My TESU Liberal Arts Capstone Experience

[Ladyplf]

I was really dreading this course and I procrastinated for a long time and almost didn't finish. I couldn't think of a thesis topic until almost the end of the course and couldn't imagine writing 25 pages worth of research. My mentor didn't provide any sample papers so luckily I found a great paper posted here on the forum. I followed the format to a letter and although I needed an extension due to my late start, I still I got an A. Mind you, it all depends on you mentor, mine didn't care what I wrote so long as I wrote something and if I had know she would be so blase blah I would have saved myself an extension fee and not sweated so much over the topic, because in the end she didn't care.

[jsd]

Who was your mentor?

[Daithi]

The book (Writing the Winning Thesis or Dissertation) really doesn't discuss APA much other than to tell you to "cite your references appropriately." The book is aimed at people who use all styles (APA, MLA, etc.) so they don't focus much on the particular rules. I have the 3rd edition and still divert to Purdue's OWL website for ALL of my APA instructions.

I just wanted to second this. I used Purdue's OWL website for ALL of my APA instructions as well. I bought both the required books and didn't really use either one. My instructor had provided three example papers that had each received an A. I just followed their format as closely as possible, and that was really all I needed.

[Shadow Chill]

Hi, Thanks for sharing your experience it would be great if others would do the same because for new comers who have a huge fear of failure this is great ;-). I cant tell if you finished the degree or not, if you did how long did it take you and how much did it cost ? or if you could estimate that would be great. If not can you estimate both ?

[Ladyplf]

I had Amy Laptad for my capstone. In the end you don't have to write 25 pages because there is a lot of repeated work in each chapter.

[Vaeal]

I had a very similar experience with the OP. I haven't taken the guided study option but the online class is undoubtedly the easier option as you get a free 24% of the grade given to you just by submitting a forum thread and 2 responses per week. The forum thread and responses do not have to be in depth, long, or really even helpful. I didn't find a single commentary to be remotely helpful in the entire class (and since I followed suit I doubt mine were either). To me, the class seemed extremely easy and a complete waste of time and $1,600. You're probably not going to learn many skills in the class and you're expected to already have the skills in exploring scholarly data bases to find the research. You are given the ability to apply for a new jersey state library card to use their database (even if you're out of state) although without skills and experience in database research you may find it quite frustrating - I certainly did. That being said, as long as you attempt to satisfy the requirements of each weeks module you shouldn't have any difficulty passing the class even if your paper isn't top quality.

I had Dr. Weishadle as my "mentor." I found him to be almost non-existent. The feedback/grades on your papers was poorly done with no advice or suggestions on how to do it better. There was no teaching in the class and no communication from the professor unless you asked him a question or he was grading your biweekly work. I did feel that he was extremely lenient on grades, however. I started the class getting upper 80's on most projects although halfway through it I put in less effort (usually only working on each project the night before it was due) and received lower 80's. My final paper was a quick modification of of all previous modules to update topics that had changed slightly and I got a 78 on it. Combined with the free 24% of your grade you get from the "discussions" and the free 2% from the ETS, my final grade in the class was a B. I honestly should have failed the class with as little effort as I was putting in at the end.

[ConfusedTom]

I am having such a hard time trying to do module 2 can anyone help?

[davewill]

I am having such a hard time trying to do module 2 can anyone help?

What part is giving you trouble?

Go through all your sources so far and take some notes on each of them. That will be the basis of the annotated bibliography. Then you want to summarize what is available in the literature as it pertains to your research questions. Basically, you're outlining what you've been able to find, and what you expect to be able to find to help answer your questions as you continue your research. I organized mine roughly by how I intended to answer my questions. You'll be putting together a more precise research plan in module 3, so don't get too wrapped up in organizing it now.

[teamfin]

Wow- your instructor provided some examples? Our mentor was Arlene Sinding, and although some people asked, she wouldn't offer any examples. She was pretty tough on grading, too.

I don't think the format for this course includes any teaching, just learning on your own and doing it. This works for some people, not so much for others. Several people in the June-August course I was in requested extensions, some will have to retake the course.

[ladylearner]

Wow- your instructor provided some examples? Our mentor was Arlene Sinding, and although some people asked, she wouldn't offer any examples. She was pretty tough on grading, too.

I don't think the format for this course includes any teaching, just learning on your own and doing it. This works for some people, not so much for others. Several people in the June-August course I was in requested extensions, some will have to retake the course.

My capstone mentor provided examples as well. Honestly, they were more valuable than any other resource except for maybe the Purdue Online Writing Lab. I did the guided study version of the course, as I thought I would be working ahead in the class and didn't want to have to read and comment on other people's writing. As luck would have it, my job was undergoing a restructuring and imposed mandatory overtime so I wasn't able to work ahead at all. Still, I think it was easier to just have my grade depend on my own work and not have to read or keep up with class forums. I think the professor/faculty mentor was just as accessible to me as she would have been in a traditional online class - perhaps more so without a bunch of additional forum posts to read. And she also wrote a nice recommendation for grad school admission. However, I am aware that this does NOT work for many people. For plenty of others on the forum, I know the online class version is preferred.