We believe that traditional students learn best in regular classroom settings where a group of students and a faculty member engage in interactive dialogue. The classroom serves as a small learning community that encourages students to expand their own perspectives. This is particularly true in some courses, such as the senior seminar or capstone course. In some cases, however, it is appropriate to deliver a course as a directed study.

In these cases, the student will meet with the faculty member on an individual basis, usually once a week, to complete the course requirements. A request from a student for directed study is approved by the School dean or the Center director only when resources are available to accommodate the request.

Generally, students pursuing directed studies meet the following criteria:

1. The student is in his or her last term of three or fewer courses and a required course is not being offered in that term at an accessible Saint Leo University location.
2. The student is enrolled in his or her last term of three or fewer courses and a scheduled required course is canceled because of inadequate enrollments.
3. The student has a physical disability which prevents him or her from attending a required course held in an inaccessible classroom and the class cannot be moved to an accessible classroom.
4. The student and faculty member develop a course or a research project which enriches the student’s academic program.
5. The faculty member shall assess student learning and shall use the same standards for grading and assessment as are used in a classroom course.

The University also offers another type of individual study, which is an independent study. In an independent study, the student pursues a subject under the direction of a faculty member using such support materials as Internet courses, videotape, computer disk, written text, or combinations thereof. On completion of the prescribed work, the student reports to the faculty member and is graded either on a paper, project or written examination.

Both types of courses are recorded by title followed by the initials DS. Students using VA benefits or some other types of financial aid may not receive full benefits or aid for courses with a DS designation.