Independent Student Projects

Objective: Students go beyond the material presented in the course and learn additional material in a more independent setting. 

Key Terms: Project. Independent work. Source. Citation. Self-contained work. 

Timing: Typically projects are due at or towards the end of the course. 

Lesson

Example I: This example is for a course project that involves independent learning, but where the topic is chosen for the student, and lots of structure is provided to the student in helping them to complete the project. 

  1. At the beginning of the semester, discuss the nature of the project structure you will be using, and make sure this is reflected in your syllabus. See, for example, this Honors Linear Algebra syllabus, created by Li-Mei Lim. 
  2. You may also wish to provide them with a rubric detailing how their project will be assessed. See, for example, see this Honors Linear Algebra project rubric, created by Li-Mei Lim. 
  3. Provide the students with the project prompt well in advance of the project due date. See, for example, this Honors Linear Algebra project prompt, Li-Mei Lim. 

Part II: This example is for a course project that involves independent learning, but where the topic is chosen by the student. 

  1. At the beginning of the semester, discuss the nature of the project structure you will be using, and make sure this is reflected in your syllabus. See, for example, this Differential Equations syllabus, created by Ryan Goh. 
  2. You may also wish to provide them with a rubric detailing how their project will be assessed. See, for example, see this Differential Equations project rubric, created by Ryan Goh.
  3. Provide the students with the project details well in advance of the project due date. Note that the above syllabus and rubric contain the details of the project. 
  4. Consider providing the students with some scaffolding to help them successfully complete their project. This could include requiring the students to have one-on-one meetings with you as they decide on their project topic, requiring the students to submit a draft of the project that you provide feedback on, etc.