Dear Professor,
One of your students has likely asked if you’d be willing to work with them on an honors contract for your course. Below is an introduction to the Honors Scholars Program (HSP) and additional details regarding Honors Contracts and what HSP will need from you, the instructor. We tell students to arrange their Honors contracts by the third Friday of the term. HSP began in fall 2023 and allows students in any school or college to earn a certificate in honors. The Honors certificate is distinct from departmental or college honors. The idea behind HSP was to broaden participation in an honors program beyond the traditional cohort of 40 students per year in the University Honors and Leadership program (UHL). HSP and UHL are two completely different and independent tracks in the Honors Program now. You can learn more about the HSP and how students earn the certificate at https://www.ucdenver.edu/honors/scholars. To make this certificate work, we need faculty help in allowing their students to create honors contracts to make existing classes honors level. This should not require much additional work on the faculty’s part (don't plan to spend more than an hour on this total), and the options for the contract are varied. Below are examples and options for potential honors contracts: • Assist with instructor research;• Create, test, and/or evaluate a program;• Prepare and present a class lecture or presentation;• Complete a small group project with other honors students;• Produce a research paper;• Complete an additional assignment;• Extend regular assignments (e.g., write a 10 page paper instead of a 7 page paper);• Read additional materials and write book reports or annotated bibliographies;• Design and test a lab project. Additional honors contract examples are located here: Sample Honors Projects
To receive honors designation, the additional elements of labor for the student should be a minimum of 10 additional hours (in class and/or out of class work) beyond the regular courseload and not including any meetings to arrange the honors enrichment contract. You are encouraged to tell the student that the honors project will be evaluated as pass/fail--you can define pass, but we recommend a B- minimum.
It is the student’s obligation to take the lead on this, to write the contract and to submit the honors contract form located at: bit.ly/CUDHonorsContractForm. This intro letter is for faculty because HSP is a new program, and we are still working to inform the university of this new opportunity for students.
To reiterate, our internal deadline for honors contract submission is the third Friday of each term. At the end of the semester, it is your role as the professor to let us know at CUHSP@ucdenver.edu that your student has completed the contract with a “pass” and completed the course with a B- or better.
If you have any questions, concerns, or thoughts, please reach out to Jane Lickteig at CUHSP@ucdenver.edu.
