Expand knowledge and deepen comprehension of course material by reading and discussing primary literature rather than textbooks. Encourage students to consider the application of the course material to "real-world" situations or unexpected problems. Ask students to synthesize different bodies of knowledge to solve problems.
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The term honors course is a common label applied to courses, predominantly at the high school level, that are considered to be more academically challenging and prestigious.
Honors classes are a step above regular classes. They are more in-depth on a subject and usually move at a faster pace. Additionally, they are more demanding in terms of preparation, time, and studying. Teachers typically expect more out of students when they are taking an honors class.
While the academic expectations are higher in honors classes, colleges offer many benefits to these students to aid their studies including smaller class sizes, networking opportunities, research opportunities, extracurricular academic opportunities, and early class registration.
Honors classes require learners to complete more work than regular courses, and AP classes can be even more demanding. While honors classes feature advanced high school coursework, AP classes are designed to mirror college-level coursework.
What Makes Honors Classes More Than a Name?High-level Content with Higher-Order Thinking. First, the content presented should indeed be advanced content. ... Opportunities to Think as Experts. ... Next Steps in Learning. ... Open-ended Inquiry. ... Real-World Applications. ... Sophisticated Products. ... Table 1.References.
One of the biggest differences between gifted vs. honors is the focus on academics. Honors students are expected to handle a larger homework load, read longer and more complex texts, and complete subject units faster.
0:552:20What's the difference between honors courses, AP classes ... - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipIf the college gives credit it could reduce the amount of credits that you need to take forMoreIf the college gives credit it could reduce the amount of credits that you need to take for graduation. Now IB stands for international baccalaureate IB classes are very similar to AP classes.
Honors courses offer an excellent opportunity for faculty members to try out new ideas in teaching and research topics, to pilot a course that they may develop for their own department or program, and/or to work with a small group (not more than 25) of excellent, motivated students.
Prior to being submitted, all proposals should be approved by the faculty member’s department chair. We recommend that you or your chair remain in contact with the dean of your college about your overall teaching responsibilities, and faculty should be aware of any additional approvals necessary through their home departments.
All professors offering courses through the Honors College, including seminars, are requested to submit their syllabi to Honors at the beginning of each semester and copies of their evaluations at the end of the semester. HON seminars at all levels are evaluated by students electronically at the end of term.
By agreeing to teach an Honors course, faculty also agree to the following:
An Honors course is an experience and a process. Its major characteristic is its emphasis on the principles of the discipline. Material should be treated in depth and instructors should lead the student to explore the manner by which things are known and the means by which questions are asked and problems attacked.
The Honors College places a premium on student writing and the intellectual skills that can be developed and honed thereby. Therefore, unless a professor can make a strong case for an exception, Honors instructors are expected to require significant writing from their students. This can be done, as appropriate, by way of a major paper or different essays or exercises. In courses dealing with performance (as in music or drama) or creative activity, writing can be made to support or enhance other forms of creative activity. The intent of a writing requirement is to give students opportunity to collect, generate, and refine their thoughts on a given subject and to produce polished communications. In order for students to learn through writing, however, the professor should establish close contact with the student and the writing involved, and he/she should evaluate such writing in a timely, constructive, and clear fashion.
Students should have the opportunity for in-depth research, field work, collaboration, or presentation. The kinds of work Honors students have completed in these sections have included web-sites, class presentations, interdisciplinary demonstrations, group projects, and more extensive research papers. Depending on the number of students in the Honors section, instructors have worked with the whole group on one project, assigned several smaller group projects, or had students work independently on research appropriate to their individual interests. Other instructors have used service learning as a way to enhance the Honors experience in these classrooms.
While the work requirements in an Honors course may involve larger and harder assignments than would be given in other courses in the University, the goal of the Honors College is to encourage the student to extract more intellectual value out of the work that is assigned rather than simply to do more assigned work.
Arrange meeting times with the Honors students as a group as needed (typically 3-4 per semester).
The final examination is especially important as a way of leading the student to integrate elements of the course.
Whatever method is finally used, it is important that your expectations, including the expectation that Honors students design the Honors component, are made clear at the very beginning of the semester. A description of the course, including those expectations, should be made available so that students can make an informed choice during pre-registration advising.
Honors courses are expected to provide increased intellectual challenge through more sophisticated material, a higher level of intellectual engagement, and more responsibility for the learning process than would typically be expected in an undergraduate course .
Embedded and Honors Course Contracts require a student to participate in alternate or additional individual or group activities to provide an Honors-level experience. Honors Students who take graduate courses for undergraduate credit may count these courses toward their distinction requirements.
Free-standing Honors courses are designed and offered as a stand-alone course for Honors students only. These are small classes (generally no more than 25 students) taught in a traditional manner by a faculty member. While the course material is often consistent with the non-Honors version of the same course, it should be taught at an increased level of sophistication. Faculty teaching Honors courses are encouraged to develop activities that:
Expand knowledge and deepen comprehension of course material by reading and discussing primary literature rather than textbooks.
Many times, students do this when there is a graduate equivalent of an undergraduate degree requirement. No modification is needed in these cases since the ideal for an Honors course is a graduate-level seminar.
All Honors students have successfully completed the Honors College application process, which includes a series of essays, letters of reference, and a transcript evaluation. Honors classes are available to Honors students first, but after they have enrolled, the courses are then open to all current TTU students with a 3.0 cumulative GPA or higher.
Honors classes often involve much more student-faculty interaction than a typical non-honors class. While the format of the class is left to the discretion of the instructor, student participation is generally greater in an Honors classroom. Students are encouraged to “discover” knowledge through discussion, critical reading, writing, laboratory experience, and research. The model, especially in the Honors seminars, can be similar to a graduate seminar format. But while Honors students have generally superior scholastic abilities, the instructor should not require them to perform at graduate levels.
Oral and written expression are major components of the Honors experience. This may take the form of lively class discussions, journals, papers, laboratory reports, and a variety of other techniques.
The small class format permits professors to get to know the students better and to interact with them more closely. Honors students often have a closer relationship with their Honors instructors than with other professors, and they look to them as role models and mentors. Honors faculty often find themselves being asked to serve in supervising independent research or in the Undergraduate Research Fellows Program, in which selected students are paid for their research with a faculty member. The small class size also allows for unusual class instruction, like field trips and student projects.
Honors classes should not involve substantial extra work when compared with a non-Honors class. The emphasis in Honors classes should be on exploring the subject matter a little more thoroughly. The goal of an Honors education is greater breadth and more enrichment.
Honors students should be graded on mastery of the subject and should be held to the same standards as students in other classes, not graded on a curve. That is to say, students should not receive a lower letter grade in an Honors class than they would for the same work in a regular class. Since Honors students receive no extra credit on their GPA for Honors courses, doing so would make taking an Honors class a punitive experience rather than an enriching one.
These courses, when completed with a grade of "B" or higher , are automatically counted toward your Honors course requirements.
They can be identified in the CHC Honors Course Guide and on SPIRE by their course number suffix "H" (e.g., ANTH 104H). These courses are intensive and due to their small class size, allow for direct mentoring relationships between faculty and students.
Honors Colloquia can be identified in the Honors Course Guide and on SPIRE by their course number prefix "H" (e.g., ANTH H104). To fulfill Honors course requirements, both the Honors component and the regular course must be passed with grades of B or higher.
1-2 credit HI enrichment of a non-honors course of 3+ credits must involve at least eight hours of student/faculty contact time over the course of the semester. Once your proposal has been approved in CHC PATHS, you will be registered in an additional 1 or 2 credit section with a prefix of HI (e.g., ANTH HI104). Both the Honors component and the regular course must be passed with grades of "B" or higher to fulfill Honors course requirements.
The Honors Thesis provides the culminating experience of a Commonwealth Honors College student's academic life and is designed to provide Honors College seniors with an opportunity to integrate their undergraduate experiences while preparing for their intended career paths. Whether you choose to work with a faculty member to design an Individually Contracted Honors Thesis or participate with other Honors College students in a faculty-taught Thesis Seminar, you will have an opportunity to conduct in-depth scholarly research and complete a Research Manuscript or Portfolio under the guidance of an experienced faculty mentor. The Honors Thesis is traditionally completed over two semesters in the senior year, divided into Honors Thesis Part 1 (3+ credits) and Honors Thesis Part 2 (3+ credits).
Honors Independent Study are contracted with faculty, either as additional in-depth, independent work for a non-honors university course (1-2 credits) or as a "stand-alone" Honors Independent Study of your own design (3-6 credits).
Honors Independent Study comes in two formats designated by HI and ISH. If a non-honors university course you wish to take does not offer a regularly scheduled Honors colloquium option, you may contract with the course instructor for 1-2 credits of additional in-depth, independent work (HI).