Ad Hoc Learning Deadlines
Winter 2023
By… | You must have… |
---|---|
Monday, Jan 16 @ 9:00am | Submitted a complete application for any ad hoc Honors projects happening this quarter |
Wednesday, Jan 18 @ 5:00pm | Received a confirmation email stating that your adviser (Honors Program or Departmental) has approved or denied your application |
Monday, Jan 23 @ 9:00am |
Received a confirmation email stating that your course instructor approved or denied your application |
Tuesday, Jan 24 @ 9:00am |
Submitted any revisions for an ad hoc Honors project denied by either your adviser or your instructor |
Thursday, Jan 26 @ 9:00am | Received adviser approval for any revisions made to an application that was initially denied. |
Monday, Jan 30 @ 9:00am | Received instructor approval for any revisions made to an application that was initially denied. |
Friday of Finals Week | Completed your ad hoc Honors project |
Tuesday, Mar 21 @ 5:00pm | Received confirmation that your instructor submitted the final evaluation |
Spring 2023
By… | You must have… |
---|---|
Monday, Apr 3 @ 9:00am | Submitted a complete application for any ad hoc Honors projects happening this quarter |
Wednesday, Apr 5 @ 5:00pm | Received a confirmation email stating that your adviser (Honors Program or Departmental) has approved or denied your application |
Monday, Apr 10 @ 9:00am |
Received a confirmation email stating that your course instructor approved or denied your application |
Tuesday, Apr 11 @ 9:00am |
Submitted any revisions for an ad hoc Honors project denied by either your adviser or your instructor |
Thursday, Apr 13 @ 9:00am | Received adviser approval for any revisions made to an application that was initially denied. |
Monday, Apr 17 @ 9:00am | Received instructor approval for any revisions made to an application that was initially denied. |
Friday of Finals Week | Completed your ad hoc Honors project |
Tuesday, Jun 13 @ 5:00pm | Received confirmation that your instructor submitted the final evaluation |
Summer 2023
By… | You must have… |
---|---|
Monday, Jun 26 @ 9:00am | Submitted a complete application for any ad hoc Honors projects happening this quarter |
Wednesday, Jun 28 @ 5:00pm | Received a confirmation email stating that your adviser (Honors Program or Departmental) has approved or denied your application |
Monday, Jul 3 @ 9:00am |
Received a confirmation email stating that your course instructor approved or denied your application |
Tuesday, Jul 4 @ 9:00am |
Submitted any revisions for an ad hoc Honors project denied by either your adviser or your instructor |
Thursday, Jul 6 @ 9:00am | Received adviser approval for any revisions made to an application that was initially denied. |
Monday, Jul 10 @ 9:00am | Received instructor approval for any revisions made to an application that was initially denied. |
Friday of Finals Week | Completed your ad hoc Honors project |
Tuesday, Aug 22 @ 5:00pm | Received confirmation that your instructor submitted the final evaluation |
Overview
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. Completion of this ad hoc project may earn the student Honors credit that can be applied towards the additional any Interdisciplinary Honors Requirement.
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.
Ad Hoc projects are an additional project that you create in additional to normal coursework within a class with the help and guidance of the faculty member teaching the regular course.
The medium that the project is delivered in is completely up to the student to choose, some examples are videos, papers, speeches, plays, apps, websites, infographics, a collection of photos/ poems with annotations, etc. This can be an opportunity to practice a medium you might not get to practice a lot within your major but are curious about, for example, a student studying plant biology taking a lab based plant class regularly takes tests and writes research papers, they might decide to make an illustration of the plant anatomy and life cycles they are studying in the lab using watercolors, who knew science could be so pretty?
The 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. For example, if you were in a class about creating videos, you could make a video about any topic of your choosing because your faculty supervisor will be able to give you strong feedback on your video regardless of the topic. On the other hand, if you were in a biology course and always wanted to make a video, you could make an educational biology video and while your faculty supervisor might not be an expert on creating videos, they will be able to give you strong feedback in regards to the content in the video.
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 which include ad hoc (either on-campus or via study abroad), 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.
- Ad hoc Honors cannot be awarded retroactively. Applications must be received before the due date posted on the Honors website. Students are encouraged to submit applications as early as possible.
- Coursework taken to fulfill an Interdisciplinary Honors Core requirement may overlap with a student’s major but cannot also be used to satisfy a Departmental Honors requirement.
- We will only allow late submissions for emergencies and extraordinary circumstances. Please take some time to consider whether applying this quarter is right for you given your circumstances.
Studying Abroad with a Different Department or Program?
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 are not eligible for ad hoc because you are already receiving Honors credit for the course(s).
Ready to apply for an ad hoc project? Use our quick checklist below:
Please use the quick checklist below to check that your project/ course is eligible for ad hoc before applying.
- The course is 4 or more credits
- The course is decimal graded
- I have not already satisfied 3 out of 5 of my additional any Honors courses with Honors by Contract Courses (i.e graduate level coursework, ad hoc, and/or Honors 499)
- I have connected with the professor about this project already and they have agreed to supervise it
- I have read through the key deadlines and dates above
- I have read through the ad hoc timeline and policies below
Departmental Honors Ad Hoc Information?
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.
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. Some possible projects include:
- 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.
See examples of past applications
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose a course to ad hoc?
The answer to this question will be unique for every student, however, here are some things to keep in mind:
- Are you excited about expanding on a topic presented in the course or connecting the course topic to another interest of yours through an additional project?
- Are you interested in getting to know the professor better? Does the professor have the availability to meet with you throughout the quarter and advise you on an additional project?
How much work should it be?
The project should be a similar workload as completing a major paper, or a final project, but not necessarily a cumulative project/final. A rule of thumb is that your ad hoc project should take about 20 hours throughout the quarter, this will ebb and flow depending on your project, but includes drafting the application, reaching out to and getting feedback from the instructor, as well as completing the project itself.
What type of project can I pursue? Does it have to directly relate to my course topic?
Ad Hoc projects are a great way to prioritize pursuing a project you’ve always wanted to work on but have never prioritized. Make it a priority and explore your curiosity with the guidance of a faculty member.
Your project can be in any format, but must have some type of deliverable. Examples of deliverables include: Videos, infographics, essays, play books, short stories, annotated photography, sculpture, research papers, graphic design, interactive google maps with embedded info, primary research, podcasts.
Either the medium you complete the project in (i.e the deliverable) or the topic itself must relate to the professor’s expertise and/or course topic. For example;
- If you are taking a video editing course, you could propose to make a video about any topic because your professor will be able to give you helpful feedback about the video structure itself.
- In a course unrelated to video editing, you could propose to make a video expanding on or diving deeper into a course topic, while the professor may not have the expertise to give you feedback about the structure of the video, they will be able to give you good feedback about the topic/content.
What are examples of projects that students have done?
See a variety of projects done by students here (remember, these are examples, make it your own!) 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.
Tips for choosing a project/topic?
Ad hoc can be a great way to expand your knowledge and/or skill set;
- Choose a medium you actually like working in or are curious to try out, if you hate writing papers, do not propose to write a paper! If you enjoy making art, propose to explore your topic through an art form.
- Choose a topic you’re actually curious about
- Consider looking at job descriptions for potential careers you may be interested in. Do you see any skills you may not get to try out before graduating listed in the required or desired skills section? For example, you could choose a project that would help you practice public speaking, process/analyze data, perform outreach, make a web app etc.
How do I reach out to the instructor?
While some professors are familiar with ad hoc, others are not. When you reach out to the professor (ideally before the quarter you are taking the course) be sure to include:
- Self Introduction
- Explanation why you’re reaching out and an overview of ad hoc, as well as a link to our ad hoc page
- Why you are interested in ad hocing their course in particular
- What ideas you have for your ad hoc projects
- A recognition that they may not have the capacity to complete an additional project with you this quarter, that’s okay, and you’re still excited to take their course regardless
Can I extend a class assignment for my ad hoc project?
No, your ad hoc project needs to be an additional project, and the topic and medium you complete the project in should be different than the course assignments.
Can I submit after the deadline?
We will only allow late submissions for emergencies and extraordinary circumstances such as a death in the family, a serious illness (cold and flu excluded), or injury with proof provided. Please take some time to consider whether applying this quarter is right for you given your circumstances. If you believe this applies to you please reach out to uwhonors@uw.edu. All applications regardless of extenuating circumstances must be approved by Honors by the end of week 3 of the quarter in order for students to have enough time to complete their project by the final deadline.
Yes! Send an email to uwhonors@uw.edu and include a link to the course you are hoping to ad hoc to confirm eligibility.
Your transcript and degree audit should be updated by the Friday following the final grading deadline of the quarter. If by this date the course is still not applying correctly to your Honors Additional Any category, or appearing with an “H” on your transcript, please email uwhonors@uw.edu.