Faculty Limits and Responsibilities
Eligibility
Only current RISD employees who are serving as faculty of record during the current academic year.
Limits
Part-time faculty – No more than 5 students in any combination of ISP/CSP/second adviser on Graduate Thesis Committees per academic year in which they are contracted to teach
Full-time faculty – no more than 3 per semester.
Exempt/non-exempt staff with a teaching contract during the current academic year - no more than two in that academic year
Contact time of 1 hour per week plus 1/2 hour of prep and evaluation per week
Compensation for adjunct faculty
$815 per student tutored. Paid in lump sum on the last payroll of the semester in which the ISP/CSP is undertaken. PLEASE NOTE: ISP/CSP payments are made on the last payroll of the semester.
Criteria
Does the proposal have educational merit?
Does the ISP/CSP proposal meet the standard of output expected of a comparable 3-credit course?
Does the proposal establish a mutually workable weekly schedule and meeting modality for the semester? Contact time to average 1.5 hours per week inclusive of prep and evaluation time.
Is satisfactory and timely completion of the project's scope feasible, in light of the student’s overall course load for the semester and your own obligations?
Does the proposal establish credit worthy requirements that you can evaluate (a series of small projects/papers, one big project/paper, form of research, etc.)?
Red flags
The student proposes that you provide introductory instruction on a process or technique. An independent study is not a course for 1 or a small group of students but guided self-directed work.
The scope of the project is too great for the time frame.
There is not enough production/output to grade or merit 3 credits.
Responsibilities
If needed, provide iterative feedback to the student to strengthen the proposed ISP/CSP so that it meets the criteria above and you can approve/accept it. Read extensive documentation of the process & the etrieve system we use for the applications here.
Meet on the agreed-upon schedule and provide ongoing feedback.
If satisfactory progress is not being made by mid-term, submit a mid-term warning in Workday.
Submit a final grade on Workday at the end of the term.
Department Heads* Approving ISP/CSP Applications
Department Heads are ultimately responsible for certifying both the academic content of the proposed ISP/CSP and also the suitability of the individual student to participate in the course of study. Department Heads should consider the following questions when approving ISP/CSP applications:
Does the student have a GPA of 3.0 or higher (automatically generated from the student's academic record on the first page of their eForm)?
Are they already carrying a heavy study/work load?
If for credit in your department, does the scope of work proposed merit 3 credits?
Does the project have intellectual rigor?
Does the project duplicate content offered in a course already offered?
Department Heads view and approve proposals on the etrieve on-line forms system. When a form requires Department Head approval an email will be sent that includes a link to the form requiring review, this email will be the only notification.
*or their designee, e.g. Faculty Coordinator in the larger departments.
Student Eligibility & Limits
sophomore or higher.
cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. If lower, student's department head must approve, both content and participation
3 credits per course
Undergraduates may take a maximum of 3 ISP/CSPs during the course of study