THE MSA CAPSTONE Everything You Wanted to Know- But Were Afraid to Ask

MSA 699 R EMOVAL OF I NCOMPLETE F ORM Be sure to complete the “Statement of Requirements for Removal of MSA 699 Incomplete” form for every student receiving an “I” grade. The form reinforces the need for an approved proposal, research approval, and the 6 month deadline. the form to and a copy to the The form is posted in the student’s file which allows staff members to answer student questions and reinforce the project deadline. The form is available online at

MSA 699 I NCOMPLETE P OLICY MSA 699 students are expected to complete the capstone project within the semester course dates. An incomplete may be available if the student has an approved research proposal and RRA approval. An extension of two months or 6 months from the start of the course may be given to eligible students. Monitors have discretion in assigning the “I” if circumstances warrant. Students who are not eligible for the “I” receive a failing grade. “I” grades which are permanent at the 6 month mark may be converted to “E” grades if this is articulated in the syllabus.

T HE F INAL MSA 699 G RADE Usually, the grade assigned by the monitor is the student’s final grade unless there is a conflict with the reviewer’s grade. A grade discrepancy is defined as either a two grade difference (an “A” and a “C”) or where one of the evaluators assigns a grade of “E”. Projects with a grade discrepancy are sent to main campus for a review and the final grade is assigned by the main campus reviewer. The student will be able to see the rubrics in Bb and be sent the third reviewer’s rubric and a copy of the reviewed project. If both the monitor and reviewer assign failing grades, no additional review will be undertaken.

WELCOME TO MSA699 TECHNICAL SUPPORT: For more information, go to the tutorial at t.aspx t.aspx Problems with Collaborate set up or your technology? Call the CMU IT Help Desk extension 3662 or CMU IT Help Desk WHAT I DO THE FIRST DAY OF CLASS…. By Bob Weltzer, PhD

INTRODUCTION - OVERVIEW Capstone brings together all course learnings. Demonstrate critical thinking and application. Complete primary analysis of primary and/or secondary data Descriptive or inferential statistics Can be financial analysis.

INTRODUCTION cont’d KISS method [e.g., focused data collection, not multiple venues unless absolutely necessary]. Formulate in Ch1 specific, testable research questions [not objectives] and then answer them in Ch4 from the data. This is the first of two ALL-students chats for this course. Both will be archived. A separate one-on-one chat session will be scheduled.

INTRODUCTION cont’d RRA process provides institutional approval. Must include RRA form. When not using publicly available secondary data, will include organizational permission letter, data collection form [e.g., survey, with separate CMU consent letter]. See Part 2 of Student Guide. ALL must do. You must receive approval message from Main Campus before collecting primary data. dministration/GSTheDepartment/Pages/Research_Review. aspx

INTRODUCTION cont’d Pay attention to course schedule to assure timely grading for final grade submission. Target 14 days before course ends. Needs to be related to your area of concentration. Note that there are 2 Parts to this course. In Part 1 we work together to reach agreement on what you are doing. In Part 2, you implement the agreement and finalize your research effort. Incomplete grade is possible for an extension until 60 days from start of course if 50% of course requirements are met. No extension beyond that.

WRITING CONSIDERATIONS Write at the graduate level Follow Student Guide for the MSA699 Capstone Project for content, format, etc. This is a no- brainer!!!! Strive for APA compliance, especially in-text reference citing. Use reference citing software in Word. Support ALL factual statements in ALL chapters with an in-text APA compliant reference.

WRITING CONSIDERATIONS cont’d Report title MUST identify one of seven research typologies from Student Guide. E.G., “A Program Evaluation of….”. This communicates your direction to yourself and your first and second readers, establishes an expectation for content, and increases likelihood of success [a.k.a., higher grade]. Chapters’ content MUST consolidate sections from chosen typology and 5 standard academic chapters. See the matrix and typology outlines in course materials.

CHAPTER INSIGHTS Discussion of ….

HICCUPS Inability to get written organizational permission to access data/resources. Failure to follow specifications of Student Guide, including identifying one of 7 research typologies in report title and follow the associated research typology. Lack of advanced detailed planning for completing primary analysis of primary or secondary data. Failure to link research to area of concentration. Failure to recognize that student is ultimately responsible for meeting the course requirements and completion in a timely manner.

Student Progress and Incompletes

MSA 699 I NCOMPLETE P OLICY Be sure the student understands the following: An incomplete may be available if the student has an approved research proposal and RRA approval. Monitors have discretion in assigning the “I” if circumstances warrant. Students who are not eligible for the “I” receive a failing grade. “I” grades which are permanent at the 6 month mark may be converted to “E” grades if this is articulated in the syllabus.

Work in Progress Steps Treat student progress as you would a vacation trip. ---Follow the roadmap: e.g. watch the mile-markers. ---Week 1: ABC should be completed ---Week 2: DEF should be completed ---Week 3: GHI should be completed Require feedback from students on a weekly basis. Put the requirement directly into the syllabus

Student Progress, concluded Inability to get written organizational permission to access data/resources. ---Do you have a back-up plan in case permission is denied? ---Do you have a roadmap to get you from the beginning to the end of the 699 project? ---Lack of advanced detailed planning for completing primary analysis of primary or secondary data. Remember for everyone: Student is ultimately responsible for meeting the course requirements and completion in a timely manner.

Incompletes Incompletes are not automatic ---Too many students think from the start they will shoot for an incomplete, and then get the rest of the project done 60 to 180 days later. ---Such thinking can have disastrous results. Incompletes are at the discretion of the instructor ---What should you do if student has given you nothing for the entire semester? ---Consider a grade of E. Getting the entire project done in 60 days or 180 days will be very difficult

Incompletes and grade submission Final grade submission ---Allow yourself enough time to grade the final project. ---If Registrar’s Office says need grade by the 15 th of the month, tell students you need the final submission by the 1 st of the month. ---If not students look at the 15 th of the month deadline and think they are safe, giving you the project at midnight on the 14 th.

Electronic Submissions It’s easier than you think! Create assignments/assessments (free read, RRA approval, final project) in the Blackboard shell. Students submit each draft through the appropriate link. You can be notified when the assignment has been submitted. Make comments/grade each assignment. Attach grading rubric to the assignment.

FINAL PROJECT (Assignment) Two (identical) MSA 699 rubrics attached to the BB shell that allow for “blind reviews” by the second reader/reviewer. Students will upload two copies of the final project (one for each reviewer).

The Second Reader (Reviewer) Notify second reader (reviewer) when student has completed the final submission of the Capstone (will be visible in Grading Center, but good communication is key) The second reviewer completes his/her rubric. Admin staff will check at the end of the semester and notify Financial Services for reviewer payment). Grades submitted at appropriate time- by Monitor. Notify Colleen Zeh when “I” grades are removed for all sections (zeh1cm). Rubrics handled totally within Bb. Nothing is ed or printed.

E-Submission Pros No hard copies to worry about! Shows exactly when student submitted the assignment- and when your comments were made. Tracks the work submitted by each student. You can always refer to the any assignment in question.

Conclusion Questions?? Good Luck with your MSA 699 course