WHAT IS INDEPENDENT STUDIES PERIOD (ISP)?
ISP is a three-week term in January during which faculty and students are freed from the rigors of regularly scheduled classes for flexible teaching and learning experiences, research, and independent study.
All members of the Skoltech community (e.g., students, faculty, staff, Founding Faculty Fellows, alums, visiting faculty/staff/experts, etc.) are encouraged to create courses, seminars, workshops, etc. aimed at sharing an expertise or interest with others, including ones not necessarily related to their day-to-day Skoltech roles.
The ISP is an elective period during which students are encouraged to organize unique courses of their own design. It is a time for students to practice the skill of organizing an event or class—they are expected to do the majority of the work involved in turning their idea into an actual activity. During ISP students are encouraged to explore Skoltech’s educational resources by pursuing options not possible during the semester and participate in courses proposed by Skoltech faculty and researchers, invited lecturers. The ISP offers students a world of opportunities to be active, and to take courses that are not connected to their main educational field, which allows them to enhance and extend their knowledge and get experience in creation of innovative interdisciplinary projects. We strive to offer short courses and activities in different fields that combine practical skills and theoretical knowledge.
Students can not only organize and participate in ISP activities but also set their own educational agendas, pursue independent projects and work with faculty. Faculty members are encouraged to try new teaching methods and learning formats or introduce innovative educational experiments as ISP activities.
To learn more about the ISP, please follow the links :
1. What walking on broken glass teaches young scientists about entrepreneurship
2. From pilot training to Esperanto: Skoltech’s most unusual course offerings
3. Independent Study period – the most creative period of the academic year
4. Independent Studies Period – When Students Teach and Learn from Each Other for 3 Weeks
You can also read Course Catalogs with the lists of all ISP activities 2015-2018 to get a sense of types of ISP activities of the previous Academic Years.
Short-term activities beyond the students’ main educational fields:
- STUDENTS-TO-STUDENTS ACTIVITIES
- SOFT SKILLS WORKSHOPS
- ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION (E&I) COURSES
- PROFESSIONAL HARD SKILLS TRAININGs
- ENJOYABLE ACTIVE LEARNING
WHY IS ISP IMPORTANT?
FORMATS OF PARTICIPATION
1. Course lead of ISP activities
Students can propose to lead their own courses, such as pilot school, aircraft manufacturing, software masterclasses, personal interest, and/or soft skills related. To propose your activity, follow the Guidelines for ISP course instructors in SIS.
ISP Course Instructors will receive Certificates of Recognition for contributing to Skoltech’s educational process during the Independent Studies Period.
ISP Course Instructors’ workload will be increased and calculated based on the formula presented in the ISP GUIDELINES FOR COURSE INSTRUCTORS.
[Note: the following activities are not acceptable for ISP: sports activities, trips, internships in companies, games or any activities with large budget requirements].
2. ISP activities participant
Most students will participate in ISP activities (depending on requirements – see below).
Guidelines for ISP Registration are in SIS.
3. Independent short-term projects (as usual)
Students can propose credit-bearing or non-credit-bearing independent projects (research/E&I).
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE ISP PERIOD
*115-120 hours workload for all MSc students
Detailed guidelines for course instructors and course participants can be found in SIS.
The application procedure for a Short-Term Academic Trip is in SIS-Resources-Academic Mobility.
ISP COURSE REGISTRATION
- Registration will happen in SIS.
- Drop/add for ISP-activities will be open throughout the whole ISP period. A deadline for initial registration will be announced to understand the workload and adjust the schedule.
- A separate deadline will be settled for short-term research/E&I/professional projects registration.
- ISP schedule will be available in SIS and on the web-site.
GRADING
- Students will be graded pass/fail.
- Grading will happen in Canvas automatically during one week after the end of ISP based on assessment criteria loaded into Canvas by course instructors.
- General assessment criteria:
1. Attendance;
2. Homework submitting;
3. Final assessment or project presentation;
4. Participation in course evaluation.
WHO CAN HELP IN CASE OF DIFFICULTIES?
- E-mail Education () with “ISP – 20__ (YOUR NAME)” in the subject line.
- Responsible specialists:
- Anastasia Zueva – general organization of ISP.
- Elena Cherenkova – logistical questions (schedule, classrooms).
- Boris Kheyfets –SIS and Canvas issues.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
ISP GENERAL GUIDELINES
GUIDELINES FOR ISP INSTRUCTORS
Cannot lead a course but have ideas for ISP courses? Fill in a short survey