Sapna Gupta, Associate Professor
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HN 302, Honors Scholarship, 3 credit hours
Fall 2005, Schedule: TBA


COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course must be taken a minimum of two (2) semesters and can be taken for an additional semester. The continue participation in the Program requires approval of the advisor(s) and the Honors Committee. The advisor(s) will directly oversee and guide the student and the student must continue to progress in their plan of study.

FACULTY’S EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY: My main objective is to transfer adequate and sufficient amount of knowledge to all the students at the appropriate levels: a) make sure that students understand the idea I am trying to convey, b) prepare students for the next level of education, c) develop the understanding of students, such that they adapt the process of thinking rather than memorizing facts and principles, d) develop practical skills and techniques to work confidently in laboratories, e) demonstrate how chemistry is part of their daily lives, and f) to use alternative and diverse methods of teaching to keep students motivated and interested during the course of their study in the semester, and hopefully for the rest of their lives.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: Students excelling in this course will be able to:

  • The student and honors advisor(s) should meet regularly throughout the course of the project to discuss concerns, progress, and expectations. It is important to maintain an open line of communication.
  • The student should expect to spend an average of 6-8 hours per week working on their project; thus over the course of a 16-week semester, the student will devote approximately 96 –128 hours per semester to their honors project. (Just an estimate of the time.) The nature of research means that there will be some weeks where little time is spent on the project and other times when the student will be spending all their spare time working on research.
  • Plan the path of exploration and writing for this and subsequent semesters.
  • Plan the final project and the presentations to be made by the end.
     
Specific Goals for Fall 2005
  1. Establish contact with EPA.
  2. Write a hypothesis or research plan for the work to be completed this semester.
  3. Carry out analysis on samples from 4-5 buildings on campus.
  4. The experimentation will be done at EPA labs.
  5. Keep a lab notebook with all details of work done.
  6. Supervisor on site, Ms. Jenn Boggess will help evaluate student performance.
  7. Learn scientific literature search and writing.

COURSE TEXTBOOK(S): none

ACADEMIC HONESTY: (This statement is directly from the Park University Undergraduate Catalog.) “Academic Honesty is required of all members of a learning community. Hence, Park will not tolerate cheating or plagiarism on tests, examinations, papers or other course assignments. Students who engage in such dishonesty may be given failing grades or expelled from Park.”

PLAGIARISM: (This statement is directly from the Park University Undergraduate Catalog.) “Plagiarism—the appropriation or imitation of the language or ideas of another person and presenting them as one’s original work—sometimes occurs through carelessness or ignorance. Students who are uncertain about proper documentation of sources should consult their instructors.”

ATTENDANCE POLICY: (This statement is directly from the Park University Undergraduate Catalog.) "Instructors are required to keep attendance records and report absences. The instructor may excuse absences for cogent reasons, but missed work must be made up within the term of enrollment. Work missed through unexcused absences must also be made up within the term of enrollment, but unexcused absences may carry further penalties. In the event of two consecutive weeks of unexcused absences in a term of enrollment, the student will be administratively withdrawn, resulting in a grade of “F”. An Incomplete will not be issued to a student who has unexcused or excessive absences recorded for a course. Students receiving Military Tuition Assistance (TA) or Veterans Administration (VA) educational benefits must not exceed three unexcused absences in the term of enrollment. Excessive absences will be reported to the appropriate agency and may result in a monetary penalty to the student. Reports of F grade (attendance or academic) resulting from excessive absence for students receiving financial assistance from agencies not mentioned above will be reported to the appropriate agency."
 

PERSONAL ATTENDANCE POLICY:
Meet once a week or communicate by email to discuss research progress.

COURSE ARRANGEMENTS:
Meeting will be once a week in my office or by email communication in case we do not meet in my office. Communication will be at least once a week to know the progress of the student.

COURSE ASSESSMENT and GRADING PLAN:
1. Attendance at regular meetings with honors advisor or professor ------ 30%
2. Written progress reports at intervals agreed upon by the advisor and student ----- 30%
3. Attendance at honors meeting as called for by the Honors Committee ----- 10%
4. Presentation of research progress ----- 30%

SPECIFIC GUIDELINES
1. In January student will submit a general hypothesis of project to be completed in the Honor’s research.
2. Every month, after sample collection and analysis, student will submit a written lab report, via email or hard copy, which includes:

  • Date
  • Experiment title
  • Methodology
  • Experiment
  • Results
  • Conclusion
  • Future Work

CLASSROOM RULES OF CONDUCT:
1. Professional behaviour is expected with instructor as well as partner institution (Environmental Protection Agency).
2. All lab reports should be tidy and well maintained.
3. Integrity of work and results is of high importance.

DISABILITY GUIDELINES: Information concerning Park University’s policies and procedures related to disability can be found on the Park University web page: www.park.edu/disability.

Student Signature:______________________________
 

HN302 EXPECTAIONS

  1. During HN302 Honors Scholarship, the student is actively working under the supervision of their honors advisor(s) on their individual honors project.
  2. Students will communicate with their academic advisor concerning continued honors classes.
  3. HN302 must be taken a minimum of two semesters and can be taken for an additional semester if the scope of the project warrants continuation.
  4. For students to continue in the Honors Program, they must receive approval of both the honors advisor(s) and the Honors Committee.
  5. The honors advisor(s) will directly oversee and guide the student. While all course arrangements are made between the student and the honors advisor(s), the student must continue to show visible progress in their plan of study.
  6. The student and honors advisor(s) should meet regularly throughout the course of the project to discuss concerns, progress, and expectations. It is important to maintain an open line of communication.
  7. As with all research, the outcome may not turn out as expected. The goal of the Honors Program is to allow students the opportunity to engage in advanced studies; thus the process is just as important as the product.
  8. Each semester of HN302 is worth 2 credit hours. This means there is an expectation that the student is spending an amount of time in the course as if it were a regular course (if not more). The nature of inquiry means that there will be some weeks where little time is spent on the project and other times when the student will be spending all their spare time working on research. It is the honors advisor(s)’s responsibility to work with the student to determine the amount of time and the time distribution required for each project.
  9. It is helpful to have concrete outcome goals established for each semester. In addition, you may want to establish a grading rubric to clearly delineate what is required for each course letter grade.
  10. Students are required to attend Honors meetings as required by the committee.
  11. A professional attire and presentation style is required at the semester Status Report Meeting.


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