Senior Project

Spring, 12th grade, 1/2 unit

The senior project will be offered in the spring semester of senior year. The course provides the opportunity for Uni High seniors to explore alternative learning experiences outside the traditional classroom. As a self-directed learning experience, the senior project enables students to build upon the rigorous classroom-based curriculum they have experienced at Uni High and to make creative decisions about their education that are based on their own choices and interests. The students selected to work on a senior project will work with University of Illinois faculty, Uni High faculty, and/or members of the Champaign-Urbana business, cultural, or activist/charity communities to develop and pursue an original, self-directed project of their own design. The intention is that students will take this opportunity to build upon their Uni education to pursue further research in an academic or laboratory context, to explore a possible career path with hands-on experience in the field, to conceive and develop and ambitious creative or artistic project, or to contribute significantly to their wider community. Students who participate in the Senior Project will be encouraged to see learning as a lifelong, real-world process not limited to the classroom, over which they have a significant measure of control. It will contribute not only to their preparation for college but to their career development. Information regarding the Senior Project proposal process is maintained and distributed to students/parents by Dr. Karl Radnitzer.

Class Auditing

11th-12th grade

Interested students have the privilege to audit a course to increase their knowledge by attending courses without receiving either a grade or credit. A student (auditor) who requests to audit a class must be in good standing and cannot be credit deficient. A student may audit courses for academic interest and exploration. Audit forms are available in the SSO office.

  • Only juniors and seniors may request to audit a course. The student (auditor) needs to meet the course prerequisites and grade level requirements.
  • Audited Classes cannot be used to fulfill graduation requirements.
  • Auditors' participation in courses will be set by the course instructor.
  • Schedules will not be changed so that a course can be audited.
  • Audited courses cannot be repeated to earn credit.
  • Attendance will be taken for a student attending a class as an auditor. AU in course heading will designate that the student is auditing the course.
  • Permission to attend a class as an auditor is granted only by the instructor of the class, classroom space permitting, with the approval of the executive teacher of the department concerned. Written approval must also be obtained from the associate or assistant director.
  • The approval should be presented to the instructor at the first class attended by auditor. Audit enrollment will not be permitted after the 15th day of instruction.
  • Students assigned to a sports study hall are not eligible to audit classes in lieu of being in the study hall, unless approval is received by the physical education department and the athletic director.
  • No credit is given for courses taken as an audit and courses will not appear on transcripts.
  • Students auditing a class are subject to the same disciplinary methods the teacher uses with students enrolled for credit, which include consequences for absences and tardiness. If a student’s behavior is deemed disruptive by the teacher, or if the student’s attendance is problematic, the teacher may end the audit by notifying the Assistant Director for Student Life. A student removed from an audit situation due to behavior or attendance will be ineligible for further audit opportunities. An audited class may fulfill the 300 hundred minute guideline. Students who want to withdraw from an audited class must see the assistant director for student life in order to do so.

High School Concurrent Enrollment (Parkland College and the University of Illinois)

10th-12th grade

Students may take elective courses outside of University Laboratory High School through the University of Illinois and/or Parkland College. This is an opportunity for students to earn college credit while simultaneously attending high school. Courses taken at either institution may count toward the 300 minute rule, with required approval of the Assistant Director. Courses taken as concurrent enrollment may also fulfill Uni’s requirement that all students have courses from at least 4 academic subject areas in their schedule each semester. Students should only select courses that fit into their Uni course schedules. The course(s) may not duplicate a University Laboratory High School course unless there is an irreconcilable schedule conflict, as judged by the Assistant Director. Neither the course grade nor the credit will be included on the student’s transcript from Uni, and does not count toward graduation requirements. A placement exam may be required by the institution. Students interested in taking concurrent enrollment classes must talk with their counselor to be sure all requirements are covered. Information regarding concurrent enrollment opportunities is maintained and distributed to students/parents by the Student Services Office.