Independent Study/Collaborative Study

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