1 Credit Hour Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Add New Course Reactivate Course

Student Taught Course Proposal Form Fall Spring Year:

1 Credit Hour Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Add New Course Reactivate Course

Rice University

Office of the Dean of Undergraduates

Guidelines for Student-Taught Courses

1) The classes must be graded on a satisfactory/nonsatisfactory scale (this is functionally equivalent to pass/fail, but does not count against the students' quota for pass/fail courses).

2) All student-taught courses are offered for one credit hour.

3) A student instructor cannot be paid a salary, but is awarded one credit hour. Colleges have the student instructor register in a teaching practicum that is overseen by their master. The faculty sponsor of the student taught courses would be responsible for the course including involvement in its planning, operation, and grading. The sponsor is also expected to attend at least one class and meet with the student instructor.

4) A student must have a GPA of 2.5 or higher andbe enrolled at Rice for at least two semesters before teaching a class. (So a student must be enrolled at Rice for at least one full semester before proposing a class.).

5) A student may take as many student-taught courses as (s)he likes, and they are all listed on the transcript, but no more than three resulting credit hours can be applied towards the satisfaction of his/her graduation requirements.

6) Student-taught courses must have an enrollment cap of 19 or less.

7) COLL 300 is required of all students who wish to teach aSTC and have not already taught a STC.

Rice University

Office of the Dean of Undergraduates

Student Taught Course Evaluation Criteria

It is the student's responsibility to present the course proposal to his/her College Master for College approval and subsequent recommendation to the Dean of Undergraduates. To ensure that there is sufficient time for review within the college, each proposal should be submitted to the college masters with sufficient time in advance of the proposal deadline, as specified by the college masters.
Does the title/topic of the course match the syllabus/subject matter? In other words, will the course actually address what the instructor claims they will teach? Similarly, does the course teach what should be covered in a course on that topic, as judged by an expert in the general field? As an important part of this criterion, the subject matter of the course must not already be offered at Rice.
Is the topic sufficiently well-defined that the topic can be covered in the limited amount of time for a 1 credit course? The course should not sacrifice depth for breadth and should not attempt to accomplish too much within the constraints of a student taught course.
Does the course provide more than one perspective on the topic? In other words, has the instructor included additional appropriate readings, guest lectures, videos, etc. into the syllabus for the course? A good course provides the students with a synthesis of material from more than one viewpoint. There are numerous ways to accomplish this synthesis. The course needs to present more than just the student instructor’s own view. The course proposal should include a detailed plan for providing both synthesis and multiple perspectives, along with an explanation of the instructor's qualifications to teach a course on the subject matter
Do the assignments in the course actually match the learning objectives and the subject matter of the course? Will a student who completes the assignments have met the objectives of the course? This is particularly important since the courses are graded S/U only.
For courses which involve physical activity or skills development, are the appropriate safety precautions and training in place? Risk management should be consulted, and for physical activity courses which require appropriate spaces, the Director of the Recreation Center and the Director of the Lifetime Physical Activity Program must be consulted.
Does the course proposal have the support of the faculty associates of the college? This can be provided in a manner determined by the college masters and may include a designated subset of the faculty associates. The masters may find it helpful to have the input of the academic fellows/mentors in the college during this process.
The best procedural step to ensure that the answers to these questions are positive is through the mentoring provided by the faculty sponsor. This is facilitated when the faculty sponsor provides a statement (approximately 1 page) addressing the substance of the course, the supporting materials, the learning objectives, and the assignments. As such, it is imperative that the student instructor work with the faculty sponsor from the outset of the planning process, rather than at the last minute.

Course Information – College:

Course Short Title:

(30 characters – to appear on student’s transcript)

Course Long Title:

(followed by a colon and college name – to appear on online schedule)

Meeting Day and Time:

AV or Equipment Request:

Enrollment Limit (max of 19):

Enrollment Group:

Registration Permission Required: Instructor Department Permission not Required

Format: Lecture Seminar Lab Research Lecture/Lab Other

Classroom: Lecture/Classroom Computer Lab Conference Room Non-OTR Scheduled Room:

Final Exam: Scheduled Using OTR Room Scheduled NOT Using OTR Room Take Home None

Budget Breakdown:

(approval of the course does not necessarily mean approval of the budget)

Total Budget Requested:

Student Coordinator:

Student Coordinator’s Email:

Description: (50 word max):

Instructor(s):

Name: ID: __S Email: Cell:

Please indicate by signing below that you, as a Rice student, have a GPA of 2.5 or higher and will be enrolled at Rice for at least two semesters before teaching this course (a student must be enrolled at Rice for at least one full semester before proposing a class.) and agree to enter grades at by the grade deadline.

Signature (Instructor 1):______

Signature (Instructor 2):______

Please attach a syllabus and Supervising Faculty Statement.

Supervising Faculty:

Name: Email: Phone:

Title: Department: Office:

Please indicate by signing below that you, as a Rice faculty member, agree to accept the responsibility for the course including involvement in its planning, operation, and grading. The supervising faculty is also expected to attend at least one class, communicate with the instructor on a regular basis and meet with the instructor to provide feedback. The faculty sponsor should also provide a statement (approximately 1 page) with an assessment of the substance of the course, the supporting materials, the learning objectives, and the assignments.(Please attach the statement to this page)As such, it is imperative that the student instructor work with the faculty sponsor from the outset of the planning process, rather than at the last minute.

Signature:______Date:______

Master:

Faculty Associates Vote of Approval:

Master’s Approval Signature: ______

Dean’s Approval Signature: ______

Comments:

Please attach a syllabus and Supervising Faculty Statement. Rev. April, 2013