Honors
A graduate may earn Honors, High Honors, or Highest Honors in the major by either:
- Satisfactory completion of a research or creative project and an oral defense before a faculty committees of at least 3 members
OR
- Satisfactory completion of a comprehensive written and oral examination in the major area judged by a faculty of at least 3 members
Eligibility
- 3.5 QPA in all major courses (Lynchburg College and transfer credits).
- 3.0 QPA in all courses (Lynchburg College and transfer credits) for the baccalaureate degree.
These GPAs must be achieved at the end of the semester preceding the final semester of matriculation. A student eligible to compete for Major Program Honors should apply to the particular school dean no later than October 1 (for January graduates) and February 1 (for May and August graduates). Application forms are available from school deans and or on the Registrar's forms page, which you can access by clicking on this link: Application Form for Major Program Honors.
School of Health Sciences and Human Performance Honors
The LC School of HSHP recognizes the written paper as the appropriate Honors project for our school. The
written paper helps prepare students for graduate study and is viewed as more helpful to students. Students must submit a proposal that includes:
- Project plan – abstract to include Purpose, Subjects, Methods, Expected Results, Conclusions, Recommendations.
- Identification of the intended audience (e.g. LC students, National student group, Profession)
- Type of project (Review of Lit, Case Study, Original Research)
- Dissemination of information (Committee Only, Submission of Non Reviewed publication, Submission to a professional journal). The student will then follow the appropriate manuscript guidelines.
Students are encouraged to have a broader goal than completion of an LC Honors project. For example, an Athletic Training Student could design her/his project so that it could be submitted to the Journal of Athletic Training Student Writing Contest; a nursing student could design her/his project for submission to the journal published by the National Student Nurses Association. Students will decide which honors designation they wish to pursue based on the criteria listed below.
Committee
The student's honors project will be evaluated by a committee of three Lynchburg College faculty. The committee chair will come from the student's discipline.A second member will come from the school of HSHP. A third at-large faculty member may come from any LC faculty. Students are responsible for procuring committee members.
Honors Awards Criteria
| Factor | Honors | High Honors | Highest Honors |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Excellent" scores on the evaluation paradigm | 50% (n=22) | 65% (n=28) | 80% (n=34) |
| "Not Good Enough" scores on the evaluation paradigm | 5-10 | 3-5 | 0-2 |
| Intended Audience | LC Students | National Group of Students | Professionals |
| Type of Project | Lit Review | Case Study | Original Research |
| Dissemination of Information | Report only | Report & Non-reviewed Journal* | Reviewed Journal** |
*Examples of Nonreviewed Journals
Training and Conditioning; Strength and Conditioning; The Physician and Sports Medicine, Athletic Therapy Today, Nursing '01
**Examples of Reviewed Journals
Journal of Athletic Training; Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research; Physical Therapy, Nursing Research, American Journal of Nursing, Journal of Nursing Scholarship, American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing
Evaluation Form for Honors Projects
(Adapted from Westover Honors Program)
| Skills & Competencies to Be Demonstrated | Not Good Enough | Good Enough | Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Disciplinary Mastery | |||
| 1. Uses terminology correctly | |||
| 2. Uses scholarly resources of the discipline | |||
| 3. Uses tools, methods and models appropriately | |||
| 4. Shows understanding of the needs of the profession | |||
| B. Critical and Creative Thinking | |||
| Framing the Question | |||
| 5. Uses theory to guide inquiry | |||
| 6. Formulates a clear statement of the thesis or the question to be answered | |||
| 7. Formulates hypotheses and constructs arguments | |||
| 8. Identifies criteria for judging alternative conclusions | |||
| Literature Review | |||
| 9. Identifies/summarizes the salient arguments, pro and con | |||
| 10. Evaluates the soundness of arguments, reasons and claims | |||
| 11. Recognizes underlying assumptions | |||
| 12. Recognizes fallacies in reasoning | |||
| 13. Recognizes individual and cultural biases | |||
| 14. Distinguishes between claims of fact and opinion | |||
| 15. Judges credibility of sources | |||
| 16. Makes use of primary source materials | |||
| 17. Presents review of literature in a well organized manner | |||
| Testing the Hypothesis: Data Collection and Analysis | |||
| 18. Uses appropriate research design (explains and justifies methodology) | |||
| 19. Gathers data needed to test hypothesis/answer question | |||
| 20. Correctly analyzes and interprets data/information | |||
| 21. Identifies alternative explanations supported by data | |||
| Judgment | |||
| 22.Thoughtfully analyzes & evaluates explanations | |||
| 23. Objectively follows where evidence and reason lead | |||
| 24. Uses reasoning and evidence to reach conclusions | |||
| 25. Supports conclusions with clear and cogent arguments | |||
| 26. Objectively evaluates strengths and weaknesses of own arguments | |||
| 27. Identifies values judgments implicit in conclusion | |||
| 28. Considers ethical implications of conclusion (moral reflection) | |||
| Creativity | |||
| 29. Integrates different perspectives/opinions | |||
| 30. Research demonstrates originality of thought or approach | |||
| 31. Examines contrasting uses of organizing concepts | |||
| 32. Uses methods not traditional to discipline | |||
| 33. Assembles pieces to form a coherent whole (synthesis) | |||
| 34. Brings together disparate elements to create new patterns | |||
| C. Communication | |||
| Written | |||
| 35. Free of spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors | |||
| 36. Clarity of presentation: smooth, easy to read | |||
| 37. Organization: logical sequence, arguments tied together | |||
| 38. Accessible to non-specialists | |||
| 39. Follows appropriate format | |||
| Oral (formal presentation required at defense) | |||
| 40. Responds to questions authoritatively | |||
| 41. Explains technical issues to non-specialists | |||
| 42. Communicates clearly; orderly presentation | |||
| 43. Good use of visual aids, blackboard, presentation software, etc. | |||
Approved by HSHP faculty 4/23/01.
