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UHP courses focus on active learning, rather than
lecture. Lecture courses can provide active learning too,
but it is very challenging to achieve that goal with every
class.
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High-achieving students can have particular needs that we
recognize and address. For example, many of our
students did not have to study very hard in high school and
discover in their first semester in college that they have not
developed the study skills they will need for college-level
work. That can come as a hard surprise. We can help
with the transition to college in a variety of ways.
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Courses in the University Honors Program are small
and discussion-oriented. Research on student learning is VERY
CLEAR that this is the ideal environment for most students.
Most students learn better when they interact with one another
as well as
the instructor. While this puts a little more pressure on students to
be prepared for class every day, faculty do recognize that
everyone has a bad day once in a while. After all, we're
human too.
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Honors courses cross more boundaries
(literature and history, for example) than most Gen Ed courses
can. They help you make connections between courses and
between your major/minor and General Education. We help
you build your skills and awareness so that you function well as
an individual as well as in society (Gen Ed) and the courses that deepen your knowledge in a
particular field (your major and minor).
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Smaller classes mean better connections. Most
students get to know their professors better in a smaller class
than in a larger one. Research on student retention and
satisfaction with the college experience indicates that making
connections with faculty, staff, and other students is crucial
to your success in college.
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Faculty can experiment with teaching strategies and content
in Honors courses in ways we cannot in larger classes and with
students who don't necessarily want to be there. Our
students find this facet of the UHP intriguing and valuable in
many ways. We help students learn to cope with the
uncertainties that attend any new experience.
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All UHP courses except HON 490 satisfy a
requirement in the General Education program.
Most students use HON 490, an independent study project, to
explore an issue related to, but not in their major. For
example, a pre-med student majoring in biology might decide to
investigate the effects of differential access to healthcare in
the Honors capstone. Since everything else is certified
for General Education, being in the
Honors Program does not add to your degree program except for this
one course that most students find especially interesting and
useful.
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Faculty in the UHP assess you based on class
preparation and participation, on writing assignments, on
presentations, and on research skills. We do not generally give exams in the traditional sense.
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And, of course,
Honors courses genuinely do look great on a
transcript. Some graduate schools and many graduate
programs actually look for Honors courses outside the major.
