For Teaching Faculty

Curriculum Resources

The best place to find and develop ideas for honors coursework is here at Cañada within the group of faculty who are currently supporting our student scholars. Link to sample course syllabi from The National Collegiate Honors Council (coming soon!) 

Do you have a fabulous resource that you would like to share? Please contact us. 

Curriculum Development

The Honors Transfer Program is designed to be accessible to all academically qualifying students. In order to reach the broadest selection of students and the widest variety of transfer programs, it is comprised of a combination of the following curricular offerings: Honors Sections of existing courses, Honors Seminars, Honors Contracts, Honors-level Independent Studies, Honors-level Research Projects or Honors-level Internships.

  1. Honors Section: These are courses offered at the Honors level; however they are open to all registered students if they meet the course pre-requisites. Courses offered as Honors Sections need to be scheduled along with all other class offerings and must have a current Honors Addendum attached to the Course Outline of Record through CurricUNET.
  2. Honors Seminar: These are learning communities that provide a way for students to complete their unit requirement in an enriched honors environment. An example of this is a one-or two unit honors Seminar in a discipline that is linked to a number of other courses in that discipline or related disciplines. If the student completes the Honors Seminar they receive honors credit for both the Seminar and the regular course in which they have earned a B or better.Courses offered as Honors Seminars need to be scheduled along with all other class offerings and must have a current Honors Addendum attached to the Course Outline of Record through CurricUNET.
  3. Honors-level Independent Study (695): Independent Studies or Research Projects can be used to round out the Honors experience. Faculty can supervise students in the completion an intensive research project or high-level internship. While the content of the experience is individually negotiated between the faculty member and the student, the project must be approved by the full time, discipline coordinator. Honors-level Independent Studies may be used toward HTP Completion, but may not be used toward UCLA TAP certification. Students engaging in Honors-level 695s must complete both the Cañada College Independent Study 695 application and the Honors Contract Application.
  4. Honors Contract: An Honors Contract is individually negotiated between the faculty member and the student in a specific, transfer-level course. The Honors Contract is graded on a "Pass/No Pass" basis and will in no way affect the student's grade in the course. Successful completion of the Honors Contract will result in the student's receiving hon­ors credit for the whole course on her/his transcript. Note that you must receive a "C" or better in the course to receive this honors credit. Honors Contracts must be approved by the full time, discipline coordinator.

Honor Contract Guidelines: All Honors Contracts must be scholarly endeavors over and above the normally expected curriculum at the lower division, and it must be clearly described in the application. Examples of "What Makes It Honors":

  • Topics that are more advanced than regular, lower division course work,
  • Research beyond standard course assignment,
  • Extensive reliance on primary source documents,
  • Critical thinking and extended analysis not required in standard course work,
  • Creative synthesis of materials beyond standard requirements of the course.

Honors Contract Requirements:

  • Instructor, in consultation with student, determines Honors Contract design and timeline for completion.
  • Research papers must be typed and a minimum of 10 pages, free of typographical, spelling, grammar and style errors. Cover page must be attached indicating it is an Honors Contract. Paper must include an abstract and 5 – 7 scholarly references. If appropriate, a Power Point style presentation may also be completed.
  • For Honors Contracts in the fine and creative arts, Honors Contracts must be at a level higher than typical lower division work and must be presented in a professional format.
  • Instructor must arrange to meet with student throughout the term to check on progress, work out details, etc.; four or five meetings are suggested.
  • Student must earn a C or higher in the course to earn honors credit.
  • Honors students may drop out of the Honors Contract obligation at any time during the semester. This ter­mination of the Honors Contract will not go on the student's transcript, however of course s/he will not receive Honors credit for the class. Failure to complete an Honors Contract may be taken into account the next time the student submits an Honors Contract proposal.

CurricUNET Guidelines

The Honors Content Section of the CurricUNET new course or modification form should say:

This course may be offered at an honors level. While the class content remains the same and students can expect to achieve the same student learning outcomes, the students experience in an honors section may be significantly different in the following ways:

  1. Topics covered with greater breadth and depth than non-honors, lower division course work;
  2. Research expectations are beyond non-honors course assignments;
  3. Extensive reliance on primary source documents and more advanced research methodology is required;
  4. Greater critical thinking and extended analysis than in non-honors course work; and,
  5. Creative projects and/or documentation beyond non-honors course requirements

The specific details about how honors-level work is implemented in this course are included in the Honors Course Addendum.

The Honor Addendum asks you to consider a number of issues identified by the UCLA TAP program as integral for creating honors-level coursework.

Conferences and Support

Bay Honors Consortium Faculty Roundtable

The Bay Honors Consortium and Mills College invite community college honors faculty to the beautiful Lokey Graduate School of Business for the third annual Honors Faculty Roundtable. Last year's event brought together honors faculty and staff from nine Bay Area colleges for a stimulating day of innovation, camaraderie and conviviality. http://www.losmedanos.edu/honors/roundtable.asp

NCHC Conference

The National Collegiate Honors Council is held each year in November. It brings together students, faculty and administrators in a robust discussion about honor programs across the U.S. http://nchchonors.org/annual-conference/

Council on Undergraduate Research

"The mission of the Council on Undergraduate Research is to support and promote high-quality undergraduate student-faculty collaborative research and scholarship. CUR and its affiliated colleges, universities, and individuals share a focus on providing undergraduate research opportunities for faculty and students at all institutions serving undergraduate students. CUR believes that faculty members enhance their teaching and contribution to society by remaining active in research and by involving undergraduates in research." http://www.cur.org