Deciding to study by Independent Study Contract

When you are thinking about whether or not to study by the ISC method there are several aspects of this method that you should consider. Some of the reasons for taking an ISC, and some of the special demands that are involved, should be examined so that you can make an informed choice. You should also think about how to develop your topic into an ISC.

Planning and organising your ISC

You should realistically plan and organise your ISC in order to gain the maximum benefit from the opportunity for self-initiated, self-directed study. However, you may encounter special difficulties with this mode of study (especially if you are unaccustomed to it) so when you are planning your contract consider the following points:

1. Take only one contract over a single semester, if you are applying for an ISC for the first time.
   
   
2. Seek advice from the Student Learning section of TLC if you had serious difficulties with a previous ISC and want to take another, or if you are uncertain about this form of study.
   
   
3. Do not take an ISC in addition to a normal semester load unless you are confident that you can apply the personal discipline required to cope with an extra study commitment.
   
   
4. Define the ISC application clearly as a rough draft and discuss this with your supervisor. Make sure that you:
• start out with a clear plan of what you want to accomplish; and research the topic thoroughly before writing out the proposal.
  

5. Design your contract to fit comfortably into the teaching period for which it is planned. Make sure that you:
• limit the area to be studied so that it is not too broad or too narrow;
• keep the amount of work to be done appropriate to the number of points allocated, and
• rethink the proposal if the ISC does not appear to take up enough time, or takes up too much time.
  

6. Estimate your expected time commitment and be realistic:
• plan your workload to include the teaching and non-teaching weeks and
• arrange regular meeting times or other forms of contact with your supervisor.
  

7. Ensure from the outset that, in conjunction with your supervisor, you give due consideration to issues such as the need to obtain permission to work with flora or fauna, or the need to obtain clearance from the University's Human Research Ethics Committee, Animal Ethics Committee and/or Institutional Biosafety Committee. Application forms for these approvals can be downloaded from the Research Ethics Office website.
   http://www.research.murdoch.edu.au/ethics/

   In relation to research that involves humans you should use the following preliminary definition as a guide as to when its consideration and clearance is required:

Any research that collects data from or about human beings is considered to involve human participants. Whether the research involves direct intervention in a person's life or indirect involvement by observation, interview or survey there is likely to be a requirement for Human Research Ethics Committee approval.

In relation to research that involves animals you should use the following as a guide as to when consideration and clearance from the Animal Ethics Committee is required:

Any research or teaching that involves invertebrate animals. Whether this involves undertaking procedures or observing the animals.

8. If you are contemplating organising an ISC that entails overseas travel or research which requires special care, you and your supervisor should ensure that you have given those aspects of your ISC the attention they merit. Have you and your supervisor paid attention to possible political, social and academic sensitivities of the environment in which you plan to work? Please refer to the University's Fieldwork Policy which can be found at: http://www.research.murdoch.edu.au/rds/fwpolicy.asp

   Have you given any consideration to issues such as insurance cover? In relation to insurance, students who are completing an ISC which has been approved as an integral part of their studies, and whose travel has consequently been approved by the University, are automatically covered under the University's corporate personal accident and travel policy. In relation to your liability to third parties, the University's cover extends to protect students as indicated in the following extract:

   "Overseas Visits by Staff and Students - Notwithstanding the geographical limits of Part II specified above, this indemnity extends to any student or staff member of the University in respect of Personal Injury or Property Damage, where the visit:

   1. is for the purpose of study or research, and
   2. is carried out on behalf of, or with the prior written consent of, the University."

   Should any further details be required students are advised to consult their supervisors who may wish to contact the University Finance Office.

Developing a topic to study by ISC

It is expected that the initiative for choosing a topic or subject area to study by ISC should come from the student. The topic may come from an interest developed in a formal unit, from interaction with a tutor or lecturer or another student, or from outside the University. If you have an idea for an ISC and you don't know how to develop it into a workable topic, seek the assistance of the Head of Student Learning in the Teaching and Learning Centre or your Program Chair.

Limitations on what you can study by ISC

When you have developed a topic that you wish to study by ISC, you need to take account of the following points:

1. There must be a full-time or fractional full-time Murdoch academic staff member with expertise in the area of the contract who is willing to supervise your work. Supervisors must be approved by Heads of School, who decide if the resources are available to support the ISC. There is no point, for example, in deciding to learn Thai language by ISC if there is no staff member competent and willing to supervise it. You must also take into consideration that some staff with heavy teaching loads may not have time to supervise contracts. Feel free to ask them, but respect their right to say no if they do not have the time.
   
   
2. A staff member cannot supervise more than a small number of students on related ISCs at the same time.
   
   
3. A contract must not substantially overlap or duplicate a unit offered at Murdoch.
   
   
4. If confidential work is included in the ISC, both supervisor and student should ensure that their relative rights to any intellectual property involved in the work have been clearly resolved before the contract begins. There should be a time-limit of five years on material produced under a confidential agreement governing an ISC, unless it has been renewed in the meantime by the party enforcing confidentiality.
   
   
5. An ISC must have an academic component and should not be purely experimental or experiential. For instance, although participation in an outward bound or sail training trip might form a legitimate part of a contract, it is essential that there be a clear academic component, which could be in the form of writing about the theory and/or practice of adventure recreation.
   
   
6. ISCs involving costly resources and equipment are not possible unless you have easy access to these resources (either at Murdoch or elsewhere). Verification of access must be provided. The Head of School will determine if this is appropriate.
   
   
7. The learning materials necessary for the ISC must be available. Inter-library loans from within Australia are usually readily available. However, if an ISC depends on materials from overseas, then it should not be submitted for approval until they arrive. Students are expected to bear the costs incurred from inter-library loans, which are on average $12.00 per journal article or book within Australia (+ GST if a Murdoch account code is not used) or, $6.00 per photocopied article or book from UWA, ECU and Curtin and $18.00 for items supplied from overseas loans. (These fees were current in 2003.) See the Murdoch Library's Document Delivery site for details.
   
   
8. You should be realistic about what you can do in the time available; for example, you cannot expect to learn all of Australian history in 3 or 4 points.
   
   
9. If an ISC is to enable you to learn a language, or is foreign language related, you are required to state your level of proficiency in the language to be studied, and your supervisor will be asked to ensure that independent study is maintained.

Examples of topics studied by ISC

ISCs have been available to students at Murdoch University since 1975. These contracts have covered a variety of topics and have been studied under the supervision of academic staff members from all of the Divisions at Murdoch.

Some examples of undergraduate ISC contracts are:

Division of Arts Economic Methodology Children, Parents and the Law Contemporary Constructionist Conflict in Fiji Methodology of Marketing Plans for Small Business Workplace Training at ALCOA Pinjarra: A Case Study Information Technology Use in Emergency Services Providing for the Intellectually Talented Author Study - Franz Kafka Chinese Literature Since 1949 Communication in the Deaf Women's Oral Culture in White Australia Aborigines and Venereal Disease 1900-1950 English Civil War and Intra-Family Conflict Applied Critical Analysis of Queer Theory Indigenous Water Resource and Colonial Control The Flapper Phenomenon in Post-War America Division of Science and Engineering Lizard Thermoregulation Prawns in the Swan-Avon Estuary DNA exchange in Rhizobium Mineralogical Techniques Dynamics of Fluids Optimal Control Theory Water Conservation in the Shire of Carnarvon Dolphin Social Behaviour in the Presence of Humans Reproduction in Seahorses and Pipefish Division of Health Sciences Fat Metabolism in Sheep Cetacean Management Marsupial Gastric Glands A Study of Behaviour Problems in Dogs and Cats Molecular Characterization of Giardia

Some examples of postgraduate ISC contracts are:

Division of Arts Approaches to Early Childhood Pedagogy Fine Arts and its relation to cinematography Producing a Commercially Funded Student Film: Process and Issues Directing Performance for Camera Inclusion of Students with Special Needs: Policy and Practice Division of Science and Engineering Renewable Energy Systems Monitoring and Resource Analysis Atomic Collision Processes Hydrometallurgical Process Design Principles of Energy Efficient Building Design Division of Health Sciences Competencies required of community relations offices Clinical Psychology: Health Driver Training and Road Safety Practical and Theory Part 1 and Part 2 The Psychology of Consumers