TESU LIB-495 Capstone Course Calendar

[keepsingin]

Thanks for the tips everyone!

I guess my biggest worry is that I don't have too much experience doing research papers. So I don't really know how to properly research databases and similar things. What kind of sources are we allowed to use? Is Google Scholar something we can use?

I'm working full time so it will be very difficult to make time to go to a physical library. Can one pass this course while only using online sources?

Google Books has a lot more books than a lot of libraries would ever have.

[davewill]

Enrollment at TESU gets you free membership at the New Jersey State Library. In fact, it's a good idea to go ahead and get your library card ahead of time. In the Moodle menu bar, there is a drop-down that has links for all of the online research databases you have access to as a TESU student and through the NJSL. I was able to do almost all of my research there. The online databases don't always have the full documents, if you really need one that isn't available online, you'll have to pay for them. I didn't find that necessary. I also got a lot from goverment websites. For example, some of my research came directly from DOT and NHTSA.

New Jersey State Library - TESU Student Borrower Registration Form

[KAnn]

What are some of the topics everyone is researching/planning to research? I'd love to have a rough idea of the kind of topics the instructors are looking for. I think some of the anxiety about this course comes from so much being unknown until you start. Thanks!

[rlw74]

KAnn, My professor said that it is rare for a capstone topic to not be approved. He is tweaking the wording a little bit if he thinks someone has a topic that is too broad or too narrow. But overall, no one has a topic that wasn't approved in my class.

A lot of people are writing about social media and how it affects kids; how technology is being used in the classroom and if that is helping or hurting; a few are writing about environmental issues or economic issues (like what the benefits are for companies to manufacturer their products overseas vs at home). Really just pick something that interests you - some problem you see in society - your workplace - your community etc and ask some questions about those problems.

Basically come up with a problem statement and a main question you want to ask -For example:
It seems that X (mental healthcare, drugs, school shootings, violent media - insert whatever you want here) is affecting X (teens, babies, adults, nursing homes, teachers -again insert whatever you want in here) how can that be (fixed, solved, changed etc)?
sub-question 1:
sub-question 2;
sub-question 3.
Basically whatever three or four questions you want to research about that topic.

So, for example, lets say you do something on blood donation and the problem is that at certain times of the year the need increases but the donations do not.
What causes people to donate?
Are young people more likely to donate than older people?
Are community blood drives effective?
Does bringing education to college classrooms, high schools, churches etc. have an impact on donations?
I'm just throwing out some random stuff here but you get the point. Just pick a topic and figure out what the problem is - ask questions about it - and then find out if through researching the topic you can come up with some solutions.

In my class the mentor wanted us to have a good, solid topic and one or two alternates as a backup. Honestly, you could tell in everyone's posts that topic #1 was the most defined topic they had worked on and the second or third topic was just thrown out there to satisfy the requirements of the post.

I went into this so stressed out and honestly its not bad. I wish I had kept it a lot simpler. I picked a topic that I'm fascinated with but its so esoteric that I am having to really work hard to find statistics and data. So I suggest, that if you don't have a hobby horse you really, really want to write about, just pick something and do a little research before the class starts. If you can find a dozen sources that answer the questions you are asking then you have yourself a paper. It will just be a matter of putting it together and writing it. Good luck - it really isn't as bad as it sounds. I know I lost a lot of sleep over this class and now that I'm doing it, I'm actually enjoying it.

[KAnn]

Thank you, rlw74, for a great post! You've given me (and others, I'm sure!) a starting point and peace of mind.

[DavidHume]

You would have to withdraw from the current course and re-register for a GS section, but the only difference between the two is the blog posts, and they are truly easy points. They make up 23% of the grade, and are essentially scored by participation.

If you need to switch it is smarter to fill request to transfer course form, so you don't lose your spot or pay any late fees if you decide after deadline.


https://forms.tesu.edu/dftrans.php

[DavidHume]

Another way to choose a topic is if there is a research skill you want to use to demonstrate your ability for grad school and/or work you can select a topic that will allow you to use that.

If there is a specific statistical method or data analysis technique that will help make your future applications stand out this is a good opportunity to showcase that.

If you need to demonstrate ability to build statistical models there are plenty of open access dataset you could use and select your topic based on what datasets are available to you that sound interesting enough....Or that work for what skill you want to showcase.