Frequently Asked Faculty Questions

Questions Faculty Frequently Ask

How do I get funding for my summer MAP?

Funding requests need to be submitted to CSFS by the 1st Friday in February. Indicate on the Grant Request Form that you will be directing a MAP. The form is located at: offices/dean/supfac/oncampusopportunities/gb_guides/gb_form/

Is there a limit to the number of MAPs I can direct in a semester?

Yes. Please see http://www.grinnell.edu/offices/dean/map/policy/curric_co_ruling for the Curriculum Committee's ruling.

What is the difference between 299, 399, and 499s?

See the College Catalog General Provisions Description of 299/399 Description of 499

A really great student has just asked me if I will supervise a summer research project. It is a very good project and I think that he would benefit from the experience, but the summer is the only time when I can write for long uninterrupted periods! What should I do?

The College recognizes that summers are essential to our faculty members' own research programs; their research must come first. Clearly, it is your choice whether to agree to serve as a mentor, whether the MAP takes place during the school year or the summer. You are never obliged to conduct a MAP and there may be many reasons why you choose not to do so. Supervising a summer MAP will take plenty of time and attention and requires the mentor's presence on campus, so faculty members should think long and hard before accepting any obligations that will compete with their own summer research and writing agenda. Student-initiated summer MAPs will be rare, and students should be aware of this if they propose such a project.

Can I receive monetary compensation instead of course credits for the MAPs I supervise?

The College recognizes that supervising an independent research project like a MAP is time-consuming. The allocation of credit of one-sixth of a course for four and six- credit MAPs, and one-fourth of a course for eight-credit MAPs is a recognition that supervising MAPs comprises part of a faculty member's teaching load. Its purpose is not to pay faculty to load up on their teaching but to free them to engage in this one-on- one teaching experience.

See Compensation

Faculty members in temporary positions can receive a monetary compensation. They should discuss any plans to supervise a MAP with the department chair and with the Dean.

Now that MAPs are regularized, do I have to file a MAP report?

Yes. MAPs are regularized, but they are still in the process of being defined. The College will need more feedback from faculty mentors as we continue to work on better serving MAP students and their mentors. Additionally, in the next few years the Curriculum Committee will be considering whether to extend course credits to the directors of other kinds of independent research and independent study. Its members will need to draw on the collective wisdom of MAP directors. The faculty report form is short and fairly simple. It can be found at MAP Report Form and can be filled out and submitted on-line. Teaching credit for MAPs is not allocated until after the faculty member submits a report for each MAP completed under his or her supervision that semester. Faculty members who choose not to complete the MAP Report Form will forfeit compensation for that project.

While faculty members teaching MAP seminars receive their course compensation when they teach the seminar in lieu of a normal teaching obligation, they are encouraged to fill out the report form as well.

Are MAPs now the only kind of independent research project that a student can pursue?

Students can enroll in (and you can supervise) 399s and 397s. In special circumstances, some faculty members also supervise 299s.

My student didn't appear on my grade sheet. Why?

If you don't receive a gradesheet for your MAP student, then your student isn't registered for the MAP. Contact the Associate Deans' Office for help.

What's the difference between co-directing a MAP and acting as a second reader?

When a MAP is co-directed, it is assumed that both advisors share equal responsibility in mentoring the student. In a co-directed MAP, both directors guide the development, design, execution and evaluation of the product, each submit individual reports and both faculty members split the MAP credit. A second reader evaluates a draft of the product and gives feedback to the student and mentor. The second reader receives a $300 stipend for his/her evaluation. This compensation will be administered once the primary director states in the final MAP report that the second reader has fulfilled his/her responsibilities.

I've accrued a course release. Now what?