Capstone Project for Social Ethics A Manual for Students and Teachers Dr. Dominic P. Scibilia

Table of Contents Introduction Part IStudents will be able to … (Outcomes) Part IIYou are doing … Part IIIA 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 … Outcomes Students will be able to Devise a proposal for multidisciplinary capstone project;Devise a proposal for multidisciplinary capstone project; Propose a social ethical question on a critical social or global issue;Propose a social ethical question on a critical social or global issue; Identify and evaluate reliable, professional resources on the topic and questionIdentify and evaluate reliable, professional resources on the topic and question Formulate a social ethics perspective on/response to the question and topicFormulate a social ethics perspective on/response to the question and topic Select a medium or more that he will use to communicate his social ethical assessment of the question, and create the particular media expression of his capstone project;Select a medium or more that he will use to communicate his social ethical assessment of the question, and create the particular media expression of his capstone project; Practice the organizational, management, adaptive, correlative and analytical skills necessary for the preparation of a capstone project.Practice the organizational, management, adaptive, correlative and analytical skills necessary for the preparation of a capstone project.

Exam Outcomes* Students will be able to  Schedule and present the capstone project before a community of peers;  Score and assess his own and peers’ capstone projects according to the project rubrics. * Capstone Presentations may serve as a non-traditional 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! Create a course treeCreate a course tree Topic of Interest Provoked your imagination Fired your social vision Charged your intellectual passions Piqued your Interest 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? TransMedia?

After Selecting the Medium – Begin Development Sample of a Storyboard Note the FocusSupportive Material

Part III A Metacognitive Essay (Reflecting on Learning) So, what is your takeaway from the capstone project? Compose an essay using the following questions as a guideline. 1. What did your peers and teachers say they took away from your project? 2. Did they takeaway what you hoped they would? 3. Commendations: a. What were your skill and knowledge strengths in planning the project? b. What were your skill and knowledge strengths in actually putting the project together? c. What were your skill and knowledge strengths in presenting the project?So, what is your takeaway from the capstone project? Compose an essay using the following questions as a guideline. 1. What did your peers and teachers say they took away from your project? 2. Did they takeaway what you hoped they would? 3. Commendations: a. What were your skill and knowledge strengths in planning the project? b. What were your skill and knowledge strengths in actually putting the project together? c. What were your skill and knowledge strengths in presenting the project?

A Metacognitive Essay (Reflecting on Learning) 4. Recommendations: a. What recommendations for improvement would you make to yourself regarding planning? b. What recommendations for improvement would you make to yourself regarding putting together the project? c. What recommendations for improvement would you make to yourself regarding presentation? 5. How did your question, problem, perspective, philosophy, idea or call for action change as you work on the project? 6. What are you taking away from your capstone project?4. Recommendations: a. What recommendations for improvement would you make to yourself regarding planning? b. What recommendations for improvement would you make to yourself regarding putting together the project? c. What recommendations for improvement would you make to yourself regarding presentation? 5. How did your question, problem, perspective, philosophy, idea or call for action change as you work on the project? 6. What are you taking away from your capstone project?

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