculty at public PUIs play a critical role in preparing underserved students for careers in science, and often influence the types of scientists that these students will become. By teaching them how to be good scientists and collaborative community members, and how to cultivate a deep well of patience and compassion, you’re enabling their success. Framing “lab success” in terms of “student success” as a guiding principle will lead to positive outcomes for students and your lab.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Michael Rotter for constructive feedback on the original manuscript. Thanks to the bouncer at The Muddy Charles for providing invaluable feedback on the layout of Fig 1 . Finally, thanks to undergraduate researchers everywhere. This manuscript is the result of a collaboration between a PUI faculty member and a former undergraduate student.

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Sailing events could harm marine life due to underwater noise, study finds

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International sailing events could be harming marine wildlife because of underwater noise pollution from vessels, researchers have warned.

Marine mammals, fishes and invertebrates which rely on intricate hearing systems for processes to forage, communicate, reproduce, and avoid predators, could be harmed by sustained noise from hundreds of motorised boats, a study has found.

Research led by Heriot-Watt University’s Institute of Life and Earth Sciences in Edinburgh found that noise from large groups of spectator boats was loud and sustained for long enough to cause stress and even force marine life out of natural habitats.

Thousands of sailing regattas are staged around the world every year but researchers said that events should make greater efforts to limit the potential impacts of underwater noise from motorised vessels.

The research, published in Marine Pollution Bulletin, involved collecting and measuring acoustic recordings around racecourses during the 36th America’s Cup in the Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand , in 2021.

The international yachting race – the world’s largest competitive sailing event – has been staged since 1851 and attracted almost 300,000 in-person visitors.

An estimated 10,468 vessels attended the three different race events between December 2020 and March 2021, with around 300 vessels a day sailing to and from the racecourses at regular intervals, according to researchers.

The findings were published in a paper, Not so silent spectators: How spectator vessels at international sailing regattas alter marine soundscapes.

Sound level increases were noted several kilometres beyond the racecourse’s boundaries and remained high well beyond the duration of the races.

On a typical race day, sound levels around the racecourse were five decibels higher than when no racing took place – roughly more than three times normal sound energy levels.

Protection measures taken by event organisers, such as restricting spectator vessel speeds to five knots to reduce the risk of striking marine mammals, will also have helped reduce underwater noise levels, it was acknowledged.

However, ideas for further improvements included introducing designated areas for spectator vessels, as well as using marine mammal detection platforms to identify visually, or acoustically, when animals are nearby, so best noise practices could be adopted.

Noise pollution can also cause some species to avoid or move away from their original habitats

Staggering the exit to break up spectator flotillas into smaller groups, encouraging spectators to watch from land locations, and guidance on behavioural changes to reduce the amount of noise from their vessels were also suggested – including avoiding sudden speed changes.

Matt Pine, an honorary research fellow at Heriot-Watt’s School of Energy, Geoscience , Infrastructure and Society , said: “When sailing events like larger regattas are being planned, the potential impact of underwater noise pollution from spectator flotillas should be considered, especially for events happening in ecologically significant areas.

“Underwater noise from motorised vessels is particularly problematic, as studies have found it increases stress levels in many marine species and can reduce their success in reproduction, foraging and social interactions.

Mr Pine, a marine scientist specialising in ocean bioacoustics – the science of how sound affects animals – has a PhD in Marine Science from the University of Auckland in New Zealand.

He added: “Noise pollution can also cause some species to avoid or move away from their original habitats.”

America’s Cup organisers have been contacted for comment.

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Zainskaya State District Power Plant (SDPP) Expansion

Power Fossil Fuel / Coal and Gas Combined-Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT)

Project Type :

Combined heat and power plant expansion

Zainsk, Tatarstan Republic, Russia

Present Capacity :

Planned capacity addition :, expected commissioning :.

January 2025

Estimated Investment :

£394m ($514m)

Owner/Operator :

Epc contractor :, project gallery.

The Zainskaya State District Power Plant (SDPP) expansion includes addition of an 858MW high-efficiency, combined cycle plant. Image courtesy of Tatenergo.

GE received the order to supply the key power generation equipment for the new plant in September 2020. Image courtesy of General Electric.

The Zainskaya SDPP expansion project is scheduled for commissioning in 2025. Image courtesy of SO UES.

Location and site details

The zainskaya sdpp history and development details, zainskaya sdpp combined-cycle power plant make-up, contractors involved with the zainskaya power plant expansion.