Research indicates that a majority of honors students across the country are able to earn honors credit through the fulfillment of honors contracts. These learning contracts grant honors credit to students who perform additional work in non-honors-designated sections of other courses. Despite their popularity, little has been written on the design…

The value of service-learning as a high-impact educational practice in college courses is further documented here through client-centered student projects seeking to increase SOLE food-- sustainable, organic, local, and ethically produced--on the Utah State University campus. Honors students enrolled in a Think Tank series of courses in Science,…

Purpose: This paper narrates a case study on design thinking-based education work in an industrial design honours program. Student projects were developed in a multi-disciplinary setting across a Computing and Engineering faculty that allowed promoting technologically and user-driven innovation strategies. Design/methodology/approach: A renewed…

Honors programs are rare in Latin America, and in Chile they were unknown before 2003. At the Universidad Austral de Chile, an interdisciplinary group of scholars linked to environmental studies put forward a pilot project for implementing a new experience in higher education. Challenged by an educational environment where (i) apathy and…

In Dutch universities, honors programs are a fast growing development. The first such programs started in 1993. Twenty years later a large number of programs are implemented at nearly all research universities and also at many universities of applied sciences in the Netherlands. Recent data have revealed significant diversity in the types and…

Any attempt to discern the purpose of honors education and to integrate it with the unique ethos of a Christian institution can prove to be difficult. Yet, describing and articulating a sense of purpose is essential for an honors program to justify itself. This essay contends that a philosophy of education based on Augustine's…

In Europe, there is a growing interest in honors education, not only in the bachelor's but also in the master's degree. The Dutch government, for instance, is actively promoting excellence in both bachelor's and master's degrees through honors programs (Siriusteam). Most Dutch universities have honors programs at the bachelor's level or are…

More educators argue that science and technology students must be more liberally educated. The McBride Honors Program at Colorado School of Mines addresses the needs of a global society by preparing engineers to be technically competent, with strong communication skills, and knowledge of societal issues. (MLW)

The University of Toledo (Ohio) honors program, with a dedicated space for honors, a separate interdisciplinary curriculum, and the opportunity to do research, assists this open admissions institution to attract and retain academically talented students. A dramatic increase in honors enrollments in the last decade has provided both opportunities…

The Honors College at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County has an interdisciplinary curriculum rich in the liberal arts, serves a diverse student population, and frequently takes advantage of the cultural resources of the Baltimore metropolitan area. The college attempts to make intellectual exercise for its own sake available to as wide…

Acknowledging that in this age of technology students need to learn how to integrate the values of both the humanities and science/technology, this paper describes a special nonclassroom, noncredit program to that end for college freshman honors students at the University of Evansville (Indiana). Following an introduction, the paper discusses the…

Describes the Interdisciplinary Honors Program in English and Social Studies at St. Catharine Academy, a Catholic high school for girls. Explains the instructional use of large group presentations, small group activities, independent study, and out-of-class experiences. Cites positive responses from teachers and students. (DMM)

The tension between "urban" and "research" in an urban research university has led to the creation of a small, service- and community-oriented honors program that serves the needs of academically talented students at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Another hallmark of the program is its constantly evolving…

The evolution and design of an interdisciplinary honors course at the University of Maryland at College Park are described. The course, on knowledge and its human consequences, brings together faculty experts, "teacher-learner" faculty, and first-year honors students to explore different kinds of knowledge and their philosophical,…

The evolution of the Honors Program at the Community College of Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) is described, focusing on faculty participation and program decisions. Central program features are practices that build an intellectual community among faculty and students, including an interdisciplinary curriculum, seminars and writing groups,…