Faculty Independent Study Project (ISP) Information

Step One – Student ISP Development

  • Does this planned ISP connect with your Concentration or current study? Although this connection is not required, this parameter may make a difference when faculty members must decide if they can sponsor an ISP.
  • Is ISP worth college credit? Any topic or experience may be appropriate for an ISP if the relevance to intellectual development, reflection, and connection making are clearly articulated as part of the ISP. ISP credits should not be arranged for experiences that do not include an avenue for reflection and meaning making.
  • Are you seeking credit for work or an experience you have already completed? Fairhaven does not give credit for prior work unless there is significant current work being done as reflection on the previous work.
  • Is the ISP worth the amount of credit requested? You should understand the time commitment you are making when proposing an independent study. (Approximately 3 hours per week through the quarter for each credit assigned.)
  • Are you using the ISP to “avoid" taking a scheduled class? ISPs are not appropriate as a vehicle to avoid taking a scheduled class or to avoid particular topics in a scheduled class.
  • How many other ISP credits are you taking this quarter and why do you want to do this ISP now?  
  • Does your program rely too heavily on ISPs to develop your area of study? No more than 25% of a concentration major should be ISPs. If your concentration contains more that 25% ISPs, this needs to be approved by the chair and the dean.
  • Are you proposing this ISP simply to “fill" empty credits, or is it a genuine interest area?
  • Would this ISP be more appropriate if scheduled at another time in your plan of study?
  • Have you done work in this area before? This question can help you and your faculty sponsor determine the appropriate level for the ISP (200, 300 400). For projects at the upper division level, the proposal should be clear about the critical perspectives you are bringing to the project.
  • Why have you chosen this faculty sponsor for this ISP?
  • Have you thought carefully about how this sponsor can help? Are there other faculty who have greater expertise in this area of study?
  • Can ISP credit be granted for courses taken outside of Fairhaven? Sponsoring credit for structured courses outside FAIR/WWU can be appropriate, using these same guidelines, as long as credit is not being earned elsewhere for the same course.
  • Is this an individual ISP or a group ISP? Sometimes ISPs can be held in a group format if multiple students are completing the same project. Consider the organization of the ISP and who will organize the group should it be a group ISP. 

Students have been given the Six Elements of an ISP to help in their ISP development. Once developed, a student is instructed to meet with a faculty sponsor.

An ISP proposal should contain the following information: 

Course Description

why are you doing the ISP? What do you hope to learn? What problems will you explore? What questions will guide this exploration? Can you describe your present position regarding these problems, these questions? If this is a group ISP, each person will be expected to complete the same outcomes unless they chose to write their own proposal with a different course description. (Students are limited to 4,000 characters in the final ISP submission.)  

Qualifications

Generally, readiness to undertake the ISP implies some background, preparation, knowledge or experience in the area or related areas to be studied. However, exploratory ISPs may be undertaken for which you have little or no specific background; in such instances, you should take special care to identify appropriate resources. What background, knowledge, preparation or special abilities do you possess that will help you in undertaking this project: include books read, courses taken, experiences outside of school.  

Resources

It is the responsibility of the student to seek and access adequate resources to undertake the project. These may include a bibliography, other institutions, faculty at Fairhaven or elsewhere, other knowledgeable or skilled persons. 
What sources and resources do you intend to use, including: 

  • Bibliography
  • Faculty at Fairhaven and elsewhere
  • Other institutions and agencies
  • Other knowledgeable or skilled persons?
Demonstration of Learning

The study must involve a demonstration of the learning accomplished, to be made available to the sponsor—and, if desired, to a larger audience—in some concrete, accessible form. Such might include a critical or analytical paper, a work of art or creative writing, some experimental data and conclusions, a public performance, an examination or oral interview, and the like. This demonstration will serve as one basis for the sponsor’s evaluation. 

  • In what way do you plan to keep track of and demonstrate your learning?
  • What arrangement should you make with your sponsor for reporting the progress of your work?
  • Is the product you’ve chosen appropriate to the level and sophistication of the proposal?
Expectations of Student and Faculty
  • Describe what you and your faculty sponsor have agreed to regarding your expectations in relation to this ISP.
Evaluation Criteria

Upon finishing the project, you will complete a written evaluation of it for your sponsor. This should include evaluation of the extent to which the intentions stated in the original proposal were realized, the issues addressed and the important questions answered. It will assess developments undertaken during the course of the study according to their educational value.

  • By what criteria will you evaluate your work?
  • What will be the focus of your evaluation?

If this is a group ISP, all students will have the same course level and credit load unless they choose to submit separate proposals with different descriptions related to their different credit and course level.

Credits

Each credit proposed for an ISP implies at least three hours of work per week of the quarter on that project.  

Course levels

Group or individual independent study may be taken at the 200, 300, or 400 level, depending on the student’s background or abilities and the nature of the study.

  • FAIR 200 - ISPs at this level are exploratory, and can be used to venture into fields in which you have not yet developed any expertise.  
  • FAIR 280 – This is a lower-level practicum or internship in which a student is learning through practical involvement outside of the classroom.
  • FAIR 300 - ISPs at this level assume some prior learning in the field, and a growing comfort with the vocabulary of the discipline. The proposal should include a clear statement of the critical perspectives you will bring to the activity.  
  • FAIR 400 - ISPs at this level assume significant prior learning in the field and facility with the vocabulary of the discipline. In addition to the guidelines for the 300 level ISP, a proposal at this level should indicate how you will bring multiple perspectives to your study, which may include the critical contexts in which the activity takes place, e.g. contested issues in scholarly literature or political controversies in the community.
  • FAIR 401A - Senior Project: Independent study required of students completing an Interdisciplinary Concentration. Sponsorship and prior approval of Concentration chair is required. Senior projects may encompass advanced or intensive internships or practice.
  • FAIR 480 – This is an upper-level internship directly related to a student’s coursework and study. Students will apply prior knowledge and bring multiple perspectives to their internship, including critical thinking and application of theory. 

Students should meet a faculty sponsor with an ISP proposal around the start of registration for the corresponding ISP quarter.  

Step Two – ISP Approval Process in OnBase

A student will submit a proposal using the steps outlined on the Student ISP page in Step Two.

Once an ISP is fully submitted by a student, it will be routed to a faculty member. Faculty members will receive individual links to submitted ISP proposals via email OR faculty member can view all ISP proposals in OnBase using the link below.

View ISP Requests Awaiting Your Approval in Workflow

Use this link to open OnBase and see all ISPs awaiting your approval. You can also view ISP in other steps of the process by clicking on the corresponding link in the Lifecycle View - Fairhaven ISP window.

Review, Edit, and Approve a Submitted ISP Request

Watch the video below for instructions about reviewing, editing, and approving an ISP request in OnBase.

How Faculty will Review and Edit a Submitted ISP Instruction Video

Read and Add Notes to a Proposal

Watch the video below to understand how to read and add notes into the OnBase ISP system.

How to Read and Add Note into OnBase Instruction Video

Use "Save Changes" Button for All Edits

Watch the video below to see how a new student ISP proposal is submitted into the system.

Use Save Changes Button for All Edits Instruction Video

Frequently Asked Questions

  • After I submit a proposal, who is next?

    • The proposal will be approved by a faculty member and then be sent to the dean for approval. Faculty will receive a notification if a proposal is returned to a student with questions from the dean.

  • I approved a proposal but my edits were not saved and sent.

    • After editing a proposal, you must use the "save changes" button to save edits! Always use the "save changes" button after updating a proposal and before approving it.

  • Who can I contact for help with the system?

    • Email Fairhaven.CRM@wwu.edu for assistance. This email is monitored by the Fairhaven Curriculum & Records Manager.