Capstone
Full course description
Capstone is the culmination of a student’s academic work at UCM and is comparable in function to a bachelor thesis. It is a full semester module for which students receive 10 ECTS. During the first weeks students will work on writing a proposal in which they formulate their individual goals and determine a topic and format. In addition, students will choose an advisor. The advisor provides the student with advice and guidance on the content of the Capstone product. Students work on Capstone individually. There will be meetings with the tutors, fellow students, and the coordinator. These meetings support the individual work on Capstone, by way of presenting one’s own work to other students and giving and receiving feedback. Furthermore, the meetings are intended to monitor the progress and writing process. Students will meet with their individual advisor separately from the group meetings. Those meetings are intended for discussing the content of the Capstone and for receiving individual feedback on the work in progress and the final product. An outline is handed in at the start of the second period of Capstone. A complete methods section is handed in before the third period of Capstone. Both the outline and the methods section are discussed with the advisor. The last period is for completing and revising the Capstone
Course objectives
- The student is able to generate a specific research question that allows for conducting independent research.
- The student is able to justify a suitable methodology that aligns with the research question.
- The student is able to carry out independent research under supervision of an academic.
- The student is able to demonstrate professional behavior and academic integrity in their academic work.
- The student is able to implement constructive feedback in their academic work.
- The student is able to create an academic product that demonstrates they can adequately translate independent research into a final thesis.
Prerequisites
To participate in Capstone students should be in their last semester at UCM (usually the sixth Semester, except for transfer students) and have at least 140 ECTS at the start of Capstone.
N.B.: Capstone encompasses the regular two skills trainings and project of a UCM semester. Participating in Capstone as part of the regular workload at UCM is doable, but demanding. Therefore, having a higher workload due to e.g. additional courses, skills trainings and/or projects is not recommended.
- J.G.T.M. Moes
- E.F.L. Maegherman