HONORS COLLEGE CAPSTONE PROJECT
Overview
Students entering the Honors College in Fall Semester 2006 or thereafter must complete an Honors Capstone project before graduation. Typically, the project will be completed during the last two semesters at UIC, although students may begin the Capstone project as early as their junior year and complete it prior to their last semester. It is expected that most students will choose a project related to their major, but they also have the option of completing a project in another discipline as long as they have sufficient coursework in the discipline and interaction with a faculty supervisor in the topic of interest.
All Honors Capstone projects include an independent, in-depth examination of a topic, supervised by a supervisor chosen by the student in consultation with his or her Honors College Fellow. The project may be prepared in any appropriate form (written report, performance, software, artwork, for example). If the final product is not a written report (e.g., a performance, art work, creative writing piece, applied design project), there must be a corresponding written discussion or analysis of the project. Presentation of the results of the student's work in some form of public academic forum is also expected.
Purpose of the Capstone Requirement
The Honors Capstone requirement is intended to provide the student with a scholarly experience that incorporates concepts and techniques learned during his or her undergraduate career, as well as allowing the production of an original scholarly contribution to a discipline. The Honors Capstone is intended to be more in-depth and demanding than a typical undergraduate paper. It should involve the creation of new knowledge or insights; that is, it is not simply a summary of information already generally known.
As outlined in the following section, the Honors Capstone is commensurate with the expectations of traditional departmental honors theses, senior design projects in many disciplines, and other rigorous senior research projects intended to prepare students for the rigors of research, writing, and scholarly presentation associated with post-graduate professional programs and graduate programs. However, it is not intended to be as intense as a typical graduate Masters' thesis in terms of either the time required or the finished product, and the length and format of both the written and public presentation portions of the Capstone are expected to vary according to the conventions of different disciplines (see below).
Because the Honors Capstone is likely to be the most difficult academic project students will have undertaken to date, they should expect to be challenged and to learn. In the end, they should produce a project that is both meaningful and insightful. The students are expected to strive for well-written papers, to use good citation practices, and to present their work in a professional manner in addition to maintaining high quality scholarship. However, it is recognized that the Capstone experience is likely a bridge and a starting point for even more challenging research and innovation in their post-graduate careers, so students need not be apprehensive about the project for fear of not being able to reach perfection.
Relationship to College or Departmental Capstone Requirements
Students in programs that require a culminating senior project or research experience (such as Engineering, Nursing, or Architecture), and students majoring in disciplines where a senior thesis is required to graduate with distinction (including many of the humanities, social science, and natural science disciplines in LAS), may use such projects to satisfy the Honors College Capstone requirement. These projects are subject to the same guidelines as all other Honors Capstones (e.g. Biological Sciences NSF funded laboratories). In fact, the Honors College encourages students to complete a Capstone project that will simultaneously fulfill departmental or college requirements/opportunities for advanced undergraduate research and professional presentation. However, use of these projects as the Honors Capstone is subject to approval of the project as an Honors Capstone by the student’s Honors College Faculty Fellow. Only college or departmental capstones, senior design projects, or honors thesis options that meet the academic requirements of an Honors Capstone may be used to fulfill the Honors Capstone requirement. Students should consult their department program description in the Undergraduate Catalog, their Honors College Faculty Fellow, department or college academic advisors, the Director of Undergraduate Studies in their department or program, and/or Honors College staff to determine which types of disciplinary capstones, senior design projects, or honors thesis options are available in their major and whether the requirements of these departmental research projects fit the criteria for the Honors College Capstone. Honors College Faculty Fellows should also consult Honors College staff if they are unsure about how their department capstones, senior design projects, or honors theses mesh with the requirements for the Honors College Capstone (see more detailed discussion of the requirements below).
Specific written statements about Senior Capstone projects and their relationship to Honors College Capstone requirements have been submitted by some colleges and departments at UIC or developed by the Honors College from materials provided by the colleges or departments. Links to those specialized documents will be provided here as they are developed by, or received by, the Honors College: College of Education Senior Capstones
College of Nursing Senior Capstone
We also allow, and in fact encourage, students to enroll in research or independent study credits in the department housing the discipline in which they are pursuing a Capstone during the period of their work on the Honors College Capstone. Since the Capstone research may require a significant amount of the student’s time during the semester, it is often advisable for students to substitute an independent research course for one of their classroom courses in their major during one or both semesters of intensive work on their Capstone project. Some departments or schools with a large number of majors or established professional trajectories, such as Biology, Psychology, and Nursing, have an already structured course or course sequence to facilitate undergraduate research and to teach the basics of research presentation and writing, and many of these courses are already required for undergraduates in their junior or senior year.
Honors College Fellows, the student’s Capstone supervisor, and Honors College staff can help them identify courses that might be appropriate for simultaneous enrollment, particularly those courses or course sequences that have group instruction in research techniques and result in a research product consistent with the Honors College Capstone. Note that every student should also be registered for HON 322 for each semester that they are working on their Capstone (see below) in addition to any departmental research credits.
The Nature of the Capstone Topic and Research Methodology
While most students will pursue research in their major or minor, this is not a requirement of the Honors College Capstone project. Students may elect to develop their Capstone project in a discipline other than their major or minor, as long as they have sufficient coursework in the discipline they have suggested and significant interaction with a faculty supervisor in the topic of interest. For example, a biology student interested in the development of the hominid brain might pursue a Capstone project supervised by a professor of neuroscience, psychology, or biological anthropology with whom they had had coursework, engaged in an Honors Activity, and/or had a great deal of scholarly interaction. Similarly, a student who has pursued training and coursework in theater, art, or music in addition to their major in history could use an original composition within a particular historical genre as their Capstone experience.
As noted in the discussion of the Capstone Proposal (below), the Capstone project must focus on a research problem, theoretical issue, new creative work, or innovative area of application (i.e. design or technological innovation) and is not meant to be simply a summary or synthesis of known “facts” or past discoveries/works in an area of humanities or science. Because each discipline is different in terms of what constitutes the scholarly “product” of its endeavors, the form of the Honors College Capstone research is broadly defined to fit with these diverse disciplinary objectives, and students should consult with their Honors College Faculty Fellow and Capstone Supervisor/Supervisor to determine what is an appropriate research product for their particular discipline. For example, for engineering students, the Honors College Capstone is commensurate with their Senior Design Project and the resulting product will be the design prototype along with a written paper and presentation on the research issue addressed and methodology of the design. For a music student, the Honors College Capstone is most likely a performance, musical composition, or scholarly treatment of a theme related to music history or production, again with both written and public presentation components.
Required Components of the Capstone
As noted above, the Honors College Capstone project is intended to provide a challenging experience for students, one that builds on their Honors College training in the “art” of research and independent scholarship. Therefore, students are required to present their work both in written format and in a public academic forum, work that will also prepare them for the types of scholarly activities expected of professional and graduate students (research publications, paper and poster presentations at conferences, lectures on their research, etc.). To elaborate, the two required components of the Capstone are:
(1) Written presentation of the research in the form of a research paper, undergraduate thesis, or write-up of a design project or performance (the last particularly applicable to engineering, computer science, music, art, architecture, and theater students, as well as students working on creative works such as writing a short novel or composing a musical piece).
(a) While we do not have a particular stipulation about page length, since this may vary according to the type of project and the typical form of research papers in particular disciplines, the written presentation should be substantially longer than a typical research paper in an upper-level course. A paper of 20+ pages in length would be reasonable in most cases, but the Capstone supervisor and Honors College Faculty Fellow are crucial in determining what would be an appropriate length, style, and content for the written presentation.
(b) As noted above, the Capstone is not simply a synthesis of previous work on a topic. Therefore, the written presentation should include:
• clear statement of the research problem being addressed
• background on the theoretical issue and past scholarship
• discussion of the methodology used in tackling the research problem
• presentation of the research results and the conclusions of the student researcher.
(c ) However, students working on creative or design projects are expected to produce a slightly different written product. The written presentation, in this case, should include:
• clear statement of the design issue or creative issue that the student is attempting to tackle
through, for example, an original art piece, a music performance, a theater role, an authored play
or short story, an architectural design, or an engineering innovation.
• background on the artistic genre or technological area in which the student is attempting to
make a contribution (i.e. what has been done in this area of creative arts or technological design
in the past, and how does this frame the student’s approach?)
• discussion of how the design, technological or artistic product was conceived
• presentation of the results and an evaluation of its contribution to the area of study within the
discipline
(d) Students working on “team” projects, such as part of a multiple student design team on an Engineering Senior Design Project, may certainly work together, but each student should write up their own Capstone paper emphasizing their particular role in the project (while recognizing that the background research and theoretical discussion may overlap and be quite similar for the student members of the team).
(e) Students working on “team projects” involving faculty, graduate students, and other undergraduates in various roles should consult with the primary faculty supervisor of the project about what data can be included in their written Capstone and how the work of the larger research group should be represented. This may involve issues of both “intellectual property” and appropriate citation, so it is important for students to clarify their role in the research and how their contribution and the contributions of others can be written up and publicly presented.
(f) Note that no formal grade will be given on either the paper or the public presentation of the project. However, the Capstone Supervisor must indicate the project is acceptable by signing the title page of the written document as well as the HON 322 completion form. The Honors College Fellow must also certify that the project meets the requirements for a Capstone project by signing an Honors College Capstone Completion form and submitting it to the Honors College, along with one copy of the completed project.
(2) Public Presentation of the research in the form of a lecture or oral presentation (including powerpoint-aided talks), a reading or “unveiling” of their creative work, a concert or other type of performance, a poster presentation of the work, or a “defense” of their undergraduate thesis. This public presentation may take place in a department or college setting (e.g. an “undergraduate research day” scheduled in a department or structured research course at the department or college level), at a large university-wide event such as the annual Student Research Forum, or at an academic symposium outside the university (e.g. a national or regional conference for a particular discipline).
(a) The Capstone supervisor and Honors College Fellow must approve the public presentation event as an academically appropriate venue, preferably with an opportunity for questions, comments, and evaluation by the audience. The Capstone Supervisor should attend the public presentation if possible or, if this is not feasible, obtain information that the presentation was completed in a professional manner from an attending colleague. While the Honors College Fellow is not required to attend the presentation, they are encouraged to do so if this is feasible.
(b) For the public presentation requirement, students may present their work in groups if it is a “team project” (such as a theatrical presentation, an engineering design project, or a collaborative team project in the laboratory sciences), but the student must be present when the “team” does the presentation and receives questions and evaluation from the attendees.
The Role of the Honors College Faculty Fellow and Faculty Supervisor/Supervisor
The Faculty Supervisor/Supervisor is selected by the student as a scholar who is knowledgeable in their area of research and is able to either work directly with them or guide them in carrying out independent research on the topic. The Faculty Supervisor must be willing to meet with the student at least several times each semester they are working actively on the Capstone (probably more often if they are integrating the student into a team project or supervising a fairly complex independent research project). Although the frequency of the meetings is up to the Capstone supervisor and the student and will vary depending on the project, it is reasonable to assume the frequency of meetings will be somewhere between once per month and once per week. The Faculty Supervisor must read and approve the student’s proposal, as outline in the Capstone Registration and Proposal Form. As the student develops the project, the Faculty Supervisor is expected to guide the student in identifying appropriate research methods and obtaining background reading materials, to suggest revisions on written drafts, and to help the student find appropriate public presentation venues and forms of presentation. The Capstone Supervisor should attend the public presentation of the work. If this is not feasible, the Capstone Supervisor should try to obtain information from a colleague who attended the presentation to ascertain whether the presentation was professional and met the criteria for the Capstone. The Faculty Supervisor must read and assess the written component of the work, signing the cover page to indicate that the paper is approved. The Faculty Supervisor must also sign both the Honors College Capstone Proposal and Registration Form and the Honors College Capstone Completion Form indicating that the student has successfully completed the Capstone with honors quality work.
The HONORS COLLEGE FACULTY FELLOW’s role is to assist the student in locating a Capstone Supervisor if they do not have one in mind. The Faculty Fellow is also responsible for ensuring the quality of the proposed research by reading and evaluating the Capstone Registration and Proposal Form and to sign the form after it is signed by the Capstone Supervisor if they concur that the project fits the guidelines of the Capstone and is academically sound. The Faculty Fellow may also periodically check with the student to ensure that the student is interacting appropriately with their Capstone Supervisor and that the project is progressing well and is likely to be completed in a timely manner. While it is primarily the responsibility of the Capstone Supervisor to evaluate both the written and public presentation portions of the Capstone, we encourage the Honors College Faculty Fellow to both attend the student’s public presentation and read the written portion of the Capstone project along with the Capstone Supervisor. We emphasize that, while some Faculty Fellows will elect to work as Capstone Supervisors with a student or two under their mentorship, the Honors College Faculty Fellow is under no obligation to serve as a Capstone Supervisor for any Honors College student under their mentorship. In addition, the student is ultimately responsible for developing their project, locating a supervisor, and completing the project within the prescribed schedule. With each Faculty Fellow mentoring 1-6 students, we estimate that, in any given year, one or two of these students will be pursuing active Capstone research for which the Faculty Fellow will have oversight.
Process of Enrollment in the Capstone
Students must be enrolled in HON 322 for each of the semesters in which they are working on their Capstone project. HON 322 replaces HON 222 as a required Honors College activity. That is, students should not enroll in HON 222 for the semesters when they are enrolled in HON 322. If a student completes the Capstone prior to their last semester in the Honors College and at UIC, he/she should revert to enrolling in HON 222 and should resume Honors Activities until graduation.
In addition to enrolling on-line in HON 322, students should complete a Capstone Registration and Proposal Form for every semester they are working on their Capstone. This form is on-line on the Honors College web site (as a fillable pdf) and it somewhat resembles the Honors Activity forms, in that it requires a description of the research the student is planning on being involved in that semester, a listing of department course(s) related to the research that the student is simultaneously enrolled in, and a place for the student to obtain the approval signatures of both their faculty supervisor/supervisor for the research and their Honors College Faculty Fellow. However, the Capstone Registration and Proposal Form also includes sections where students can fill in the following information:
(1) A formal proposal for their Capstone project of 500 words or less (see Writing a Capstone Proposal below)
(2) A brief description of plans to fulfill the written requirement of the Capstone (see Required Components of the Capstone above)
(3) A brief description of plans to fulfill the public presentation requirement of the Capstone (see Required Components of the Capstone above)
(4) A brief description of the specific “deliverables” (i.e. what the student will specifically accomplish) that semester
In the subsequent semesters when the student is working on the Capstone, they may revise their proposal on the Capstone Registration and Proposal Form to reflect changes in their research objectives, methods, or intended results. Similarly, they may revise their plans to fulfill the written or public presentation requirements of the Capstone as warranted by changes suggested by their advisors as their research progresses, new opportunities for presenting their work at conferences, etc. The “deliverables” in each semester are expected to be different and should be stated on the form. For example, students will likely carry out the necessary background literature review and conduct the bulk of their research the first semester of the Capstone, then devote the second semester to writing up their research and preparing a poster, a powerpoint presentation, and/or a lecture for the public presentation requirement of the Capstone.
Timing and Sequence for Completing the Capstone
Students following a traditional four-year graduation schedule will typically complete the project during the first and second semester of their senior year. However, students may also elect to begin the Capstone as early as their junior year and to complete it prior to their last semester of graduation. This may be particularly desirable if a student plans on a study abroad semester in their senior year, if the project they want to pursue has a time frame requiring earlier completion of the research, or if they want to have a completed project as part of a portfolio for professional school or graduate school admission.
Except under unusual circumstances (such as an accelerated graduation date or study abroad during the senior year), students should carry out their project over two semesters in order to allow enough time to successfully complete all the necessary components of the Capstone, such as a review of the theoretical and methodological background literature, laboratory research or data collection, design work or creative work, writing a paper on the project, and presenting the project in a public academic forum. Carrying out the project over two semesters will allow students to incorporate the Capstone research into their academic load with less stress and provide more time for close mentorship by their faculty advisor and Honors College Faculty Fellow.
The student should have selected a topic and a faculty supervisor by the end of the semester preceding the formal initiation of their Capstone project (e.g. for students carrying out their Capstone project in the two semesters of their senior year, they should ). This means the student should be thinking about the project and talking to potential faculty mentors early in his/her junior year.
The following is a sequence of steps (and their timing) that students should follow to successfully complete a Capstone project:
(1) CHOOSE TOPIC AND SELECT FACULTY SUPERVISOR
Two of the most critical elements of a successful project are a clear definition of the topic and the choice of an appropriate faculty supervisor. The student should have selected a topic and a faculty supervisor by the end of the semester preceding the formal initiation of their Capstone project. For students carrying out their Capstone project in the two semesters of their senior year, they should initiate discussion of possible topics and potential mentors with their Honors College Faculty Fellow by the second semester of their junior year. Students should then seek out potential mentors to discuss possible projects, to evaluate the feasibility of their proposed project, and to obtain advice on background research relevant to their project. The choice of a supervisor should be based on the faculty member's expertise, as well as his or her ability and willingness to devote adequate time to the project.
Capstone projects for some students may be a continuation of research and mentorship by a faculty member that was begun earlier in their undergraduate career as part of one or more Honors Activities. For others, the Honors Capstone may involve new research with a faculty supervisor with whom they have not worked before. Regardless of the type of planned research, it is expected that students will have only a rough idea of the research problem in which they are interested, so these initial discussions with a faculty supervisor/supervisor and with their Honors College Faculty Fellow are good opportunities to better define the project and to narrow its focus so that the scope is one that realistically can be addressed in two semesters. The student’s faculty supervisor for the project, their Honors College Faculty Fellow and/or other faculty in the student's area of interest can be useful in pointing the student toward the appropriate literature for background reading to prepare the student for writing a formal proposal to be submitted at the beginning of the following semester (see below). The goal is to “hit the ground running” when the student formally begins the first semester of their Capstone research – that is, they should have a faculty supervisor/supervisor in place with whom they have discussed their Capstone proposal and determined its feasibility, they should have a tentative schedule of research, analysis and writing worked out, they should be ready to submit the Capstone Registration and Proposal Form (see below), and they should be able to begin their research almost immediately at the start of the semester.
Each project must have a supervisor whose job is to supervise the project and provide the student with guidance and support. Students should choose their mentors carefully and in consultation with their Honors College Fellows. In particular, students need to ascertain that the supervisor has expertise in the area of study and is willing and able to devote the time required to supervise the project effectively. Mentors will be expected to read and critique drafts on a timely basis, consult with the student regularly on the scope and methodology of the project, and be a resource for the student. Honors College Fellows can be extremely useful in making sure that students choose appropriate mentors.
Once the student has decided on a topic and a faculty member has agreed to serve as the supervisor on the project, the student should informally notify the Honors College Fellow of the choices. Although official approval of the project will not be made until after the formal proposal is submitted, the Faculty Fellow will be able to discuss any potential problems that might arise from the student's proposed topic or choice of supervisor.
(2) REGISTER FOR HON 322 AND SUBMIT PROPOSAL
The project proposal should be submitted to the faculty supervisor and Honors College Fellow by the end of the third week of the semester when the Honors College Capstone project commences. The on-line form titled “Capstone Proposal and Registration Form” [PROVIDE LINK TO FORM HERE] must be filled out properly and completely and the student must obtain all necessary signatures. It is useful for the student to provide the faculty supervisor and Honors College Fellow with earlier drafts so that the student is able to address their concerns prior to submitting the proposal formally. The proposal should include the following elements:
• Title -
The complete title expected to be used for the project
• Statement of Purpose -
A brief summary of the issues to be addressed and questions to be investigated. The issues
described should be as specific as possible. For example, rather than saying that a paper will be
on the Korean War, it might state that it will examine the causes of and events leading up to the
Korean War.
• Summary of Preliminary Research Already Completed -
A summary of the preliminary research the student has completed in order to settle on a project
• Deliverables -
A list and brief explanation of the expected components of the final project. The student,
supervisor and Honors College Fellow should all agree on the contents that will constitute
successful completion of the project. Although this list may be altered later by mutual agreement,
it is expected that generally the final project will include all the components listed in this part of
the proposal.
• Approval -
Approvals of the supervisor and the Honors College Faculty Fellow, including any conditions of
approval.
A form will be provided on the Honors College website that students will use to supply the above information. After the supervisor and the Honors College Faculty Fellow have approved the proposal, the student should file the proposal, including attachments, with
(3) COMPLETE PROJECT
For most students, the project will be completed in the senior year (although timing is flexible; see above). During this time, the student should meet regularly with his/her supervisor to assure that the student is progressing adequately. Although the frequency of the meetings is up to the Capstone supervisor and the student and will vary depending on the project, it is reasonable to assume the frequency of meetings will be somewhere between once per month and once per week. The faculty supervisor and the student should set intermediate goals throughout the duration of the project and use the periodic meetings both to assess where the student is on the project and to establish the next goals.
Near the end of the senior year, the student will present the project in an appropriate academic forum. For traditional research papers, the forum could be a workshop presentation to the faculty and interested students in their department or the Honors College. For other types of projects, the faculty supervisor and the student should agree on an appropriate form and outlet for the presentation which may include presentations at the annual Undergraduate Research Forum at UIC or oral or poster presentations at a local or national scholarly conference.
No formal grade will be given on the project. However, the Capstone Supervisor must indicate the project is acceptable by signing the title page of the document as well as the HON 322 completion form. The Honors College Fellow must also certify that the project meets the requirements for a Capstone project by signing an Honors College Capstone Completion form and submitting it to the Honors College. Note that the Honors College Fellow need only sign the Honors College Capstone Completion form for the final semester when the Capstone is completed.
The student is responsible for submitting a copy of the completed project for archiving in the Honors College. The Honors College database of Capstone project will likely be archived primarily in digital form, so digitized formats (i.e. the final written product as a pdf) are acceptable. Students should consult their Capstone Supervisor and Fellow regarding whether they prefer to receive the project in paper or digitized format. In some circumstances, it will not be feasible to copy the entire project; e.g. art work or a technological prototype accompanying a written presentation. In those cases, only the portions of the project that can reasonably be copied need to be submitted. However, if feasible, photographs of such parts of the project should be included.
In signing off on the project, the Capstone Supervisor's and Honors College Fellow's roles are slightly different. The Capstone Supervisor evaluates the project to ascertain that it meets the academic standards and disciplinary requirements agreed to with the student. The Fellow certifies that the project meets the Honors College Capstone requirements, and is expected to also comment on the quality of the work. If the project has been appropriately vetted earlier, the Fellow's approval is expected once the Capstone Supervisor approves the project.