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Appendix D

APPENDIX D

EXHIBITION/RECITAL, PROJECT/REPORT, PRACTICA/INTERNSHIP REPORT GUIDELINES

There are a number of routes other than thesis available for University of Regina graduate degrees including exhibition, recital, project, report, practicum, internship and course option. In many departments students produce a report or comprehensive paper resulting from a creative exhibition, investigative study, project study, or practical training period. The latter routes are more appropriate to the fine and applied arts or professional fields. These alternative options vary in credit value and the student is encouraged to contact the graduate coordinator for clarification. As the credit assigned to these options is significantly less than that for a thesis, the length of the document should reflect this distinction. All routes are grounded in a discipline and should demonstrate mastery of the subject. Registration requirements to defend apply to students in all of the following programs and students are referred to the Registration Regulations section for details.

 

Exhibition/Recital or Performance/Event

Programs in Visual Arts require an oral examination and a written submission (comprehensive support paper) in combination with an exhibition. The Department of Visual Arts sends to FGSR, two copies of the comprehensive paper, other relevant documentation (e.g. slides, or Compact Discs etc.), a supervisory committee release form and an External Examiner nomination form. The notice of exhibition is forwarded to FGSR prior to scheduling of the oral examination. The support paper and relevant documentation (slides or CDS etc.) are sent to an external examiner by FGSR once the Associate Dean has approved the external. The Associate Dean of FGSR (or designate) chairs the oral with an examining committee consisting of the supervisor, the internal committee members and the external examiner, all of whom have witnessed the exhibition or performance/event. The external examiner is nominated in the same manner as those for thesis-based Master’s degrees. The examining committee deems the exhibition or performance/event and the oral defense and written support paper acceptable or non-acceptable. An exhibition or performance/event that is deemed unacceptable automatically leads to a failed support paper and defense. A support paper that is deemed unacceptable will require a re-defense. This must take place by the end of the next semester. It should be noted that in cases where an exhibition is presented, one work selected by FGSR, in consultation with the student, remains the property of the University of Regina Appropriate forms and instructions related to Fine Arts exhibitions and recitals are on the FGSR web site at http://www.uregina.ca/gradstudies/forms/.

Programs in Music may culminate in a Master of Music degree in performance, composition or conducting, (or in a thesis-based Master of Arts in Musicology or Music Theory, which are dealt with elsewhere in this calendar). All performance students require a recital and oral examination covering topics related to the recital. Composition students present a major composition as the thesis equivalent and if possible the composition is performed and recorded. An oral examination covers topics related to the composition. The conducting of a major work for orchestra, band, or chorus and orchestra combined is presented in public performance and fulfills the degree requirement for conducting majors. An oral examination is required. The panel or examination committee to review the graduate recitals of Master of Music candidates consists of the applied music teacher, the head of the Department, two other members of the Department of Music, an examiner from outside of the Department, and the Associate Dean of FGSR or designate.

 

Project /Report Options

Students are to consult with their supervisors concerning the general organization of the project report or paper, and also about special practices or rules that may apply to scholarly writing within the specific discipline. Students may wish to refer to thesis guidelines in preparing and formatting a project report. Careful proofreading for spelling and grammatical errors as well as for adherence to all other standards is the responsibility of the student and supervisor.

Project/ Report options are categorized as informal evaluations, and informal defenses are not vetted through the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. Project options in many units and the Report Option in Mathematics and Statistics are treated in a similar fashion as other credit hour courses and are monitored by individual faculties and departments.

Some project defenses are more structured than others. A Notice of Oral Defense of project is completed (sample forms are available on the FGSR web site) and signed by the Head/designate, stating date, time, place and title of the project. A copy of the Notice is sent to all Committee Members and to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research prior to the date of the defense.

Defense of projects/reports is typically in the form of a seminar presentation (of approximately 20 minutes) by the candidate, followed by a question period. An examining committee consisting of the Head/designate of the academic faculty/department, the supervisor and the supervisory committee attend the defense. A project defense is chaired by the coordinator of graduate programs of the academic unit or designate. Fellow students and interested members of the University community may be invited to attend the project seminar. The examining committee reaches the decision on the acceptability of the project and its defense. If deemed unacceptable, each member of the committee will provide specific reasons to the Associate Dean of FGSR. When all of the degree requirements have been met, including the submission of the corrected final version of the project report, the academic unit prepares a Non Thesis Completion Form (available on the FGSR web site) and forwards it along with a copy of the title page to FGSR. This form is used to process students for convocation and to provide details for the Convocation Program.

Prior to the project defense in Business Administration, the project document is forwarded by the Supervisor to a second reader within the faculty. (If there are Co-Supervisors rather than a single Supervisor, then it is not necessary to have a second reader.) The second reader must review the project and provide feedback to the student and Supervisor, and indicate whether the project is ready to be presented. If revisions are deemed to be extensive, the second reader may request the project seminar be delayed until such time as the changes have been satisfactorily completed. The second reader may request to see any final revisions. The second reader attends the 20-minute oral presentation, along with the Supervisor and the Director of the graduate school of business. The Supervisor and second reader (or the two Co-Supervisors) are jointly responsible for evaluating the project and presentation, to determine whether the student has successfully completed the project requirements. When all of the degree requirements have been met, including the submission of the corrected final version of the project report, the academic unit prepares a Non Thesis Completion Form (available on the FGSR web site) and forwards it along with a copy of the title page to FGSR. This form is used to process students for convocation and to provide details for the Convocation Program.

Prior to the project defense in Education, the student's Project Committee (comprised of a Faculty Project Supervisor and one additional Project Committee Member) determines when a project report is at the final draft stage. In preparing interim and final drafts, students should follow the "Guide for Projects and Project Reports" provided by the Faculty of Education and of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association with respect to matters of general format and style.

Students are responsible for completing their report in a timely manner, submitting copies to the supervisor and committee member for evaluation, and for making changes and corrections as required. The supervisor and committee member sign Certification of Project Work when they are satisfied with the report. The supervisor also completes a Nomination Form for the External Reader. External Readers must have relevant knowledge or understanding of, and interest in, the project topic. The External Reader need not come from outside the student's program area. The Certification and Nomination forms, along with a revised unbound copy of the report, are submitted to the Associate Dean, Office of Research and Graduate Programs, Faculty of Education.

The Associate Dean makes a preliminary review of the report to ensure it meets standards required for graduate academic papers in Education. If the report requires additional changes it will be returned to the supervisor for further revision by the student. If the report is acceptable the graduate chair will forward the report, an evaluation report form, and evaluation criteria to the External Reader. Readers are responsible for a careful, independent examination of the report and an overall evaluation of the document on a pass/fail basis. There should be no contact between Readers and supervisors or committee members during the evaluation period. The Reader signs and dates the evaluation report form and returns it directly to the graduate chair in a timely manner (usually within two weeks). The Reader may request to see any final revisions. If the report passes, the graduate chair forwards the relevant forms (Non-thesis Completion Form, available on the FGSR web site) along with a copy of the report title page to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research.

Upon approval and acceptance by the Faculty of Graduate Studies the student provides two final, spiral-bound, copies of the Project Report to the Associate Dean. One copy will be retained in the Office of Research and Graduate Programs in the Faculty of Education and the other will be forwarded to the Dr John Archer Library. The student will also provide one electronic version of the report for future inclusion in the University's online holdings.

Students are encouraged to present their project work within the Faculty of Education, at the project site, or in the community.
If the report fails it must be resubmitted and the student may be required to register to submit their final, corrected copies and if their time to completion has expired, they will need to seek an extension and in some cases reinstatement.

In Computer Science, the student completes the project report (CS 903) and it is evaluated by an examination committee.  The examination committee should consist of at least three faculty members (one of whom is the student's supervisor), at least half of whom should be from the Department of Computer Science, and a chair, who is a faculty member and who can be from Computer Science.  The examination committee will evaluate the report and if the project is judged acceptable, the student provides an oral presentation open to the entire University community. The examination chair will record a numeric grade from 0 to 100 for the course called CS 903 Computer Science Project Report, which will represent the result of the evaluation of the report and accompanying oral presentation by the examination committee.  The pass mark for this course will be 70%.  If the examining committee passes the student, they sign the Certification of Project Work and give it to the Department of Computer Science. The Department prepares a copy listing the members of the committee for the student and the form with the original signatures is forwarded to FGSR when the student is cleared for graduation. The student will, after corrections, submit one final copy of the project report to the Department of Computer Science and provide two final copies to the supervisor. The student will also complete the Permission to Use Postgraduate Project form and submit it to the Department authorizing use of the project for scholarly work. The final project report will then be archived electronically by the Department of Computer Science for future reference.  The supervisor will submit appropriate forms to FGSR to clear the student for graduation. These forms include a Non-Thesis Program Completion, a copy of the title page of the Project, Certification of Project work, and the Permission to Use Postgraduate Project.

In Engineering, the student completes the project and it is evaluated by an examination committee consisting of the supervisor and one or more qualified members in the related area. If approved, the examining committee signs the Certification of Project Work and gives it to the Faculty of Engineering. The Faculty prepares a copy listing the members of the committee for the student and will forward the original with signatures to FGSR when the student is cleared for graduation. The student provides an oral presentation open to the entire University community. If the examining committee passes the student, the student will, after corrections, submit one final copy of the project report to the Faculty of Engineering and one to the supervisor. The student will submit one copy of the Permission to Use Postgraduate Project i to the Faculty of Engineering The supervisor will submit appropriate forms to FGSR to clear the student for graduation. These forms include a Non-thesis Program completion, a copy of the title page of the Project, the Certification of Project work, and the Permission to Use Postgraduate Project.

In Mathematics, the student completes the report and it is evaluated by an examination committee consisting of the supervisor, one external reader from another program and one or more internal members from the same area as the student. The External completes an External Reader Evaluation Report and if it is judged acceptable, the student provides an oral presentation open to the entire University community. If the examining committee passes the student, they sign the Certification of Report Option and give it to the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. The Department prepares a copy listing the members of the committee for the student and the form with the original signatures is forwarded to FGSR when the student is cleared for graduation. The student will, after corrections, submit one final copy of the report to the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and two final copies to the supervisor. The student will also complete the Permission to Use Postgraduate Report form and submit it to the Department authorizing use of the report for scholarly work. The supervisor will submit appropriate forms to FGSR to clear the student for graduation. These forms include a Non-thesis Program Completion Form, a copy of the title page of the Report, Certification of Report Option, the External Reader Evaluation Report and the Permission to Use Postgraduate Report.

In Social Work, the student's committee determines when a project report is at the final draft stage. In preparing interim and final drafts, students should follow consistently the guidelines of an approved writing manual (e.g. APA Manual, Chicago Style, Turabian) with respect to matters of general format and style for essays, papers and reports. The student distributes one copy of the final draft to each member of the committee and one additional copy to the Master of Social Work Chairperson. Students are responsible for completing their report in a timely manner and submitting copies to the Academic Supervisor and academic committee member. A copy may be submitted to the Professional Associate as well. Once the academic members of the committee have evaluated the Report and any changes or revisions have been made the Certification of Project Work is signed. A revised unbound copy of the Report with the signed statements of certification is submitted to the MSW Chair who reviews the copy and forwards the relevant forms (Non thesis Completion Form, available on the FGSR web site) along with a copy of the title page to FGSR. This form is used to process students for convocation and to provide details for the Convocation Program.

Upon approval and acceptance by the Faculty of Graduate Studies the student provides a copy of the final Project Report to the MSW Chair to be placed in the Resource Centre of the Social Policy Research Unit.

An informal presentation of the student's project work may be presented in the Faculty of Social Work or project site.

Please note that students will have until the end of the next semester to submit their final corrected report/paper to their academic unit after the defense or will be subject to registration regulations. Students who do not meet this deadline will be required to register in order to submit their final corrected copies and if their time to completion has expired, they will need to seek an extension and in some cases reinstatement.

 

Practica/Internship Options

Practica are designed to provide the student with a practical experience in the field as opposed to a theoretical or research based study. Students complete a summary report analyzing the practicum experience.

Guidelines for Practicum Placements

The perception of a possibility of, or the occurrence of, a conflict of interest is considered to be a major threat to the integrity of a graduate program. It is the responsibility of a prospective candidate and the academic supervisor to recognize the importance of ensuring that a proposed practicum placement would not jeopardize the principles associated with fairness and impartiality. Accordingly, students may not be placed in a practicum situation in which any financial or personal relationship may give rise to a reasonable perception of bias. This includes but is not limited to:

• Placement in an agency where anyone in a position of authority impacting on the practicum can be viewed as having a close personal relationship with the student;
  
• Placement in an agency in which the student is otherwise normally employed. It is recognized that a student could be placed in a large agency (e.g., a government department) in a different section or division than the section or division in which the student is normally employed, and wherein;
  
• the duties related to the placement are demonstrably outside the normal duties performed by the student in his or her regular employment;
  
• the practicum takes place separate from the student’s normal hours of employment with the agency (i.e., the practicum activities should be taking place at the same time the student is ostensibly being employed to undertake the duties of the employer, unless the employer is providing a paid leave of absence);
  
• the student is not paid, in salary or in kind, for performing the duties associated with the practicum placement; and
  
• the practicum associate (i.e., the external supervisor of the practicum) is not in the normal reporting structure associated with the student’s paid employment in the agency.

Practicum defenses consist of the completion of an integrative report or a theory related paper of quality and format suitable for publication as determined by the member of the faculty who is a member of the supervisory team and by the Dean of FGSR or designate. The title page of the report is forwarded to the Dean of FGSR accompanied by a Non-Thesis Program Completion Form certifying that the candidate has met the program requirements.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Project/Practicum/Report Title

A Project/Practicum/Report

Submitted to the (Academic Unit)

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for the Degree of

(Degree)

in

(Area if applicable)

University of Regina

 

By

Larry Michael Doe

Regina, Saskatchewan

(Month of submission of final corrected copy), 2005

 

 

Copyright 2005:  L.M. Doe

 

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