DAVIS HONORS CHALLENGE

Frequently Asked Questions about DHC Seminars

What is an Honors Seminar?

An honors seminar is a collaborative, multi-disciplinary exploration of a complex, contemporary problem. Honors seminars seek to model the modern work place by asking students to develop strategies addressing open-ended problems. Students work in teams and gain experience with group dynamics and collaborative decision-making. Each seminar presents its findings to the entire DHC community at the quarterly Honors Convocation.

Honors seminars are led by faculty members chosen for their commitment to undergraduate education, their willingness to create an active learning environment, and their ability to nurture higher-level reasoning skills. Seminars are offered only in the winter and spring quarters. Enrollment in each seminar is generally limited to twenty lower-division DHC students.

How are students selected for the program?

Unlike honors programs elsewhere, DHC does not select for GPA or SAT scores. Instead, students must complete an essay application. Selection is based on evidence for motivation, leadership, commitment, enthusiasm and understanding of the goals of the program. Each spring, all incoming students and all on-campus first-year students are invited to apply for the lower-division DHC program. There are approximately 523 students participating in DHC during the 2008-2009 academic year.

Where do honors seminars fit into the DHC academic program?

The honors seminars are the keystone of the DHC academic program. Each student must take one honors seminar in an academic year as well as two honors challenge sections or other honors courses. For various reasons, honors seminars are offered only in Winter and Spring Quarters.

How does an honors seminar differ from a Freshman Seminar?

A Freshman Seminar is usually a one- or two-unit exploration of an interesting topic taught by a professor. One of the main goals of Freshman seminars is to provide students with an opportunity to get to know the professor. An honors seminar is a four-unit study of a real-world problem. It is meant to be a rigorous intellectual exercise that gives students the primary responsibility for their own learning.

What is the role of the faculty member leading an honors seminar?

The faculty member does no lecturing and plays a relatively minor role in the actual gathering of information. The primary responsibility of the faculty member is to keep the students on track by making sure that they are finding good information, that they are engaged in meaningful analysis and critical thinking, that they are functioning effectively in teams, and that they are improving their oral and written communication skills.

How can I fulfill this role if I've never taught a class this way?

The faculty teaching honors seminars meet regularly throughout the year in faculty workshops to discuss philosophical issues related to the seminars as well as the nuts and bolts of leading them. In addition, DHC has been able to provide an on-line faculty handbook that addresses many issues related to leading an honors seminar, such as group dynamics, collaborative writing, research methods, evaluation of information, and methods of assessment.

Who selects the topics of the seminars?

Individual faculty propose topics that are then discussed and approved by the other faculty. Faculty are encouraged to propose topics that are somewhat outside their fields of expertise. This avoids the problem of having the students use the faculty member as the most authoritative source of information about the topic. It also engages the faculty member as an active learner and participant in the seminar. Some great examples of cross-overs from the past several years have been a chemistry professor who led a seminar on Peace in the Middle East, an animal science professor who led one on kissing, and an engineering professor who led one on the Patriot Act.

What is the time commitment involved?

Because faculty are not directly involved in the delivery of the content, most of their time outside of the four hours per week in class is spent meeting with students individually and in groups, reading and evaluating written work, and otherwise ensuring that the class runs smoothly. However, in order to participate in the program each faculty member makes a commitment to attend "most" of the faculty workshops. These meetings are held every Wednesday from 1:10-3:00 pm during Fall Quarter and will be held every about other week during Winter and Spring Quarters. New faculty attend workshops all year long, while returning faculty attend workshops in Fall Quarter and in the quarter they are leading a seminar.

How do the buyouts/grants work?

DHC can provide funds for a course buyout. The details of the buyout are negotiated between the faculty member and the chair of the faculty member's department. If the faculty member teaches the seminar as a voluntary course overload, the faculty member receives an unrestricted research grant that is administered by the home department.

Are there any other benefits from teaching an honors seminar?

The weekly faculty workshops serve as an excellent forum for discussing pedagogical issues. As a result of their experiences teaching an honors seminar, many faculty have altered their methods for teaching undergraduate, graduate and even professional courses.

What if I'm interested but can't teach an honors seminar this coming year?

Please let us know and we will put your name on a list of people to be contacted next year. You can contact Ann Orel, DHC Director at aeorel@ucdavis.edu.