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The primary purpose of independent study courses at Loras College is to provide students an opportunity to work with faculty on research or directed readings related to a specific topic. In some cases, students may take an independent study course to fulfill a requirement in the major or minor area of study. Academic departments may offer students three types of independent study courses: empirical research, directed readings, and arranged courses.
397: Independent Study: Arranged Course
This course duplicates the content of a course regularly offered in the Loras College curriculum. Students may request to take an arranged course after they have exhausted all other possibilities for fulfilling a particular course requirement through regular department offerings.
398: Independent Study: Empirical Research
This course aims to give students an opportunity to work with Loras College faculty on supervised research projects. The research may be qualitative or quantitative and in the lab or in the field. It is desirable for students in this course to produce or contribute to producing a product of publishable or professionally presentable quality.
498: Independent Study: Directed Readings
This course aims to give students an opportunity to pursue a focused study on a particular topic primarily through library research. This course is not designed to duplicate current departmental offerings, but rather to offer students a venue for analyzing a topic or phenomenon more deeply. For example, an education student would not pursue a directed readings course in curriculum and instruction in mathematics because this is a regularly offered course. The student may, however, want to follow up on what he/she learned in this specific curriculum and instruction class by focusing in on reading about effective methods for teaching math to urban, poor children.
Students must be aware that they may:
- Not register for more than 4 credit hours per semester through independent study
- Count a maximum of 6 credit hours of independent study toward their major field of study
- Count a maximum of 4 credit hours of independent study toward their minor field of study
- Count a maximum of 12 credit hours of independent study toward their Loras degree
Independent study courses are offered at the discretion of a faculty member, with approval by the Division Chair and the Associate Dean of Instruction and Assessment. The application for Independent Study is located in the “Academic Forms” folder on the IQ Main Page or by the following link: Independent Study Application. Appeals to the above policies may be made to the Associate Dean of Instruction and Assessment.
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