| The following questions provide
a basis for faculty evaluation of your independent study
work when it is complete.
I. The Proposal
- Did the student make original
contributions to the development of the project?
- Was the project novel?
Is the work something that had not been done previously?
Did the student modify or extend another, similar
project in significant or novel ways?
- Did the student actively
engage the question, and show creativity and tenacity
in fine-tuning the design as the situation required?
II. Literature Survey
- Was the literature survey
thorough?
- Were primary or secondary
sources mostly used?
- Was the survey done
before, during, or after the experimental part of the
project?
III. Experimental Design
and Experimentation
- Did the student
follow a clear and consistent experimental design
followed closely
during their I.S. research?
- Did the student
set up the experiments in such a way that he/she
could statistically
evaluate the data?
- Were appropriate
statistical tests used to evaluate the data?
- How well were the
experiments performed?
- How reliable are the
primary data?
- Did the student exhibit
enthusiasm for the project?
- Did the student keep an
accurate laboratory or field notebook documenting their
work?
- Did the student complete
the proposed work effectively?
- Did the student identify
and remedy difficulties encountered in carrying out
the work?
- If the original proposal
was revised during the year, was this due to unavoidable
circumstances, or was it the result of lack of timely
effort or foresight on the part of the student?
IV. Written
Thesis
- Is the thesis
well written? Is the text clear, concise,
and complete? Is it well-organized?
- Is the text
free of excessive numbers of mechanical
errors (typos, grammatical
errors)?
- Is literature
cited appropriately in the text?
- Is the bibliographic
section done according to the directions given in
Pechenik’s "Short
Guide to Writing About Biology?"
- Does the student indicate
a clear understanding of the research question,
the data collected and how they relate to the
literature
on the
subject?
- Has the student
interpreted their data in terms of its
biological importance?
- Does the
student indicate potential and important
sources of error in the results?
- Does the student suggest
further experimentation along the lines of his/her
thesis?
- Are tables and figures
clear, error-free, and with explanatory legends?
V. Oral Defense
- Does the student demonstrate
a clear understanding of the literature and methods
used in his/her area of research?
- Does the student know,
and can they effectively explain to the examining
committee, what was done?
- Can the student discuss
background information (e.g., coursework) in areas
of biology related to his/her project?
- Does the student appreciate
the broad implications of his/her work?
- In the eyes of the examining
committee, has the I.S. been a productive experience
for the student?
- Did the student take ownership
of their project, and demonstrate interest
and enthusiasm in what was done and learned?
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