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. ?

ARM/ph 

Att s. 

- 4:.

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SIMON. FRASER UNIVERSITY

S / 4

MEMORANDUM ?

To.. ........ 

.......S.cit a.rpfSenate 

?

...............................

Subeci

terrpppsa 

From

.............. A.R.

Dean 

..Q.LthL3fQn.......................... ....... . ............... ....

Date

.............

.

PTflk1'... 

It is requested that the Individual Study Semester Proposal appear on the 

next Senate Agenda. 

The proposal deals with a principle of program organization rather than 

with specific details of how the proposal will be put into operation in 

each Department or Centre. Calendar description, which will be presented 

to Senate at a later time, will provide the specific details. 

• ? 

A

S/6C (°-j

lleola

14*

.INDIVIDUAL STUDY I21EGTEU PI1OPOSA L 

It is 

recommended

that the following offering be made by each Department 

or Centre of the Faculty of Education, to begin September 1968. The descrip- 

tion 

wduld be identical for each Department but would bear the

Departmental 

or Centre course titles. 

499-15 

(or

18 if in an 

honour's program) - 

Individual 

Sy

Semester 

A full 

semester to be spent on an 

' intensive 

study project of the 

student's

own selection. Studies may involve any field of in- 

vestigation for which there is adequate supervision in the Univer- 

sity. There will normally be no scheduled lectures or tutorials. 

Each student will be responsible to faculty sponsors. This program 

is open

to students who have satisfied 

major portion of their 

required courses for the undergraduate degree, 

and who

have dis- 

played initiative in these courses. Application must be made to 

the Department or Centre in the semester preceding enrollment,. 

M7/iI

A PROPOSAL

FOR AN INDIVIDUAL STUDY SETEE

The purpose of the program is to allow undergraduate students to form-

ulate, explore and resolve problems of their own choosing on an intensive

basis. It is assuiied that there are at least two functions of a university

education. The provision of information in a linear and organized way is

largely accomplished in the traditional courses. However, a second function

might be said to be the development of an ability to discover and solve pro-

blems without being told, exactly what the problems are and how they should

be solved. It is this function which it is.suggested might be best, accom-

plished by the proposed Individual Study Semester. It would also provide

students with an opportunity to study one area in depth, rather than requirin;

them to study a number of diverse courses in each semester of their Univers,'

. .

career.

There are some precedents for such a program. Experiments have been

carried out at Stanford University, Goddard College, Bennington College,

Fordhani University and Newark State College. At Bennington, for instance, the

program is no longer exporimental as it has been carried out for a number of

years. All Bennington undergraduates are required to do individual study for

one-year and all must present a final product to demonstrate their accomplish-

ments. At UBC a program entitled Arts 01 is currently undergoing a trial

period. It is also interesting to note that individual study programs have

been initiated in a number of high schools in B.C. (e.g. Sentinel School,

West Vancouver) and in several locations in the United States (e.g. Pittsburgh).

.Cont....

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dg

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-4

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The

following 

Procedures 

be followed in the administration 

of the

program: 

1.

In general, eligible studeflt3 should have Completed at least 60 semester 

hours of their degree program. 

2.

The Faculty Undergraduate Curriculum Committee will be responsible for 

the general supervision 

and

coordination of the program. 

3.

A sponsor will be selected by the Department in which the student wishes 

to enrol. In cooperation with the sponsor, the Candidate will select 

two additional Sponsors to complete a Sponsoring Committee. This 

Committee will assist the candidate to draw up a program which will- be 

submitted to the Curriculum Committee for ratification. 

4.

The candidate's work through the semester will be guided by the Sponsoring 

Committee. It must be emphasized that sponsorship will be voluntary. If 

a itudent cannot obtain sponsorship, he cannot 

undertake the program, it

than one student.

5.

At the end of the semester, a report on the student's work will be sub- 

mitted to the Curriculum Committee. Evaluation will be carried out by 

the sponsors on the basis of a final product which must be submitted by 

the student. An oral examination 

may

also be required at the discretion 

of the sponsors. 

Evaluation

will be done on the basis of the 

normal

University grading 

system. 

If possible, it is suggested that the 

final 

product be made available in the Library so that anyone concerned 

can

assess the 

SUCCOBS 

of the program. It 

also suggested that the 

student's transcript should show both the title 

and

a brief description 

of the project. 

Sii

t/,t/d

,

-3-

6.

A student enrolled in this program will not be permitted to undertake 

any other course in that semester. 

7.

A student enrolled in this program may attend any lecture or tutorial 

being given in the University, provided he first obtains permission of 

the person in charge. While the program itself will provide no formal 

lectures or tutorials, students will be encouraged to engage in an 

informal seminar for the purpose of discussing research projects. 

It must be emphasized that for the Individual Study Semester to function 

properly, the proposal for study must originate with the student. It is 

hoped that such individual programming will be based upon the student's pre- 

vious studies, in order that he will have a basis for more intensive explora- 

tions. However, it would seem undesirable to have the project approximate 

too closely any course 

which is

being given currently in the University, 

particularly, if there was the possibility that the student might take such 

a course at a later date. 

"SM

192

To: Dean A.R. MacKinnon 

?

From: Registrar. 

Dean of Education. 

30 April, 1968. 

Subject: Individual Study Semester. 

Your memorandum of 29 April 1968 concerning Individual 

Study Semester addressed to the Secretary of Senate was discussed at 

today's meeting of the President's Advisory Committee. It was the 

Committee's decision that this not be placed on the Senate agenda 

until such time as it had 

'

been referred to the Faculties of Arts and 

Science 

and we have received their comment.: 

I

tj

D.A. Meyers 

Acting Registrar 

c.c. Dean of Arts 

Dean of Science 

DM/md 

15 Al i/1 e/

Secrotry, Sonata

A.R

•

Dcn

IndivictuJ. Study So.'icstor

Apr3.

29, 191

Attachcd is a propoa1 for

Indvidi 3tucy S isr which ;as

approved at the

Faculty

of Educatiori'moothg on

day,

io.

April 29,

Approval of Senate is reque3tod so that this can boin Soptob3r198.

Att..

SIMON FRASER UMVESITY

; ?

. ?

Sublocl .................... .....vidual Study Semester

Dal o.............................June 20,

1968

At its meeting of June 19, 1968, the Faculty of

Science discussed the proposal for the Individual Study Semester

program to begin in the Faculty of Education in September

1968,

as outlined in your memorandum of May 14,

1968.

It was the understanding of the Science Faculty that

this is a program in the Faculty of Education , and a student

can receive full credit there towards a B. Ed. degree. It was

further understood that if a Science student participates in this

program, it may count towards electives in his B. Sc., but can

not count towards his core program for the B.Sc. degree.

With the above understanding, the Science Faculty

passed a motion to approve the establishthent of the Individual

Study Semester program in the Faculty of Education.

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

LI

i :j 

W LziLf

SIL

N2 1 196

of Education 

?

Dean ? 

Uiry CF

...................••• ....

............ ?

Sub1

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ect.......I..id...

ndivual ? 

...................................................................

Stud 

.

y Semester ? 

............. .

Dato

.................................................................................................................

June 

21, ?

968

....

There seems to have been more confusion than necessary over 

the fate of the proposed Individual Study Semester. Attached is a copy of 

the reply which then-Dean Matthews addressed to the acting registrar. The 

Faculty of Arts has stated (attached memorandum) that the program should be 

undertaken toward a B.Ed. degree only, and should not involve additional 

work load for members of the Faculty of Arts. Within these limits the 

Faculty of Arts would endorse the Faculty of Education's mounting of this 

program. 

.

GAR: 

e

end. 

Individual Study Semester

may l, 1968

In reply to your rner.orandwn of 30 April, addressed to Dean

MacKinnon, the Faculty of

Arts

has already discussed the proposal

both in the Curriculum Coriinittee and at a faculty meetir.

Following are main points made at a discussion of the

Individual Study Semester, at the Faculty meetir on January 17 of

this year:

(a)

15 credits should entail sc-ethjng more than a 'non-all

research project. Students in the Arts Faculty carry

Out

research projects which might well be considered

of equal weight, for

hours credit.

(b)

If the intention is to 

relieve a student for a sster

frem all other course ccttttrerts, there

would be 

difficult, with E

ono r

students who are ex p 

etcd to

carry 18 hours in each of the last four semesters.

(c)

Such a project might unduly limit that part of a

student ' s program to

be

taken outside his own

specialty.

(d)

nere would be pressure on roers of this Faculty which

could not well be avoided to undertake this supervision

on top of their existin g

teachin load.

(e)

The Faculty felt that such

projects should be undertaken,

in the first

instance, towards a BEd. degree only.

J': e