TYPES OF COURSES / INSTRUCTION

Lecture / Laboratory

College level courses have traditionally been taught as lectures presented by the instructor. In addition, laboratory experiences may be required as a means of giving students opportunities for practical application of the material presented in lectures. Many courses now involve students in discussion and small group learning experiences within the class period.

Independent Study

Independent study is an approach to learning which serves as an alternative to regular classroom instruction. In certain situations, independent study may be an appropriate form of graduate-level study. Permission to register for an independent study must be secured from the directing instructor and the Director of the graduate program. A member of the graduate faculty must agree to supervise this study. Prior to the granting of approval, a written plan must be submitted outlining the scope of the study and the desired outcomes. Upon approval, this proposal shall become a contract for the independent study. Courses published in the Catawba College Catalog may not be taught as an Independent Study. The purpose of the Independent Study is to allow students to explore topics outside of the currently established Catawba curriculum.

Topics Courses

Topics courses are offered to enable faculty and students to explore specialized topics in the field that are distinct from standard departmental offerings. The “Topics” specification may be used to try out a new course before it is put into the catalog or to offer a course that is infrequently in demand.

Internships and Practica

Among the many learning opportunities provided, additional educational experiences are available through internships and practica. Each internship or practicum should result in a unique and individual learning opportunity for the student which cannot be provided by conventional classroom experiences.

Practicum is defined as field experience in which formal evaluation, supervision and direction are determined by the supervisory professor and student. Internship is defined as field experience in which formal evaluation, supervision and direction are provided by an outside agency in concert with the supervisory professor and student. The grade for the internship is assigned by the supervising faculty member. To be eligible for an internship, a student must have a GPA of 2.00 or higher. The internship must be approved by a faculty member in the department in which credit for the internship is sought and must be approved before the student begins the work he/she plans to count as an internship. Students may enroll in internships only in their majors and minors, unless an internship in another department is warranted by interdisciplinary concentrations within a course of study. Although internships can be required as part of a major, internships cannot be substituted for other required courses in the major. The grades of “S” and “U” are used as final grades for Practicums and Internships.

The total semester hour credit assigned to the field experience may vary in accordance with the dimensions of the particular experience, but the amount of academic credit must be ascertained at proposal time. A minimum of three hours work per week for one semester hour of credit is required. A maximum of twelve hours credit in Practica and/or Internships may be applied toward graduation requirements.

Prerequisite and Corequisite Courses

A prerequisite course is one that provides content and/or academic skills deemed necessary by a department for satisfactory achievement in a later course. A corequisite course is one that provides parallel content and/or academic skills. Concurrent enrollment in the course and its corequisite course thus is expected.