Capstone Project for Social Ethics

A Manual for Students and Teachers

Dr. Dominic P. Scibilia

Table of Contents

IntroductionPart I Students will be

able to … (Outcomes)

Part II You are doing …Part III A Metacognitive

Essay

Introduction:Its All About You

How much of a student’s school year is devoted to following instructions for assignments determined by someone other than the student? Even when teachers offer choices, it is usually within established parameters, for example, a list of essay questions on an exam on topics covered during classes, a selection of one of a canon of novels. Did you ever consider how often students are given the opportunity to pursue answers to their questions, solve problems that they see, unpack perspectives that they hold, immerse themselves in literature, fine art, music, or a performance that intrigues them?

If there is an essential characteristic of a capstone project, it is about the student – his interest, her passion.

Capstone projects have several crucial characteristics: students may demonstrate creativity, innovate, adapt, analyze or solve.

Real life: How many times have teachers or parents listen to students’ complaints that learning is disconnected from real life. Capstone projects provide opportunities for learning and real life to connect. Most important of all, it is the student who is making the connections.

You take ownership of the project!

Capstone projects, then, are genuinely all about you, the student. It raises your questions, shows your research, expresses your perspectives, and you give your learning community something to takeaway. Perhaps that takeaway will open for them a connection between learning and life.

Part I A Capstone is Part I A Capstone is ……

OutcomesOutcomes

Students will be able toStudents will be able to

•Devise a proposal for Devise a proposal for multidisciplinary capstone project;multidisciplinary capstone project;•Propose a social ethical question on a Propose a social ethical question on a critical social or global issue;critical social or global issue;•Identify and evaluate reliable, Identify and evaluate reliable, professional resources on the topic professional resources on the topic and questionand question•Formulate a social ethics perspective Formulate a social ethics perspective on/response to the question and topicon/response to the question and topic•Select a medium or more that he will Select a medium or more that he will use to communicate his social ethical use to communicate his social ethical assessment of the question, and assessment of the question, and create the particular media expression create the particular media expression of his capstone project;of his capstone project;•Practice the organizational, Practice the organizational, management, adaptive, correlative management, adaptive, correlative and analytical skills necessary for the and analytical skills necessary for the preparation of a capstone project. preparation of a capstone project.

Exam Outcomes*Exam Outcomes*Students will be able toStudents will be able to

Schedule and present the Schedule and present the capstone project before a capstone project before a community of peers;community of peers;

Score and assess his own and Score and assess his own and peers’ capstone projects peers’ capstone projects according to the project rubrics.according to the project rubrics.

* Capstone Presentations may * Capstone Presentations may serve as a non-traditional serve as a non-traditional assessment.assessment.

Part II You are doing…To

…

Topic Selection Statement of the Question Status of the Question (Notes and

Bibliography) Writing the Proposal Storyboarding, Choreography,

Composition* Peer and Teacher Evaluations of

Storyboards etc. Work on Presentation Capstone Presentations Final Metacognitive Essay on the

Capstone Project and Course Evaluations

* Sample of a storyboard on the next page.

A Capstone Calendar

It is your Choice!It is your Choice!

• Create a course treeCreate a course tree

Select a tree structure from the SmartArt link that covers the number of topics, issues, problems, or questions that interest you.

Of all the topics, which one captures your imagination?

Sharpen the Focus

What interests you in this topic?

What are the social ethics aspects of the topic?

What presents the greatest challenges researching and developing the topic?

Research

Make a list of key terms related to the topic; you will use those terms for your initial online searches in Google, social ethics databases, and other engines.

Create a bibliography (APA Format) of the sources that you find from your searches.

Consult with your instructor concerning the reliability of those sources.

Select 8-10 reliable sources for the final research bibliography for the project.

Medium? Media? Medium? Media? TransMedia?TransMedia?

After Selecting the Medium – Begin DevelopmentSample of a Storyboard

Note the Focus Supportive Material

Part III A Metacognitive Essay (Reflecting Part III A Metacognitive Essay (Reflecting on Learning)on Learning)

• So, what is your takeaway from the So, what is your takeaway from the capstone project? Compose an essay capstone project? Compose an essay using the following questions as a using the following questions as a guideline.guideline.

1. What did your peers and teachers 1. What did your peers and teachers say they took away from your say they took away from your project?project?2. Did they takeaway what you 2. Did they takeaway what you hoped they would?hoped they would?3. Commendations:3. Commendations:

a. What were your skill and a. What were your skill and knowledge strengths in knowledge strengths in

planning planning the project?the project?b. What were your skill and b. What were your skill and

knowledge strengths in actually knowledge strengths in actually putting the project together?putting the project together?

c. What were your skill and c. What were your skill and knowledge strengths in presenting knowledge strengths in presenting the project?the project?

A Metacognitive Essay A Metacognitive Essay (Reflecting on Learning)(Reflecting on Learning)

• 4. Recommendations:4. Recommendations:a. What recommendations for a. What recommendations for improvement would you make to improvement would you make to yourself regarding planning?yourself regarding planning?b. What recommendations for b. What recommendations for improvement would you make to improvement would you make to yourself regarding putting yourself regarding putting

together together the project?the project?c. What recommendations for c. What recommendations for improvement would you make to improvement would you make to yourself regarding presentation?yourself regarding presentation?

5. How did your question, problem, 5. How did your question, problem, perspective, philosophy, idea or call for perspective, philosophy, idea or call for action change as you work on the action change as you work on the project?project?6. What are you taking away from your 6. What are you taking away from your capstone project? capstone project?

Credits

ImagesCAXULOHU Dreamstime.com Choreography –A-My-

Siewert MusicMastersWork

6241Supershares Article-

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Livingston, James. (1971). Modern christian thought. New York: Macmillian Publishers.