Overview
Honors Options enable Abington Honors Program students to earn honors credit in a regular course. The faculty member and student agree on a project or activity that may be done as an alternative or supplement to regular assignments. The project provides the opportunity to go more deeply into methodology, structure, or theory or address more sophisticated questions. To be carried out successfully, an honors option requires careful planning early in the semester, close collaboration between the student and faculty member, and a commitment by both to see the project through. University-wide rules restrict honors option supervision to full-time faculty.
Interested Students
Interested students should meet with the faculty member they would like to work with and complete this form together.
Guidelines for Faculty
The following are guidelines to assist in the development of a productive honors option:
- In an honors option, the honors course work or project may be an alternative or supplement to regular assignments. The project should fit within the content and intent of the course description.
- The honors option project should go more deeply into methodology, structure, and/or theory; address more sophisticated questions; and/or satisfy more rigorous standards than is generally expected.
- Simply increasing the volume of work required does not constitute an honors option. The character and quality of work should be augmented, but the time required should remain commensurate with the number of credits for a comparable honors course.
- A successful honors option will include regular meetings between the faculty member and the student. Whenever possible, specific deadlines should be set.
- Faculty should feel free to stipulate clarifications, modifications, or alternatives to projects proposed by students.
- The course grade should reflect all the student's work in the course, including work done for the honors option. Completion of the honors portion of the course cannot be deferred without deferring the grade in the course.
- The filing of an honors option represents a commitment by both student and faculty member to see the project through. The course may not revert to non-honors status without the permission of the faculty member. The honors coordinator must receive written notification no later than the end of the sixth week of the semester. This rule applies whether or not the student continues in the Abington Honors Program throughout the semester.
- Honors options may only be supervised by full-time faculty. This restriction is required by the university's Schreyer Honors College, which controls the honors option designation.
Thank you for your willingness to work with our honors students in this capacity. I hope that your participation in the student's honors education results in a mutually engaging and rewarding experience.
Coordinator
Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions or would like to discuss possible projects.
David Ruth, [email protected]
Abington Honors Coordinator
Schreyer Scholars and their faculty should complete the form at https://www.shc.psu.edu/srs .