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:
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Milestones – 500
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Initial Concept Document – 100
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Full Proposal – 100
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Final Document – 300
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.
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.
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.
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):
- 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
- Executive Summary (one to two pages, double spaced)
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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?
- References – In APA (6th ed) Format
- Appendix
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- Resume/vita
- List of Tables and Graphs, etc.
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.