Capstone Experience Options

Students have four basic options in choosing capstone credit experiences. They can

• Take the three-hour course EDFS 703 Curriculum, Policy, and Systems in Science and Mathematics Education.

• Take an extra course from either Category B1 (Fundamental Science and Mathematics Curriculum) or B2 (Integrated Science Courses), or an appropriate course not in the program, AND do a suitable project in addition to the required coursework. Typical projects are curriculum development, website construction, or research. Such capstone experiences require Steering Committee approval. The student should discuss the project concept with their advisor, get consent from the individual(s) who would supervise the project (usually the course instructor), and submit a written proposal to the program director, who will put the proposal on the agenda for a Steering Committee meeting. The student must make a presentation of the completed project at a professional meeting, teacher workshop and/or session of capstone presentations attended by Steering Committee members and other interested parties.

• Do an independent study project in science, mathematics, or science or mathematics education. This, too, requires discussion with the advisor, consent from the individual(s) supervising the project, and approval of a written proposal. The student must make a presentation of the completed project at a professional meeting, teacher workshop and/or session of capstone presentations attended by Steering Committee members and other interested parties.

• Take up to six credit hours from a MS degree program offered by the School of Sciences and Mathematics at the University of Charleston, SC - Environmental Studies (but not EVSS 640 and EVSS 650, each of which counts in Category B2), Marine Biology, or Mathematics. The purpose of this option is to give interested students opportunities to work at an advanced level in a science or math subject. The student must meet any course prerequisites. Some students have done two capstone experiences in this way. Interested students should discuss this with their advisors and with someone involved in the MS program to insure that the student makes a good course choice. A written proposal to do this is not necessary.

Students admitted after February 13, 2002 must make at least one formal capstone experience presentation at a professional meeting, teacher workshop, or session of capstone presentations attended by Steering Committee members and interested parties.

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Capstone Proposal Guidelines

Science and Math for Teachers Graduate Program

The capstone project is meant to provide each SMFT graduate student with experience identifying a critical need (pedagogical, curricular) or research question in science and math education, and formally proposing a project plan for addressing this need/question. The process of formally proposing a project will help you successfully plan and implement your project and will be very much akin to that which you will experience in your professional life as leaders in science and math education within your community, school system, school district, state and/or region.

Prior to formally writing the capstone proposal, each student must select a project advisor who will guide the student through writing the capstone proposal and carrying out the project. If the capstone is a project added to an SMFT course then the advisor should be the instructor of that course. If the capstone is an independent project then the advisor can be any member of the SMFT Graduate Faculty. Once the proposal is written it must be approved by the director of the SMFT Program and by one member of the SMFT Graduate Faculty other than the project director. If the project involves any work with students, then the project must also be approved by the appropriate supervisor at the host institution.

Students must plan their capstone project the semester before they carry out the work. They should submit the proposal to the program director early enough to allow time for revisions, which are frequently required.

The formal project proposal should contain the following sections:

Cover page , which includes a descriptive project title, the author's name, and contact information, and a place for the signature/date of approval of the proposal by the project advisor, the program director, other SMFT faculty member and host institution supervisor.

Abstract – This is a concise statement (500 words) that summarizes the goals and objectives for the project, the projects intellectual merit, the population affected by the project and the anticipated outcomes. This brief summary of the entire proposal is placed first but should be written last. There should not be any information in the abstract that is not included in the main body of the proposal. It is only a summary.

Introduction – In this section the student should address the intellectual merit of the project. This discussion should include:

• Briefly, what is your project.
• The aspect/problem/issue in science and/or math education that is the focus of the project, and what is the need for reform or change or research.
• How can your project make a difference?
• The community (public, families, teachers and/ or students) impacted by the project, and if applicable, the need for research/change/reform among this population.
• Again, how might your project make a difference?
• The evidence that reform/change or research into the proposed area of science and math education is needed. This part of the introduction should provide a brief (1-2 page) review of the pertinent literature.

Project Goals and Objectives – In this section of the capstone proposal the student should explain exactly what they plan to do and how they plan to do it. The section should include:

• The overarching goals for the project
• The incremental objectives that will be met along the way to achieve these goals.
• A description of the project plan and how the project goals and objectives will be met. In other words, tell as specifically as you can what you plan to do. Be as detailed as possible at this point. If you have to make changes as you are doing the project, that is OK, but you should show that you have thought about the details of what you intend to do.
• A project timetable for completion of each aspect (incremental objective) of the project.
• How the project relates to, and/or goes beyond or enhances/extends the South Carolina or National Science and Math Education Standards.

Anticipated Outcomes

• What will be the anticipated product (curriculum, teaching resources, research, etc.) of your capstone project?
• How will you know if the product has met your capstone project's goals?
• How will your product or research findings be disseminated to the community of science and math education professionals impacted by your project?

Literature Cited

• A literature cited section must be included. All literature should be cited using APA style formatting and should include parenthetical citations.

All capstone proposals must be completed by the add/drop date of the semester in which the capstone project is to be completed. This may require some planning prior to the semester of capstone enrollment.

All capstone proposals must be signed by the project advisor prior to being submitted for final approval by the SMFT program director.

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