Directed study, directed readings, and directed research courses are opportunities for students to work individually with a faculty member and to earn credit for individually designed content.
Departments, colleges and campuses who wish to offer these types of courses must specify:
the levels for these directed courses within their curricula;
the criteria for registration for these courses; and
the criteria that are used to determine who is eligible to teach these courses.
Colleges and campuses must establish and publish procedures for registration in directed study, directed research, and directed readings courses.
The instructor of a course and the student must have a written contract in place that specifies the student’s responsibilities for the courses and the name of the instructor who is responsible for turning in the student’s grade for the course, as part of the enrollment in the course. Instructors must provide a copy of the contract to the academic department in which the registration for the course occurs.
These courses do not require a syllabus.
The instructor must set the number of credits for these courses in accordance with the provisions of Administrative Policy: Expected Time per Course Credit: Crookston, Morris, Rochester, Twin Cities so that the academic workload requirements are in conformance (generally 3 hours of work per week per credit for undergraduate students and more than that for graduate and professional students).
Programs may limit the number of directed study, directed readings, and directed studies courses a student may take per term.
Exclusions
This policy is not applicable to the Duluth campus.
Reason for Policy
Uniformity of expectations across directed study, readings and research opportunities is in the best interest of students, faculty and staff.
Procedures
There are no procedures associated with this policy.
An opportunity in which a student designs and carries out a research project under the direction of a faculty member. Directed research may be taken for variable credit and special permission is needed for enrollment.
Directed Study
A course in which a student designs and carries out an independent project under the direction of a faculty member. Directed study courses may be taken for variable credit and special permission is needed for enrollment.
Directed Readings
A course in which a student designs an area of study under the direction of a faculty member. Directed readings may be taken for variable credit and special permission is needed for enrollment.
Responsibilities
Instructor
Review and approve the contract a student has created for a course. Work with the student to revise the contract, as needed, before approval.
Supervise the student’s work in such a course.
Submit final grade at the end of the course.
Student
Obtain permission to enroll in the course and register for the course.
Complete the responsibilities of the course, as specified in the contract.
Maintain regular contact with the instructor.
Academic Unit
Maintain records of such courses, including the individual contracts for each occurrence.
Maintain oversight of curriculum and instructor workload.
March 2021 - Comprehensive Review. A sentence was added to require instructors to inform their students of required content identified in the Syllabus Requirements policy.
Amended:
October 2015 - Comprehensive Review, Major Revision. 1. Requires instructors to file a copy of the contract associated with these courses, to be on file in the academic department offering the course. 2. Requires departments, colleges, and campuses to specify the criteria for both eligibility and registration into these courses. 3. Allows departments to establish limits to the number of these types of courses that a student may take. 4. Specifies the responsibilities for the instructor, student, and academic unit.
Administrative Policy