Resource:How to score class credit for your UIF work

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Introduction

Tanner Wheadon, a University Innovation Fellow at Utah Valley University, created a course where University Innovation Fellows on his campus could receive three credit hours for their work. The course is optional to fellows at UVU and is considered an undergraduate research course. 

Need and Goal

To assess the need for this course, Tanner analyzed the process of becoming a University Innovation Fellow and the work completed during that time. Further, he looked at the execution phase of the project the student identified during training and how the project was carried out. In looking at these aspects of being a University Innovation Fellow, Tanner recognized that not only could creating a course provide the student with credit, but it could motivate the student to produce their best work and provide them with more structure once they are launched as a fellow. 

Academic Permission 

In order the UIF course at UVU to be accepted, Tanner had to pitch his idea to the administration. Prior to pitching his course idea, Tanner created a syllabus for the course which included the six-week training process, the Silicon Valley Meetup, the execution phase of the student's project, and a final presentation to the dean at the end of the semester.

After pitching his course proposal and syllabus to the administration, they stated that if more students wanted to become University Innovation Fellows at UVU it could be possible. Tanner and UVU recruited more fellows on campus and they established the course. 

Course Structure

As previously mentioned, the course consists of the six-week training process, the Silicon Valley Meetup, the execution phase of the student's project, and a final presentation to the dean at the end of the semester. The student receives course credit for an undergraduate research course and must pay for those credits. The instructor for the course is the sponsor of the University Innovation Fellows on campus and all work completed throughout the semester is also submitted to him/her. With this being said, the student receives a final grade at the end of the semester. 

Audience

This course is taken by University Innovation Fellows who are going through the training process at the beginning of the semester. With this being said, students must first apply and be accepted as a UIF prior to being eligible for the course. Potential students for the course are those who want to become a UIF on campus and display major interest at UIF events.

Tips for others

While the course at UVU only provided course credit to Technology Management and related majors, it is important to think of a way to allow for students of all majors to receive course credit. 

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Written by Jake Tersigni