Once your Connecting Experience is approved, you can get to work! Keep the following things in mind as you complete your Connecting Experience.
Need help during your Connecting Experience? Contact your BDP advisor! We are here to help you work through any issues. Don’t wait until the end of your experience to let us know about your concerns. Call, email, or make an appointment.
BDP Poster Session
We encourage all BDP students to present their Connecting Experience work at the annual BDP Poster Session (PDF) in the spring semester.
- UT’s Office of Undergraduate Research works with the BDP office to provide workshops and consultation on how to make a scholarly poster to present your research or internship.
- Creative Projects can be presented as digital demos at the poster session.
- Posters highlight both internship and research experiences.
Connecting Experience Requirements
Make sure to fulfill the following BDP requirements in order to complete the experience and receive credit toward your certificate.
Online Check-ins
These online check-in surveys give you the opportunity to communicate with advisors about how your experience is going and to troubleshoot any problems you may be having.
BDP will notify you via email about the initial and mid-semester check-ins and you will have about a week to complete the surveys.
Reflection Workshop
Through the reflection workshop, you will learn about the required reflection essay, how to build on your experience, and how to share your project and interdisciplinary skills with others.
Reflection Essay
All students completing a Connecting Experience MUST write a reflection essay.
Use this prompt (PDF) and review examples (PDF) of successful essays before writing your reflection essay. The essay is due on the last class day of the semester (check the calendar for exact dates) and should be turned in through MyBDP.
Meet grading requirements and earn credit
In order to earn credit for your Connecting Experience, you must earn at least a C-. This means that you have met the grading requirements and communication expectations agreed upon by you and your faculty mentor.
- For BDP 320K, 320L, and 325K, faculty mentors will receive email notification about how and when to submit grades.
- If you earn an incomplete for the semester you should contact your BDP advisor and faculty mentor to establish a plan for finishing the experience and earning your grade.