Honors Inquiry Projects

Honors Inquiry Projects

Students seeking to meet expectations to be recognized as an Honors Program Achiever or to become an Honors Program Graduate,  as well as any interested Honors students, are able to design and complete Honors Inquiry Projects.  Honors Inquiry Projects (HIPs) are one-credit, independent study projects that are designed and completed with the support of a faculty mentor.  The projects can explore topics or skills not offered within any traditional class as well as providing the opportunity for students to explore class topics more deeply through research, mentorship, and innovation.   HIPs may involve research and analysis as well as design, production, performance, or creativity as long as approved and all HIP expectations are ment.  

An HIP is considered equivalent to enrolling in an Honors section of a general education course in terms of meeting academic requirements to  be recognized by the Honors Program. Earned Honors Tuition Waivers can be applied to cover the tuition for an HIP.  Students may also design small group projects as long as approved by the Honors Program Director, faculty mentor, and administration.  

Students can complete an HIP during any academic term, Fall, Spring, or Summer, and at any regular scheduled term start date.  For example , for the full semester, this would mean the project could be be completed throughout the entire semester, for the 12-week period, or for either 8-week period. The basic steps to create and complete an HIP are outlined below, and the detailed expectations and process can be found in the linked documents at the end of this page. 

Basic Steps to Complete an Honors Inquiry Project 

1.  The student(s) has/have a discussion about ideas and to review the process with the Honors Program Director.

2. After this initial meeting, the student(s) will then complete the HIP Project Proposal Form to share and discuss with their chosen faculty mentor. 

3. Once the faculty mentor agrees to participate, the student(s) and the faculty mentor then discuss the project in more detail, setting goals and objectives.

4.  The faculty mentor and students then complete the On Demand Independent Study Form (linked below) and submit to administration for approval. Completed on-demand independent study forms need to be submitted no later than one-week prior to the course start date. 

5.  Throughout the term of the project, the student and mentor are expected to meet at least four times to discuss the progress and completion of the HIP.  (If needed, these meetings may take place virtually.) 

6.  At the completion of the project, the faculty mentor will assign the grade for the course based on the agreed-upon goals in the Independent Study Form. 

7.  Student(s) will provide evidence of the project completed, complete an HIP reflection (see form below), and design a poster presentation that details the project experience and/or its results to be displayed during the Honors Program's annual Research in Action Symposium. 

Detailed Expectations, HIP Proposal Form, On Demand Indepdnent Study Form, and HIP Reflection

Documents that detail the requirements and processes as well as all needed forms can be accessed below. 

The Honors Inquiry Project (HIP) Guidelines 

The Honors Inquiry Project (HIP) Proposal Form to Share with Faculty Mentor

On Demand Independent Study Form

Honors Inquiry Project (HIP) Final Reflection Form