- Who can enroll in my honors course or sections? Who can enroll in my honors course or sections?
Students require permission to enroll in honors courses or sections and must obtain an iSiS permission number from the appropriate instructor. Students in honors sections or courses need not be enrolled in the Honors Program. Sometimes students take one honors section to see whether they will be able to handle the workload and whether they will like it. On the other hand, only students in the Honors Program are permitted to register for honors-by-contract.
TOP - Why does my student have to have the thesis proposal approved by the Honors Program? How can you judge the adequacy of proposals across a range of disciplines about which you know nothing?
The Honors Director reviews every proposal to ensure that there is sufficient detail to hold parties accountable for meeting (or failing to meet) the thesis requirement by the end of the semester or year. The science (or art) itself is not reviewed, but all proposals should have a rationale, a method, expected outcomes, a timeline, a plan for public presentation (the default is the Annual UMass Lowell Student Research Symposium), and a description of the final product. Obviously, final products indisciplines in the Social Sciences may differ from those in the Fine Arts, which may differ from those in the Sciences, the particulars of which are for the major advisor and committee member to judge.
TOP - My student is going to interview some high school students who go to his old school. We don’t have to get IRB approval for that, do we?
Yes. When human subjects are involved in the research, it is critical to obtain review of the IRB prior to initiating the study; this procedure must be part of the timeline. This is the case even when the research is exempt; the IRB must make sure it really is exempt. Any potentially vulnerable population—including youth as in the example above—must have the application fully reviewed. For more information go to the Office of Institutional Compliance website or contact the IRB administrator, Stephen_Moses@uml.edu. When animals are involved, contact the Office for Institutional Compliance with questions, or e-mail: Elaine_Major@uml.edu.
TOP - What if we don’t intend to publish the results of his thesis; then can we skip the IRB?
No. Since the thesis must be presented publicly, IRB approval must be obtained. So, go ahead and shoot for something publishable!
TOP - My student has expenses for her thesis research that I have no funding to cover, can the Honors Program help?
We offer limited financial assistance for thesis research in the form of Senior Research Grants. These generally do not exceed $500. Funding is from the Honors Endowment, supported by faculty donations. Please watch for the RFP
TOP - Sounds like a lot of work, what’s in it for me?
Well, the rewards of teaching in, or being otherwise involved with, the Honors Program are largely intrinsic. Connections with students who must complete an undergraduate Thesis or Project are likely to benefit your own program of research, and, beginning in 2006, we acknowledge the “Honors Mentor of the Year” at our spring banquet. Finally, you get to work with other faculty who are just a joy to be around for their dedication and enthusiasm.
TOP - How do I find extra time for meetings with students in concurrent sections?
Scheduling something out of students’ free time can be challenging. Some instructors block off an additional meeting hour perweek for the concurrent sections and have that built right into the course schedule at registration. We think that’s a great idea.
TOP - I want to teach an Honors Course. How do I get it on the books? I want to teach an Honors Course. How do I get it on the books?
Talk to your Department Chair. Honors courses are typically offered within departments rather than in the interdisciplinary (59) track. Please let us know when you will be offering the course so that we can bring it to students’ attention.
TOP - How can you identify Honors Courses by looking at the schedule? How can you identify Honors Courses by looking at the schedule?
All honors courses have a 300 level section number. In addition there is a listing of all honors courses for the upcoming semester posted on the Registrar’s website.
TOP - How do I advise my students who are in the Honors Program?
We have put together a guide for improving the advising experience for our students. We encourage students to bring it with them to their advising appointments. Please also encourage them to talk to any one of us in the Honors Office (North or South) for further assistance.
TOP - How do I know what’s going on in Honors?
Every department has an Honors Liaison who serves on the Honors Council. These folks should bring information from Honors to your department meetings and should bring the concerns of your department to the Honors Council. Our meetings are open to all.
TOP - What if there is something interesting going on in our department that I would like to share with Honors students?
A couple options. Invite students to attend or participate through the honors office. Send the title, date, time, place, and a brief description of the event to honors@uml.edu so we can include it in WHEN (weekly honors e-news). Or come present the information in the Honors Workshop.
TOP - What are the thesis requirements?
These are summarized in the Honors Project Handbook (pdf).
TOP - My department has a capstone course. Can’t our students just count that as their Honors Thesis or Project?
Not “just count.” If your students are completing their Honors Thesis as part of a capstone course that is required of all students in your department, the Honors experience will have to be more extensive. There has to be substantial additional effort for one student to receive Honors credit for meeting course requirements for which his or her classmates are receiving regular credit.
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