Instructions for Students Interested in Independent Study with Professor Clifton
If you are interested in pursuing independent study with me,
please prepare a one-page proposal. This proposal should include:
- Course Title. You will need to have a 30 character title for your
transcript, you may also include a longer title on the proposal.
- Course Description. Write a paragraph describing what you expect
to learn in the course, at much the level of a course catalog description.
An x90 independent study is a course - just one that we don't
happen to offer as a regular class. This paragraph describes what
you expect that course to be.
- Your Background. This should cover three things: Your prerequisites
for this work (both class and outside experience), your other plans for
the semester showing that you will have time for this course,
and your career goals. You should plan to spend approximately nine hours
per week on a three credit independent study, or the equivalent
(i.e., 45 hours total per credit). I wish to know your
career goals so I can guide the study in ways that support them -
someone planning on a Ph.D. and someone looking toward an M.B.A.
should approach the study in different ways.
- Milestones and Grading. How will I evaluate what you have learned?
Will you be writing code / developing a system? Written reports?
Giving a presentation? Provide a time line for the semester showing
milestones.
When you have prepared the proposal, email it to me with some suggested
meeting times.