Syllabus for MLS-710

CAPSTONE PROJECT II


COURSE DESCRIPTION

Capstone Project II is the second of two courses needed to complete the Capstone Project for the MALS program.

The Capstone Project represents new work and ideas. Although the idea may come from an issue or report previously undertaken, the Project gives you the opportunity to apply and interpret the ideas, practices, and/or skills learned during the MALS program.

 

The Capstone Project may take one of three forms: a research project, a creative project, or

an applied project. The topic for the project should emerge from your individualized program of study and should bring together issues that you have been grappling with during your program. There is a direct connection between the Capstone Project and the Learner-Designed Area of Study (LDAS), the 12 elective credits. The LDAS electives give you the opportunity to focus on an area of interest and to formulate the Capstone Project based on this interest.

The Capstone Project comprises two parts: Capstone Project Report and the Capstone Project Presentation. Both will be completed within this course and are part of the Capstone Project grade.

COURSE TOPICS

COURSE OBJECTIVES

After completing this course, you should be able to:

  1. Determine an issue, problem, or information gap in your field of inquiry.
  2. Demonstrate proficiency as an independent learner and critical thinker.
  3. Apply research and analysis techniques to the explanation and resolution of an information gap, issue, or problem, by producing a project in your respective field.
  4. Design a project based on theory and knowledge from courses in your field of study.
  5. Synthesize the parts of research to produce a comprehensive, valid result in a concrete format.
  6. Reach conclusions through use of external resources that reflect knowledge.
  7. Apply all elements of scholarly activity to a written document, utilizing Standard Academic English and APA or MLA format.
  8. Present an ethically responsible project in an academic, professional format, as a bridge to your future work/employment.
  9. Demonstrate a comprehension of globally diverse perspectives.

COURSE STRUCTURE

CAPSTONE PROJECT II is a three-credit online course, consisting of five modules. Modules include overview and activities. Module titles are listed below.

Course objectives covered in this module include: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 , 9.

Course objectives covered in this module include: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 , 9.

Course objectives covered in this module include: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 , 9.

Course objectives covered in this module include: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 , 9.

Course objectives covered in this module include: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 , 9.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in online discussion forums and complete the Capstone Project.  See below for more details.

Consult the Course Calendar for assignment due dates.

Discussion Forums

You are required to participate in four graded class discussion forums. Discussion forums are on a variety of topics associated with the courses modules.

Located within the Evaluation Rubrics folder on the course Web site is the online discussion forum rubric used to aid in the grading of all online discussion assignments.

My Capstone Advisor

You are required to work with your selected capstone advisor within a section of the course Web site called My Capstone Advisor. Within this section is a My Capstone Advisor Forum where you and your advisor will collaborate on building your Capstone Project. In all, you will be participate in four activities associated with the different parts that will make up your finished Capstone Project.  

Note:  Your advisor may have more than one student he/she is advising during this course.

Capstone Project

The Capstone Project comprises of two components that make up your Capstone Project grade.  These are the Capstone Project Report and the Capstone Project Presentation.

Capstone Project Report

Each Capstone Project Report must conform to the style requirements of the “Publications Manual” of the American Psychological Association (APA), which can be found in most libraries and at its Web site: www.apastyle.org. The manual includes such matters as: formats for citations and bibliographies; page layouts and pagination; the use of specialized terms, etc. One format will not work for all Projects, but the following will work for most:

For more details, see Module 1.

Located within the Evaluation Rubrics folder is the Capstone Project Rubric used to aid in the grading of your Capstone Project Report.

Capstone Project Presentation

The oral presentation is a conversation about what you did, why, and how it relates to the MALS core curriculum. It is presented via teleconference. The oral presentation should be about 20 minutes, and the overall discussion is expected to last about an hour. Consult with your Capstone advisor regarding scheduling and, based on the nature of the project, how it will be presented. You may include anyone else who has been involved in the Project, but only the Capstone advisor, second reader, the Dean or Assistant Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences can act as the official evaluation committee.

For more details, see Module 5.

Located within the Evaluation Rubrics folder is the Capstone Presentation Rubric used to aid in the grading of your Capstone Presentation.

GRADING AND EVALUATION

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

All activities will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:

A

=

93–100

B

=

83–87

A–

=

90–92

C

=

73–82

B+

=

88–89

F

=

Below 73

To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of C or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., assignments, discussion postings, projects, etc.). Graduate students must maintain a B average overall to remain in good academic standing.

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

First Steps to Success

To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:

Study Tips

Consider the following study tips for success:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Thomas Edison State University is committed to maintaining academic quality, excellence, and honesty. The University expects all members of its community to share the commitment to academic integrity, an essential component of a quality academic experience.

Students at Thomas Edison State University are expected to exhibit the highest level of academic citizenship. In particular, students are expected to read and follow all policies, procedures, and program information guidelines contained in publications; pursue their learning goals with honesty and integrity; demonstrate that they are progressing satisfactorily and in a timely fashion by meeting course deadlines and following outlined procedures; observe a code of mutual respect in dealing with mentors, staff, and other students; behave in a manner consistent with the standards and codes of the profession in which they are practicing; keep official records updated regarding changes in name, address, telephone number, or e-mail address; and meet financial obligations in a timely manner. Students not practicing good academic citizenship may be subject to disciplinary action including suspension, dismissal, or financial holds on records.

All members of the University community are responsible for reviewing the Academic Code of Conduct Policy in the University Catalog and online at www.tesu.edu.

Academic Dishonesty

Thomas Edison State University expects all of its students to approach their education with academic integrity—the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and deception. All mentors and administrative staff members at the University insist on strict standards of academic honesty in all courses. Academic dishonesty undermines this objective. Academic dishonesty can take the following forms:

Plagiarism

Thomas Edison State University is committed to helping students understand the seriousness of plagiarism, which is defined as using the work and ideas of others without proper citation. The University takes a strong stance against plagiarism, and students found to be plagiarizing are subject to discipline under the academic code of conduct policy.

If you copy phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or whole documents word-for-word—or if you paraphrase by changing a word here and there—without identifying the author, or without identifying it as a direct quote, then you are plagiarizing. Please keep in mind that this type of identification applies to Internet sources as well as to print-based sources. Copying and pasting from the Internet, without using quotation marks and without acknowledging sources, constitutes plagiarism. (For information about how to cite Internet sources, see Online Student Handbook > Academic Standards > “Citing Sources.”)

Accidentally copying the words and ideas of another writer does not excuse the charge of plagiarism. It is easy to jot down notes and ideas from many sources and then write your own paper without knowing which words are your own and which are someone else’s. It is more difficult to keep track of each and every source. However, the conscientious writer who wishes to avoid plagiarizing never fails to keep careful track of sources.

Always be aware that if you write without acknowledging the sources of your ideas, you run the risk of being charged with plagiarism.

Clearly, plagiarism, no matter the degree of intent to deceive, defeats the purpose of education. If you plagiarize deliberately, you are not educating yourself, and you are wasting your time on courses meant to improve your skills. If you plagiarize through carelessness, you are deceiving yourself.

For examples of unintentional plagiarism, advice on when to quote and when to paraphrase, and information about writing assistance and originality report checking, click the links provided below.

Examples of Unintentional Plagiarism

When to Quote and When to Paraphrase

Writing Assistance at Smarthinking

Originality Report Checking at Turnitin

Disciplinary Process for Plagiarism

Acts of both intentional and unintentional plagiarism violate the Academic Code of Conduct.

If an incident of plagiarism is an isolated minor oversight or an obvious result of ignorance of proper citation requirements, the mentor may handle the matter as a learning exercise. Appropriate consequences may include the completion of tutorials, assignment rewrites, or any other reasonable learning tool in addition to a lower grade for the assignment or course. The mentor will notify the student and appropriate dean of the consequence by e-mail.

If the plagiarism appears intentional and/or is more than an isolated incident, the mentor will refer the matter to the appropriate dean, who will gather information about the violation(s) from the mentor and student, as necessary. The dean will review the matter and notify the student in writing of the specifics of the charge and the sanction to be imposed.

Possible sanctions include:

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