The following guidelines are suggestions on how to supervise a successful directed study and should not be considered as mandatory rules.

1. Faculty members should carefully read the rules for directed studies in the student handbook.
2. Faculty members are not required to accept student proposals for directed studies. While supervising directed studies is considered in evaluating faculty members for promotion, tenure, and salary evaluation, this activity does not carry significant weight.
3. Faculty members should consider the relevance of the directed study to their teaching and research interests. They may refer the student to a colleague if the proposed directed study falls outside their teaching and research interests or competencies.
4. Faculty members should evaluate whether the directed study will contribute to the advancement of their teaching and research interests and whether the directed study might lead to a co-authored publication or presentation.
5. Faculty members should review the student’s program file for evidence that the student has the ability and motivation to complete a directed study since directed studies require sustained independent work.
6. Faculty members should make it clear to the student that a directed study requires significant effort and is not an easy way to gain academic credit and a good grade. As a rule of thumb, each credit hour of a directed study should require at least 40 hours of student effort in keeping with the normal formula for classroom instruction (two hours outside work for each hour of classroom instruction).
7. Faculty are not paid for administering these courses.
8. There is not a Canvas course generated for Directed Study so the faculty member must convey to the Associate Dean at the end of the semester, the student’s final grade, as per the WSU schedule. (Include link or schedule).
9. There is a directed study Course Profile and application form:
   1. 7990.pdf (wayne.edu)
   2. Directed Study - Current students - Wayne State University
      1. Note that the faculty lead, academic advisor, and Associate Dean all need to sign the form.