Deadline for 2022-23 Proposals: Closed (8 April 2022)

Independent Study

Independent study courses are offered as a way for students, who are in good academic standing,  to study material not covered in regular courses. The IS course is tailored to each individual student based on a course proposal submitted by the student to an advising faculty member during registration.

Note: Students attempting an Independent Study are expected to;

  • Have initiative (be a self starter)
  • Have good writing skills (reports and presentations are primary means to communicate progress)

Evaluation Criterion to obtain registration approval:

  • Independent study course proposals must be approved by the faculty adviser prior to registration.  The proposal should document (Pre-registration  Proposal Example) 
    • Objectives of the study
    • Materials covered/Justification
    • Course outline/milestones
    • Outcome/Assessments

Evaluating progress during the Independent Study Course:

  • At the beginning of each semester provide a detailed description  of the study for each upcoming semester (a more detailed version of the pre-registration proposal):
    • Materials covered/Justification
    • Course outline/milestones
    • Outcome/Assessments
  • The study is conducted loosely on the Agile Scrum project management model.
    • The study will be organized along two or three week “sprints”.  There will be between five to nine sprints each semester.
    • At the beginning of each sprint specific tasks and related deliverables for the upcoming sprint are identified.
    • At the end of each sprint
      • the deliverables are uploaded to BLEND.
      • A reflection of what was accomplished.  What new understanding was gained and questions were raised.  This should discuss any problems that emerged on; the students study skills, the materials on which the study is based, or any development tools used for the study.
  • At the end of the first and second semesters, a presentation of 30 minutes is given by the candidate.
  • A written summative reflection covering the main items from the plan from the beginning of each semester, is submitted to the student’s supervisor prior to the semester presentation:
    • Cover page (title of paper, name of student, name of advisor, date of submission, course number)
    • Motivation/Introduction
    • Approach/Methodology
    • Results/Outcome of the project
    • Conclusion and future works
    • References
    • Appendix (if applicable)