Who Participates in IAP

Using the Online IAP Guide

Updates and Schedule Changes

Snow Days

Acknowledgements

Contact

Also see:

IAP 2010 Dates to Remember page

IAP OVERVIEW

The Independent Activities Period (IAP) is a special four week term at MIT that runs from the first week of January until the end of the month.

For close to four decades, IAP has provided members of the MIT community (students, faculty, staff, and alums) with a unique opportunity to organize, sponsor and participate in a wide variety of activities, including how-to sessions, forums, athletic endeavors, lecture series, films, tours, recitals and contests.

For students and faculty, IAP provides a welcome break from the academic routine of the fall and spring semesters. It offers opportunities for creativity and flexibility in teaching and learning. Students are encouraged to set their own educational agendas, pursue independent projects, meet with faculty, or pursue many other options not possible during the semester. Faculty are free to introduce innovative educational experiments as IAP activities.

For all members of the MIT Community, IAP offers the perfect opportunity to create offerings aimed at sharing a particular talent, expertise or interest with others at the Institute. Some individuals and departments offer seminars, lectures, and open houses as a way to showcase their year-round efforts in supporting the MIT Community.

Others use IAP to share interests and talents not necessarily related to their day-to-day MIT roles. Many faculty, staff, and students organize activities based on personal interests, such as art, music, film, cooking, and hobbies. As a result, IAP often gives us the chance to learn something new about our fellow students, colleagues, and friends.

IAP offerings are distinguished by their variety, innovative spirit, and fusion of fun and learning. Past IAP activities have ranged from credit activities such as human biochemistry lectures and community service workshops, to noncredit offerings such as Meditteranean cooking classes and improvisational comedy workshops.

With IAP, the possibilities are endless. We hope you’ll join us in 2010.

Who Participates in IAP

• Non-credit activities are only open to members of the MIT community:
  
  
  • faculty
• students
  
• staff
• MIT alumni
  
  
• Non-credit activities should be organized for the entire MIT community, not non-MIT groups or for the public at large. The number of participants in IAP activities may be limited, but the ability to participate may not be limited to members of a particular group.
  
  
• All members of the MIT community can join the non-credit activities listed in this online IAP Guide; activities are generally available in more than thirty-five different categories (for more information, see the IAP Categories page). Some activities require advance sign-up, but in many cases participants can simply show up at the stated time.

• IAP subjects (for credit) are available to all students registered in the fall or spring terms of the academic year.
  

back to top

Using the online IAP Guide

Here's how to find subjects and activities using the online IAP Guide:

• Subjects (taken for credit) are organized according to academic department number and then by subject number (e.g. Course 1, 1.01, 1.02). See the For-credit Subjects page.
  
  
• Activities (non-credit) are organized in three ways:
  • By category; see the Activities by Category page.
  • By sponsor; see the Activities by Sponsor page.
  • Via the calendars found on the IAP Home Page or the IAP Non-Credit Activities Calendar page.

   

All IAP Subjects and Activities are indexed with an IAP search engine. See the Search the IAP Guide page.

back to top

Updates and Schedule Changes

Updates will be made each evening to the online IAP Guide throughout IAP. You will be able to check on what's currently happening on campus, see any changes in activities' schedules, and find out about new activities.

Snow Days

If the Institute must close due to snow, activity organizers will decide whether to hold or cancel their activities. If they do cancel, they should try, to the extent possible, to notify participants (for instance, with a sign on the door or by e-mail) and may reschedule the classes as they wish. Organizers should notify the IAP staff of rescheduled meetings so that they may be posted on the web site.

Acknowledgements

• IAP Graphic Design: Wing Ngan, Ink Design
• Production: Melissa Martin-Greene
• IAP Posting System Software: Roberta Crumrine, IS&T
• IAP Posting System Programming: Roberta Crumrine and Stanley Zemon, IS&T
• Staff: William Connelly, DUE
• Staff: Donna Friedman, UAAP
  
  

Contact

If you have questions regarding IAP please contact us at iap-www@mit.edu or call (617) 253-1668.

The online IAP Guide is maintained by the Office of Dean for Undergraduate Education (DUE), located in Room 7-133.

back to top