Dr Kenny Course Content

Course Information

EME 6938 Capstone Seminar CRNs: 10109 & 10110  Spring 2011 for Curriculum & Instruction/ Educational Technology

Meeting Times/Location: This is an online course with virtual meetings via Adobe Connect as per Course Calendar

Instructor: Dr. Robert Kenny

Office Location: Academic Building 3, Room 292.

Office Hours: Wednesday 2:00 – 4:00PM or By appointment

Contact Information: Email: rkenny@fgcu.edu; Phone: 230-590-1147 (Office)

Outcomes and Expectations

Course Description: Candidates will design a scholarly project under the direction of the faculty advisor that integrates the principles, theories, and concepts of the core courses of the program. Students may register for up to 2 additional hours in subsequent semesters to complete their project, with permission of the Capstone instructor or Program Leader.

Required Text:

American Psychological Association (2009) APA Style Manual (6^th Ed) .  ISBN:781433805615

Optional Materials:

• Hubbard, R. S., & Power, B. M. (2003). The art of classroom inquiry. Portsmouth, NH :  Heineman
• Murray, Thomas, R. (2005) Teachers doing research. Boston, MA: Pearson.
• McNiff, J., Lomax, P., & Whitehead, J. (1996). You and your action research project.  London: Hyde Publications.
• Stake, R. E. (1995).  The art of case study research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
• Stringer, Ernie.  (2004). Action research in education.   Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Expectations:

College Competencies Candidates:	Program Learning Outcomes Candidates:
Develop professional goals and plans for continuous improvement and make informed decisions to improve practice based on current knowledge and reflection. (Life-long Learning)	Demonstrate ability to conduct original research in the field of Educational Technology  OR  Develop a curriculum that integrates technology as a tool for teaching and learning Provide leadership in applying information technology to various of educational systems and settings
Demonstrate understanding of current theory, methods, and trends and apply them to their work. (Knowledge)	Apply knowledge of how individuals learn Demonstrate interdisciplinary competence in theory, curriculum development & the application of research
Are aware of democratic values and make equitable decisions for all individuals within a climate of openness, inclusion, and equity. (Social Justice and Ethic of Care)	Demonstrate approaches that are equitable and adaptable to the needs of diverse individuals
Know and use appropriate technology tools effectively to support success. (Technology)	Demonstrate knowledge and application of Educational Technology pedagogy Demonstrate effective verbal, nonverbal, and media communication techniques

Format of Final Capstone Portfolio Notebook

Students can do any types of educational research project, including action research project, for this course with the consent of the course Instructor. The educational research project in this course includes  those that assess the effectiveness of a specific technology application or strategy in classroom and school environments or  in the training environments of the corporate, non-profit, military and governments.

The following is the required format of the final deliverable of this course:

See Requirements & Specifications Page for Point allocation for each milestone submission

Course Milestone Time Line: See Course Calendar

The tasks in this course can be very time consuming and please plan your time carefully and work on your project continually.  You cannot wait for instructor feedback before moving to the next section of your paper. All the learning tasks are due at 11:59PM on the date specified unless stated otherwise listed.

Due dates are subject to change in response to course pacing needs identified by the instructor.

Required Assignments: Submission of Project Elements as defined by Instructor (See Requirements & Specifications Page for Point allocation for each milestone submission).

Grading Criteria: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory, based on Submission of Milestones for interim assignments and Scoring Rubric for Final Submission.

Capstone Evaluation Rubric

Candidates must attain a rating of Target or Acceptable in all areas and submit all milestones on time to earn a “Satisfactory Grade” for the Capstone Course.

Capstone Criteria	Target	Acceptable	Unacceptable
Project Design: Demonstrate ability to conduct original research in the field of Educational Technology OR Develop curriculum that integrates technology as a tool for teaching and learning	Provided a clearly stated need and rationale; identified appropriate goals, objectives, and/or questions; designed methods that fully met the purpose and  gals of the project	Fundamentally sound but may lack clarity or contain minor flaws in project design.	Missing required elements or project design does no appropriately address the purpose.
Literature Support Apply knowledge of how individuals learn Demonstrate interdisciplinary competence in theory, curriculum development & the application of research	Provided a comprehensive review of appropriate literature related to the problem and included appropriate references to Educational Technology research and best practices related to the problem.	Included the required elements with appropriate support from current literature	Did not include required elements or does not include appropriate support from current literature
Equity Apply principles of equity and fairness in relation to the educational issue	Project design and literature support demonstrated concern for equity and fairness.	Project design and literature support provide superficial or minimal attention to equity and fairness.	Issues of equity or fairness were not addressed.
Results and Conclusions Provide leadership in applying information technology to various educational systems and settings	Conclusions are based on results and the relevant literature in the field. Ethical standards are upheld.	Conclusions are based on results, but may not be fully supported by literature.  Ethics are not in question	Conclusions are not supported or appear to be biased.
Professional Communication Demonstrate effective verbal, nonverbal, and media communication techniques	Project report is scholarly, uses professional conventions, is well organized, well edited, and utilizes appropriate APA format	Overall a scholarly and professionally written document.  May contain minor editing and formatting errors.	Use of informal writing style, lack of organization, or readability problems resulting from poor mechanics.
Technology Elements Demonstrate knowledge and application of Educational Technology pedagogy	All requirements for the specific type of project selected were met with thoroughness and reflect knowledge of Educational Technology principles and appropriate application of pedagogy.	All specific project elements were included but may lack depth or contain minor flaws. Use of Educational Technology is  appropriate but may have minor application flaws	Specific project requirements were not met or not addressed appropriately. Or  serious technology problems are evident

Attendance Policy: This class is virtual, however candidates are expected to follow the schedule set forth for submitting work.

College of Education Live Text Syllabus  Statement

The College of Education has adopted the use of Live Text software to provide for the improvement of student performance and program quality.  As a degree-seeking student you are responsible for purchasing a membership to Live Text during your first course in the FGCU’s College of Education.  If you do not have a membership to Live Text, you will need to purchase it immediately.  This is a one-time only purchase.

All students enrolled in this class will be required to submit critical tasks (assignments that are linked to standards, relevant to the field you have chosen).   Your work will receive scores in Live Text that will be used to help monitor your demonstration of the standards, receive feedback from faculty on your progression toward meeting them, and certify that you have demonstrated all the required standards and competencies needed.  Your documented success on these tasks can contribute to a portfolio that showcases your learning for current and future employers.

Academic Behavior Standards and Academic Dishonesty

All students are expected to demonstrate honesty in their academic pursuits. The university policies regarding issues of honesty can be found in the FGCU Student Guidebook under the Student Code of Conduct and Policies and Procedures sections. All students are expected to study this document which outlines their responsibilities and consequences for violations of the policy. The FGCU Student Guidebook is available online at http://studentservices.fgcu.edu/judicialaffairs/new.html

Disability Accommodations Services

Florida Gulf Coast University, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the university’s guiding principles, will provide classroom and academic accommodations to students with documented disabilities. If you need to request an accommodation in this class due to a disability, or you suspect that your academic performance is affected by a disability, please contact the Office of Adaptive Services. The Office of Adaptive Services is located in Howard Hall 137. The phone number is 239‐590‐7956 or TTY 239‐590‐7930

Student Observance of Religious Holidays

All students at Florida Gulf Coast University have a right to expect that the University will reasonably accommodate their religious observances, practices, and beliefs. Students, upon prior notification to their instructors, shall be excused from class or other scheduled academic activity to observe a religious holy day of their faith. Students shall be permitted a reasonable amount of time to make up the material or activities covered in their absence. Students shall not be penalized due to absence from class or other scheduled academic activity because of religious observances. Where practicable, major examinations, major assignments, and University ceremonies will not be scheduled on a major religious holy day. A student who is to be excused from class for a religious observance is not required to provide a second party certification of the reason for the absence.

Distance‐Learning Competencies

Information on distance learning courses is available online at http://itech.fgcu.edu/distance/

Information on online tutorials to assist students is available online at http://www.fgcu.edu/support/ Approved 3‐27‐09 by Faculty Senate; Approved 4‐30‐09 by Provost and Vice President

This is an online class but arrangements have been made for us to meet once each learning cycle (usually at around the midpoint) for us to discuss trends, topics, and answer questions about assignments. Check the Course Calendar for meeting dates.

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The link to the Adobe Connect Meeting Room is:

http://fgcu.na5.acrobat.com/capstone_spr11/

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Once you get there, you need to click on the tab at the top left side called ‘Meeting’, and then ‘Manage My Settings’, then ‘Audio Set Up Wizard’.

Follow the instructions. Best results will be attained if you have a headset with microphone. Inexpensive (less than $20) USB-enabled sets can be purchased at Best Buy or Radio Shack. You can use your internal mics and speakers but often using these will be accompanied by feedback and squeals, etc.

Meetings are set for 7Pm and should run a little over an hour. I will be online around 15 minutes prior to each session to welcome you and be sure your computers are set up properly. There is a text-based chat widget in case your voice activation does not work.

Here is a link to the Capstone requirements page for C&I. While this is specifically for C&I students, Ed Tech folks can use this as a guideline. The following is a more detailed specific list of requirements for this course. Except for where your adviser has outlined (in writing) a specific pathway, the following requirements should rule the development of your final project:

Grading

Total points awarded for this semester = 1000 are made up in this way:

• Milestones – 500

• Initial Concept Document – 100

• Full Proposal – 100

• Final Document – 300

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Milestones – 500 Points (approximately 1/2 of total course credit)

Note that we will break each of these down into individual milestones (each worth 100 points) with individual due dates as outlined in the Course Calendar. Failure to do so will result in failing the course. These points MAY NOT BE MADE UP.

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Initial Concept Document  – 100 Points 

Your initial brain-storming document is due very early during the term. It is usually in outline form that specifies in a short couple of statements what problem you are attempting to solve, an instructional goal for the technology product you are creating, the question your research is attempting to answer, or in the case of a cognitive coaching, the assigned curricular issue you are overcoming. Note that each of these is in the singular. If you know anything about theses and dissertations, they generally have more than one research question that is framed in terms of expected outcomes (sometimes specified as a null hypothesis). For this capstone you may have more than one but probably never more than two or three things you are trying to accomplish. Just know that the more you have the less likely it will be that you will be able to complete your project on time.

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Full Proposal/Prospectus – 100 Points

This is, in essence, a longer, more formal version of the Concept Document. It spells out the specific agreed-to research question/problem statement, and a couple of paragraphs as to your plan of attack.. how and when you are going to accomplish the task, who the audience/participants are (in specific terms that do not reveal actual names or location (a large middle school in SW Florida etc). It is in effect a justification of your effort. This becomes chapter one of your final Capstone Book (yes, there is a formal book that will be turned in… see below). In general, we will follow the requirements outlined for C&I students:A well-crafted prospectus will describe the project purpose, methodology, and evaluation plan.

Therefore, the paper will include the following elements:

• Type of Project: Clearly state the type of project to be completed within the introduction: Action Research, Curriculum Development, or Program Evaluation.
• Topic: Define the specific focus of the project (is: a specific instructional strategy, methodology, or curricular program)
• Need/Rationale: Provide a clear reason for undertaking the project. This may include reference to such things as student test scores, district goals, or national trends. Data and references should be used to support the need.
• Purpose: Clearly explain what will be gained from completing this project and include Research Questions, Evaluation Questions, or Curriculum Development Goals.
• Literature Review Elements: List topics that will be researched in the professional literature to support your plan and provide a brief statement that explains why each element is important to include. Please note that you must include content related to learning theory, curriculum theory, and instruction practices related to your topic, as any Curriculum or Instructional project should have clear support from the current literature in these areas.
• Methodology: Describe the steps and procedures for conducting and completing the actual project. Provide as much detail as possible in order to paint a clear picture of the plan.
• Evaluation Plan – For a Research or Program Evaluation, describe the data to be collected and the data analysis methods that will be used. For a Curriculum Development project, describe the plan that would be used for evaluating the new curriculum during and after full implementation.

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Final Capstone Document/Book – 300 Points

While the prospectus/proposal is written in the future tense, in the final book (except for the last chapter) you should use the past tense (you are explaining what you did, are you not?).

We are requiring a formal book in order to give you a short experience of what it is like to prepare a thesis/dissertation (in case you get the ‘bug’ to earn an Ed.D.). This document runs between 40 and 65 pages in length. (Less than that means you overlooked something.. more than than means you did not write a tight study).

This document is made up of the following five ‘chapters’ (that closely resemble those found in a thesis/dissertation):

1. Cover Page  – to include:
   • Project Title
   • Name and Professional Title
   • Date (month/year)
   • The following statement: In Partial fulfillment of requirements for Masters Degree in [either C&I or Educational Technology] at Florida Gulf Coast University
2. Executive Summary (one to two pages, double spaced)
3. Chapter 1 – This chapter includes most of your Full proposal, as approved by your instructor. While the proposal explains why you intended to take this one, this chapter explains why you did it. Those elements (such as methodology, for example) will be parsed out and placed in their appropriate section/chapter.
4. Chapter 2 – This chapter includes what is known as a ‘lit review’. While it is not as extensive for the Capstone as it would be for a dissertation or thesis, it is, in essence, the theoretical justification for the solution/treatment you utilized. This generally ties to the lit review elements in your proposal.
5. Chapter 3 – This is where you detail out your methodology, specifics about the participants how your organized your assessment/review process. For a cognitive coaching assignment you should record a journal of activities and set up a way of determining its implementation, any anticipated results you can find and some type of pre- and post- assessment methodology. For a technology product, some beta testing should be done to test its effectiveness, user interface design, and ease of use, as well as instructional effectiveness.
6. Chapter 4 – This is where you spell out your results in detail form and record any commentary from participants to add to any statistical calculations you may have captured.
7. Chapter 5 – This may be the most important chapter in the whole project!. This is where you interpret the results and make conclusions as to the effectiveness/shortcomings with the study, ideas for the future and explain what the impact of your project has had on your specified participant population. This is the ‘pay off’ so to speak.. was the time/ effort worth it? did your get the results you expected? why? why not? Kind of a reflection if it were ..If you had a ‘magic wand’ or a do over what would you do differently? What did you learn from the experience?
8. References – In APA (6th ed) Format
9. Appendix

• • Resume/vita
  • List of Tables and Graphs, etc.

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Final Presentation

At the end of the semester, you will be asked to make a short (10 minute ) presentation to the group on Adobe Connect of your project that outlines the contents of the book. Here is a link to a good description of how to build and carry out this task.