Components of the Capstone Experience
The Capstone Experience is a culminating project spanning the length of your program and designed to measure your growth and competency in learning the skills associated with your selected field of study. It contains a measure of self-reflection, and captures insights from faculty experts who know and understand the challenges of a given discipline you use to improve and expand your thinking. Learning is dynamic. Your skills in thinking, writing, applying scholarly thought and a range of other abilities should improve with each course, documented in the assignments that will become artifacts in the Capstone Experience course. When you have reached your goal, the completed capstone becomes a source of pride as you document your expertise.The following components are required for completion:
Templates, planning guides, and instructional videos are available in Student Commons. Please utilize the capstone experience areas for forms and assistance.
Individual Student Profile (Completed during first course)
This profile contains your philosophy of learning and professional goals statements (3-5), which will state your intent as a graduate professional. For each goal statement, you will describe how the goal translates into actions you intend to use in your professional setting.
Capstone Artifacts (Completed in courses during your program)
The artifacts, that are completed during the duration of your program, demonstrate your competency in each of the program outcomes. Each artifact should be a quality exemplar showing your accomplishment of a program outcome. These are completed within each course of the program and uploaded during the capstone.
Original Contribution
Please check Student Commons for your planning guide that will state the Original Contribution requirement for your program of study. Your Original Contribution will not need to be pre-approved. Should your program of study require you to create a new artifact your planning should be original for you. Though it may contain 25% of a previously completed course assignment, the product should exhibit significant expansion of the initial idea.
LinkedIn Profile (Completed prior to finishing the Capstone Experience course)
Professional networks, such as LinkedIn, present online opportunities to share your credentials in a real-world application. Knowing what and when to share personal and private information requires critical judgment. The purpose is to develop an online resume/presence and network (connect) with colleagues and faculty from American College of Education.
Program Outcomes Retrospective Paper
The program retrospective paper is a reflective review of your graduate experience. The Individual Student Profile information, completed in the first course, becomes a springboard for considering growth in thinking and applying program outcomes. Learning requires change. The program retrospective paper documents your change, over time, as a result of mastering the program outcomes.
Leadership Impact Plan Paper
The Leadership Impact Plan Paper provides the opportunity to share how your leadership practice has grown and will continue to grow as a result of your program completion. You will reflect on your leadership journey in this paper and the knowledge you have developed to help guide others in the future.
Maximum Number of Enrollment in Capstone
Due to unforeseen circumstances, times may exist when students cannot complete their capstone prior to their intended graduation date/end of program. If either a capstone is not completed, students can be re-enrolled in these courses as long as they do not exceed the maximum number of enrollments as defined below. If a student is not successful after the designated number of course registrations, they will be administratively withdrawn from the College.
* Capstone: Students can take the Capstone course (5 week course) no more than five times (25 weeks of course time) during and enrollment at ACE.
RN to MSN and BSN to MSN Capstone Experience
RN to MSN
The RN to MSN program has a capstone course at both the bachelors level (NUR4093 -Senior Capstone Experience for Nursing) and masters level (NUR5094 -Capstone Practicum Experience for Role of the Nurse Administrator or NUR5194 -Capstone Practicum Experience for Role of the Nurse Educator). Specific information can be found in RN to MSN Student Resources in Student Commons.
BSN to MSN
The BSN to MSN program has a graduate level capstone experience at the masters level (NUR5094 -Capstone Practicum Experience for Role of the Nurse Administrator or NUR5194 -Capstone Practicum Experience for Role of the Nurse Educator). Specific information can be found in the Nursing Student Resources in Student Commons. Please refer to the MSN Graduate Capstone/Practicum Handbook.
The following components are required for completion of the Capstone Experience for RN to MSN and BSN to MSN:
Individual Student Profile
This Individual Student Profile contains your revisions to the philosophy of learning and professional goals statements (3-5), which stated your intent as a professional. For each goal statement (originally written in week 1 of NUR4013 ) you will reflect on the original goal statements made at the beginning of the program and describe how the original goals may now be revised or altered as a result of your course work; translate into plans or actions how you intend to use in your professional setting.
This profile contains your philosophy of learning and professional goals statements (3-5), which will state your intent as a graduate professional. For each goal statement, you will describe how the goal translates into actions you intend to use in your professional setting.
Capstone Artifacts for Program Outcomes
The artifacts, that are completed during the duration of your program, demonstrate your competency in each of the program outcomes. Each artifact should be a quality exemplar showing your accomplishment of a program outcome. These are completed within each course of the program and uploaded during the capstone/practicum course.
The Original Contribution is an evidence-based change project that grows out of the student’s interest in a specific patient population, professional nursing role and/or healthcare setting. In the Original Contribution, students will identify a need or problem that exists in a healthcare setting, as well as implement and evaluate a plan to resolve the problem. In addition, students will have the opportunity to share how their leadership practice has grown and will continue to grow as a result of program completion. Students will reflect on their leadership journey in this assignment and the knowledge they have developed to help guide others in the future.
Professional networks, such as LinkedIn, present online opportunities to share credentials in a real-world application. Knowing what and when to share personal and private information requires critical judgment. The purpose is to develop an online CV, professional presence and network enabling connections with colleagues and faculty from American College of Education.
A 200 hour practicum is embedded in the program and required for program completion. To avoid disruption in course sequence the following must be completed before enrollment in subsequent term(s) or enrollment in the capstone/practicum course can occur:
- Clinical practice site and preceptor approval must occur three (3) terms prior to beginning the practicum experience; and
- Any required documents which may include, but are not limited to liability insurance, background check, drug screening, immunizations, proof of health insurance, evidence of HIPAA training, and current CPR certification must be submitted no later than 30 days prior to beginning the practicum experience.
The program retrospective paper is a reflective review of your graduate experience. The Individual Student Profile information, completed in the first course, becomes a springboard for considering growth in thinking and applying program outcomes. Learning requires change. The program retrospective paper documents your change, over time, as a result of mastering the program outcomes. In addition, you will have the opportunity to share how your leadership practice has grown and will continue to grow because of your program completion. You will reflect on your leadership journey in this paper and the knowledge you have developed to help guide others in the future.
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