NRS490 Professional Capstone and Practicum

Week 6 Assignment

Literature Review

While the implementation plan prepares students to apply their research to the problem or issue they have identified for their capstone change proposal project, the literature review enables students to map out and move into the active planning and development stages of the project.

A literature review analyzes how current research supports the PICOT, as well as identifies what is known and what is not known in the evidence. Students will use the information from the earlier PICOT Statement Paper and Literature Evaluation Table assignments to develop a 750-1,000 word review that includes the following sections:

Title page

Introduction section

A comparison of research questions

A comparison of sample populations

A comparison of the limitations of the study

A conclusion section, incorporating recommendations for further research

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Please refer to the directions in the Student Success Center.

You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.

Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.

Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.

The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument.

 

MORE INFO 

Professional Capstone and Practicum

Introduction

The capstone experience is a unique opportunity for students to apply their knowledge and skills in an applied setting. Students work closely with faculty and industry experts to complete projects that align with their areas of interest, build skills that will be useful in the workplace, and gain exposure to professional environments.

Overview

The capstone and practicum are two of the most important components of your undergraduate experience. They give you a chance to apply what you’ve learned in your classes, while also giving you an opportunity to work with real world problems that can help shape your future career goals.

A capstone project is an individualized research-based learning experience that integrates all the knowledge gained throughout your four years of study into one final project or paper. This is normally done by combining multiple courses within one course offering, though some schools may offer independent studies as well (such as Harvard University). You’ll often be asked to create a presentation on something related to your field along with a written report describing how it relates back up against other similar topics; this type of presentation often takes place during finals week or early spring semester finals at most universities where students go through these types of exercises regularly during their time at school.

The practicum component allows students who have already completed their major requirements prior to applying for an internship position within industry; these internships typically last anywhere between 3 months up until 6 months depending on what type they’re looking for specifically.”

Program Requirements

The capstone project is a culmination of all the course work you have completed in your program. It is also a very real project that gets you out of the classroom and into the world. You will be working with a client on their business needs, and they will pay you for it!

The company hiring you usually wants to see if you have what it takes to be successful in this type of environment, so they’ll give you some guidelines about how much time they want from start to finish (and how many hours per week), but ultimately there are no rules or constraints other than those set by yourself as well as whatever resources (like budget) are available at hand.”

Building the Capstone Project

In the capstone project, you are required to demonstrate your ability to work in a team. You will have the opportunity to work with a different partner each week and must prepare and present at least one report per week on your capstone topic.

Your capstone project should be something that is important for you; it could be anything from an invention or invention idea, research paper on a relevant topic (e.g., healthcare), research paper on something that interests both of you (e.g., video games), writing up notes from lectures/tutorials/etc., etc..

The time available for this part of your internship depends on how much time you want/need though there are some things I would recommend doing before starting any research process:

The Capstone Presentation

The capstone presentation is your chance to share the results of your project with the class. You’ll have an opportunity to show off what you learned in your practicum and capstone coursework, explain how it relates to real-world experiences, and discuss how this knowledge can be applied at work or in other aspects of life.

The objective of this presentation is twofold: 1) To demonstrate that you are well prepared for working as part of a team; 2) To demonstrate that you understand organizational characteristics such as leadership styles and communication processes (e.g., brainstorming) that may be helpful when working on projects together with others outside your immediate circle (e.g., coworkers).

Practicum Experience

Practicum is a paid work experience that you’ll need to complete as part of your program. Practical training is an opportunity to apply your skills and knowledge in a professional setting, build on what you’ve learned so far, and get more comfortable with the use of those skills. It’s also an opportunity for employers—who may include state agencies or local businesses—to see how well you work under pressure and learn how much effort they can put into hiring someone who has demonstrated their ability over time.

Takeaway:

The capstone is your chance to show what you have learned throughout the program. It’s a culmination of all of the coursework that has been done so far, and it provides opportunities for students to go above and beyond in their projects.

The capstone gives you an opportunity to work on something that has been in your head since day one, but also allows you to explore other areas of interest as well. For example, one student might choose a topic related to their major (e.g., “how technology is changing education”), while another might do something completely different like working with animals or volunteering at an organization nearby where they live (e.g., “how an animal shelter needs volunteers”).

Conclusion

The capstone and practicum are the final step of your education. They will allow you to put together everything you’ve learned throughout the program and show it off to employers or fellow students. If you have any questions about the capstone or practicum, please feel free to contact me!