Arranging an Independent Study Contract

Finding a supervisor

Students are responsible for finding a full-time or fractional full-time Murdoch academic staff member with experience in the area of the contract and who is willing to act as supervisor.

A staff member is not obliged to supervise a contract. Feel free to ask them, but respect their right to say "no" if they do not have the time or the inclination to supervise your ISC. Willingness to supervise an ISC may depend on the number of other contracts the staff member has already agreed to supervise, and on a willingness to teach by the ISC method.

The staff list in the Murdoch Handbook indicates the academic expertise on campus. Division Executive Officers, Program Chairs, and the Head of Student Learning (Teaching and Learning Centre), can help direct you to the appropriate person. You are advised to "ask around" to find the appropriate supervisor for your ISC and to talk to any possible supervisors before making a final decision.

You should be aware that there are limitations in the number of ISCs a Division can offer at any time (due to limitations in resources). You should find out from your supervisor if there are likely to be any problems in this regard because if there are you will need to make other arrangements.

Completing the ISC application form

ISC application forms are available for download here. Before completing your form, you should read the sectional information below, and you should discuss the details you intend to include on the form with your proposed supervisor. If you need further advice on completing the form, see the Head in Student Learning, or your Division Executive Officer / Student Administration Manager. Your application should be typed or printed clearly in black ink (not blue, as it does not photocopy easily), and must be legible. The same form should be used by both undergraduate and postgraduate ISC applicants however, section A must be marked to differentiate the applications.

Completing the application form

Following is information on how to complete the application form. Those sections on the form which are self-explanatory are not included here.

Section A – Personal Details

You must be enrolled for a Murdoch course. ISC's are not available to not-for-course and cross-enrolling students.

You must indicate whether this is an undergraduate or postgraduate ISC application.

Section B – Contract Details

1. Course enrolment
   Indicate the program in which you are enrolled, rather than the area of the ISC.

2. How will the contract be studied - internal or external?

3. Supervisor
   The supervisor is responsible for guiding and assessing the work, and is the person responsible for submitting your result. This person MUST be a full-time or fractional full-time academic staff member of Murdoch University (at Lecturer Level A or above).

4. Associate supervisor
   If there are two people jointly supervising your work, one must be nominated as supervisor and the other as associate supervisor. This may be necessary for interdisciplinary topics, or where substantial specialist support from a second person is needed for part of the contract. If the person is from outside the University, name the organisation and the position the person holds there. (A letter from the associate supervisor indicating their willingness to undertake supervision should accompany the ISC application form.) External students may wish to propose an associate supervisor from their local area.

5. Enrolment option of contract
   Contracts taken over first or second semester normally start in week 1 and should finish on or before the Monday of the first week of the Assessment Period. (These dates are shown in the "Principal Dates" section of the current Murdoch University Handbook). Special justification will be needed for any later completion date, as this could affect the review of your academic progress at the end of semester. Summer contracts should finish by the Monday preceding week 1 of first semester.

6. Contract title
   You should enter the title of your ISC as you would like it to appear on your academic record. The title should be accurate and meaningful, so that employers and others who sight your academic transcript will know both your topic and the discipline involved. As far as possible, please try to use words that would be readily understood by a person not fully acquainted with the area of study. The approving Dean may recommend that you retitle your contract. However, you will be advised if this is the case.

7. Program variation
   Program Chair approval (signature is required prior to application being submitted to the Division) is required if this ISC is to be considered in lieu of a core or specified elective. If this ISC is for a general elective you will not be required to have this section signed by the Program Chair.

8. Specific learning objectives
   Give a clear concise statement, preferably in point form, of the objectives of the contract. The objectives will depend on the purpose of the contract, what is to be learned, and whether or not the contract leads to more advanced studies. A contract, for example, may aim:
   1. to examine a topic in depth;
   2. to acquire specific skills;
   3. to survey an area;
   4. to pursue an aspect not covered by the curriculum, or
   5. to place some other topic in context.

   To help you specify objectives clearly refer to the verbs for objectives. Some objectives will probably be more important than others. If so, list them in order of importance.

9. Project outline
   Briefly summarise the subject matter in sufficient detail to indicate the depth and breadth of the contract. Keep in mind that in this section you should explain what you will study in order to achieve your objectives.

10. Background in the subject area
    Indicate any previous study you have done on or related to the topic, for example units either at Murdoch or elsewhere, work experience, reading, etc. For language related ISCs you should state your level of proficiency in the language in this section.

11. Expected activities
    Indicate the methods to be used to complete your study, for example, library or web research, field work, laboratory experiments, interviews, experiential activities or keeping a daily log of ideas and reading.

12. Provisional reading list
    List the main books, reports and/or journal articles which are to be read for the contract. Do this with care, as at the approval stage the reading list is seen as an indicator of the level of your preparation to study the topic. Ask your supervisor for advice on reading material. In some instances the full details of the reading list will not be known at the beginning of the contract. You must, however, indicate your preliminary reading list and the expected direction of reading on the form.

13. Methods and frequency of assessment
    It is most important to be specific here, since failure to do so can lead to the return of the application form for rewriting. If discussions with your supervisor are to be a component of assessment, they must be explicitly defined. You should avoid basing assessment on one report or essay - it is advisable to present a preliminary paper then final written work. If possible, try to relate the assessment to the structure of the contract - if there are several sections to the contract then break the assessment into corresponding sections (with different submission dates).

    It can be useful to incorporate activities such as a bibliography or literature survey, field diary, work log, laboratory reports, etc. within the assessment method, as it forms a monitor of your progress.

14. Level of contract
    Part I students can only take contracts at the 100 level; Part II students can also take a 100-level contract (provided this does not result in more than 30 points of Part I units being included in the course), although 200 and 300 level contracts are more common. Contracts at 400, 500 and 600 level can also be arranged, however 500 and 600 level contracts are only for postgraduate students.

15. Credit points
    ISCs have a value of 2, 3 or 4 points. The points value of an ISC should reflect the workload involved and the depth and extent of the learning objectives and content.

16. Previous experience of independent study
    This could include a major independent study in a unit, or a previous ISC.

Submitting the application form

You should discuss with your supervisor the contract topic and its specifications in terms of the information in the section entitled 'Completing the ISC Application Form'. The form will be completed in the following order by the Student, their Supervisor, Program Chair (where the unit will be used in place of a core or specified requirement), Student Administration Manager/Divisional Executive Officer and Head of School. When you have completed the contract application in final form, give it to your supervisor who should complete his or her section of the form and sign it. (You and your supervisor should both keep a photocopy of the completed application.) The application should then be forwarded to the Division Executive Officer / Student Administration Manager of the Division in which the ISC will be supervised. After the DEO / SAM has completed and signed the form, it is forwarded to the Head of School for final approval.

Deadline for ISC applications

ISC applications can be considered at any stage prior to the start of the academic period in which they commence. Applications should be submitted at the latest by the first day of the academic period, but it is preferable to apply several weeks in advance.

Crediting of ISC program requirements

Usually ISCs are taken as electives. However, some programs allow their students to credit relevant ISCs towards the required component of the program (i.e. program requirements). You should ascertain this by checking with the Program Chair before undertaking the contract. If such credit is allowed you should obtain the Program Chair's signed authority in the ISC application.
See also http://handbook.murdoch.edu.au/geninfo/enrolprog.html