Ad Hoc

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Overview

Ad Hoc projects are done in addition to normal coursework within a class with the help and guidance of the faculty member teaching the regular course. Completion of an ad hoc project may earn the student Honors credit that can be applied towards the Interdisciplinary Honors Elective Requirement or, for Departmental Honors students, to their Departmental Honors requirements.

Ad hoc Honors provides students the opportunity to work with an instructor to create a plan of additional study in order to pursue a course or study abroad program with more depth. The ad hoc topic must relate to the course you are doing the ad hoc project for in some way, but doesn’t need to be explicitly related. The medium that the project is delivered in is completely up to the student. Any Honors student who exercises this option must show significant initiative and pursue a serious amount of supplementary work in his or her exploration of the subject. Instructors should not accept this contract if they are unable to also give the time and effort necessary to supervise the Honors student’s project. Ad hoc must be a partnership between the instructor and student and both must commit to extended effort and be available, aware, and engaged in the project. Unless both are prepared to make this commitment, the ad hoc option should not be undertaken.

Application and Evaluation

The Ad Hoc application can be found below, alongside the evaluation rubric that Interdisciplinary Honors advisers use to evaluate your application and structure feedback. Departmental Honors Ad Hoc projects might not be evaluated using this same rubrics.

Ad Hoc Application

Evaluation Rubric

Strong Ad Hoc applications are detailed and specific in outlining the project, motivations, and purpose of the project. See the rubric below for the criteria the Honors staff is considering when evaluating your ad hoc project.

Click here for rubric

Application Question	Strong	Sufficient	Insufficient
Provide a brief description of this course as well as an explanation of the required coursework. A brief description (3 sentence minimum) can be taken from the course catalog or syllabus, in addition to and details about assignments, projects and activities.	Provides a comprehensive overview of all components of the course, including course description and goals Gives context for how much time/emphasis is placed on assignments, projects, and activities	Provides a general overview of coursework and course goals/descriptions Might lack in specificity but provides a good sense of how the course is structured, and the type of assignments	Unclear what the focus of the course is. Provides a vague overview of coursework Lacks in specificity to the point that course adviser cannot discern what type of work is done in class.
Outline your proposed ad hoc Honors Project, be sure to include the main topic, focus, and goal of the project, as well as details about the deliverable of your project (i.e., if a video, how long will it be? If reviewing resources, how many minimum? how will you find them? etc.)	Outlines a clear, specific topic or focus Connects a specific goal of the project to topic and focus Includes what additional work will be undertaken for the purpose of the project and how that will support the address of the main goal/focus/topic Provides specific details about the deliverable Is generally very specific, with clearly identifiable action items and deliverables	Outlines an identifiable topic and focus Connects the goal of the project to topic and focus Includes additional work that needs to be undertaken, but might lack in specificity Outlines specific details about the deliverable Gives a good, general picture of the project but might have some pieces still in development	Topic and focus are vague and nonspecific Goal is general and unfocused References to additional work are vague Does not outline specifics of the deliverable (Ex: I will write a research paper) Does not provide a general picture of the project due to lack of specificity
Discuss your motivations for pursuing this ad hoc project. What do you hope to gain from completion of this project?	Meaningfully explains motivation and connects it to personal values and interests or educational and professional goals Explains how motivation connects to specific aspects of the project and/or the skills/ knowledge that will be gained Connects motivation to the deliverable and goal of the project	Explains motivation and connects it to personal values or educational and professional goals Explains how personal motivation connects to skills/ knowledge gained through the project	Does not link motivation to the outcomes of the project Does not adequately explain how project serves these motivations Is generally vague and unspecific about motivations for pursuing ad hoc
How does this additional work connect with the educational goals of the course and/or your professors area of expertise?	Draws specific, relevant connections between the project outline and goals and the course content Explains what gaps the project aims to fill/how it supports student’s further interest in the topic Describes how course/instructor expertise contribute to foundation of the project	Draws relevant connections between project and course content Describes how project builds off of course content Describes how course/instructor expertise relate to the project	Makes underdeveloped, vague connections between project and course content Does not make specific connections between course goals and project Does not make relationship between the course/instructor and project clear.
Outline your project schedule. In your schedule be sure to include your plan for in-person meetings, when each component of your project is due (drafts, revisions, preliminary research), when you are hoping to receive feedback, and other relevant steps.	Provides specific dates/weeks for benchmarks and goals for the project Identifies multiple meeting times and plan of contact with the instructor Outlines all relevant steps to the project	Provides general, week-based deadlines for benchmarks and goals Identifies multiple meeting times and plan of contact with instructor Outlines relevant steps to the project May have more general/less specific schedule than a strong response, but still communicates when necessary components of the project will be finished	Provides a brief and vague timeline for goals Does not identify a communication plan with the instructor Does not outline major parts of the project process  Is generally lacking in specificity and does not communicate a realistic or reasonable plan for completing the project

Examples

Students interested in pursuing ad hoc Honors should brainstorm potential projects and are encouraged to think creatively as to how they will more deeply explore the subject material. Possible projects include but are not limited to videos, papers, speeches, plays, apps, websites, infographics, or a collection of photos/poems with annotations. Find past project examples and applications below.

See examples of past applications

Other project ideas:

• Making an interactive Google Map embedded with text, photos, and videos;
• Conducting primary research, such as in-person interviews, and integrating that research with theory and analysis;
• Deeply researching a particular aspect of the course and teaching that subject to the rest of the class;
• Making a podcast of interviews and analysis related to a course theme.

As shown by these examples, ad hoc work should be in-depth and not merely an extension of a pre-existing assignment. Please feel free to meet with both an adviser and your instructor to discuss potential ideas.

Interdisciplinary Honors Ad Hoc Policy

• No more than 15 credits of a student’s Interdisciplinary Honors requirements may be satisfied via “Honors by contract” courses (this includes ad hoc, graduate courses, and HONORS 499).
• A course must be 4 or 5 credits to be considered for ad hoc Honors and must be decimal graded.
• Applications must be received before the due date posted on the Honors website and early applications are encouraged. Ad hoc Honors cannot be awarded retroactively.  
• Ad Hoc Honors cannot count towards both Interdisciplinary Honors core requirements and Departmental Honors requirements, but it can overlap with a student’s major.
• We only allow late submissions for emergencies and extraordinary circumstances. Take  time to consider whether applying this quarter is right for you given your circumstances.

Studying Abroad?

Ad hoc can be a great way to get Honors credit on a study abroad trip with a different department or program. We encourage you to consider how you can deepen your experience abroad through ad hoc. For example, we would not want your ad hoc project to require that you be inside studying while abroad in another country, but instead taking advantage of the opportunity you uniquely have abroad. 

• When you submit your ad hoc application you will be prompted to let us know whether this ad hoc project is for a course happening at UW or abroad
• If you are participating in a study abroad program for which you do not yet know your exact instructor(s) or course title(s), please request to meet with an adviser to discuss by the end of the first week of the quarter in which you are pursuing ad hoc. 

Studying abroad with Honors? Honors study abroad trips already receive Honors credit, so there is no need for ad hoc!

Ad Hoc Checklist:

Ready to apply for Ad Hoc? Please use the quick checklist below to check that your project/ course is eligible for ad hoc before applying. 

Departmental Honors Ad Hoc 

Departmental Honors ad hoc policies vary major to major, because of this, you will need to contact your Departmental Honors Adviser directly after reviewing their Departmental Honors webpage for information and guidelines about what courses may be appropriate for Departmental Honors credit. If your departmental policies refer you to our ad hoc policies, please see the Interdisciplinary Honors Ad Hoc policies above.