TESU Liberal Arts Capstone Questions

[TallC]

Hello,

I've got 6 credits left + the Liberal Arts Capstone (LIB495). I know it's generally not TESU policy to allow a student to take this + 6 credits in one term, but I'm just finishing a term with 12 credits, where I'm writing ~10 pages a week, and it looks like I will be making 95+ on all of them. I feel like I could probably make a good case to make it happen.

It looks like if you take the online option of the capstone, you have 5 modules where you write a paper, then your 6th module is when you turn in your 25 pager.

For anyone who has done this, is the workload too high to take with two other classes?

I can't find anything that says how long the assignments are for the modules, or any other indication of how involved this is.

Thanks.

[longtermstudent]

The minimum page count for the project is 25 pages. I highly recommend registering early in the term you plan to take it, so you can use rate my professor to help choose which mentor to take it with.

Can someone take two additional classes and complete this? Depends on the person, what other courses they are taking, and how much time they will dedicate. It can be done.

What are you taking and is it with TESU or an alternative source that you plan to transfer in?

Congratulations on being so close to done!

[TallC]

The minimum page count for the project is 25 pages. I highly recommend registering early in the term you plan to take it, so you can use rate my professor to help choose which mentor to take it with.

Can someone take two additional classes and complete this? Depends on the person, what other courses they are taking, and how much time they will dedicate. It can be done.

What are you taking and is it with TESU or an alternative source that you plan to transfer in?

Congratulations on being so close to done!

I'm currently at TESU, and the 12 credits I am referring to is what I did there. War and American Society, Contemporary Ethics, and Living in the Information age.

I am only working part time right now, and I'm about to have knee surgery, so time won't be an issue.

I have White Collar Crime, World Geography, and the Capstone left... I've only got a couple of days to decide how I want to approach this. I'm wanting to start up in January.


EDIT: Does anyone have the syllabus?

[davewill]

I think it would be possible, especially if the other two classes weren't too heavy and you can give it full time. You basically have two weeks per module, plus two weeks to assemble and edit the final paper, which is enough time to get it done. If you get in a bind, it's also possible to get an extension ($200 fee). I had to do that because my work was having me travel extensively. If you're going to be late with an assignment be sure to ask for extra time BEFORE a module is late. Once you're late, TESU policy requires the mentor to dock your score. Choose the online version, the blog posts are super-easy, and that gives you 23% of your grade at 100%, taking pressure off the rest of the work. I second the suggestion about researching the mentors. There are a couple of threads around here discussing different people's experiences. Search for LIB495.

http://www.degreeforum.net/excelsior-tho...ght=lib495


You also get access to several online research databases through the NJ State Library system. There is a drop-down on the Moodle course page that links you to them. I was able to get all my research done through those.

The syllabus is linked on the lib495 course page:
Thomas Edison State University | Courses & Schedules

[kdubbub]

I think how much time and effort you spend on the capstone reeeeally depends of the type of student you are and the mentor you get. If you're not a person who gets super stressed about writing, then it's definitely doable to take it with other classes. When I first started the capstone, it was the only class I was taking (plus working 30 hours a week) and I took the assignment way too seriously. I was really really really stressed out and I can't imagine having to juggle other classes at the same time. I ended up getting really sick and had to take a break from it for a while and apply for an extension. When I came back to it, I tried to just relax and just turn SOMETHING in and it was much easier. And I still got an A! Point being, only you can really know how well you might handle multiple classes plus the capstone. If you do decide to do that, I highly recommend Dr. Andrew Tomko as a mentor if he's an option. PM me if you want more details on him as a mentor.

Also, don't get too stuck on the 25 pages if it's your goal to get an A in the class. 25 pages is the MINIMUM. I asked my mentor at the beginning of the semester how many pages capstones typically are that receive A grades and he said 30-45. Mine was 36 pages if I remember correctly, and most of the capstones I've read about on this forum are longer than that.

[embitca]

There is so much repetition from one chapter to the next that if you are a confident writer I don't think you would have any problem getting the Capstone done while doing two other classes. I'm taking the Capstone currently and the first few weeks I spent a lot of time reading all the research material for my topic, but on the writing I usually only spent only 2-3 days for each chapter. I spent a bit more time working on the Chapter 2 literature review, but that's paid off in the long run for the clarity it provided on which documents go with which sub-questions. Chapter 3 is an outline of your Methodology so its a short chapter. Chapter 5 is basically summarizing the previous chapters and finally giving your own take on things. What I did during the semester is whenever I found myself wanting to express an opinion I went ahead and wrote it and then just cut and paste it into a separate document so I could string all those bits together in the Chapter 5 discussion section.

The page count will pretty much take care of itself. I was actually trying to write as little as necessary and I think I'll still end up at around 50 pages.

[TrailRunr]

Treat the capstone like any other GE that you're not interested in, and it will go a lot faster. With good writing skills and a good mentor, you should be able to get an A with minimal effort. It's not hard to end up with 35+ pages at the end when you're literally cutting and pasting everything together. This is not an MA thesis or Ph.D dissertation. Treat this class like the waste of time and money it is, and you'll have no problems taking other classes concurrently with a full-time job. Treat this class like a dissertation, and you might end up failing it from accumulating unfinished assignments while trying to write the perfect paper. Unlike a Ph.D, you don't have a couple of years to come up with the perfect dissertation.

[teamfin]

Thomas Edison Liberal Arts Capstone


Took the 12 week capstone starting in June, finished late August. It was a 50 page dissertation. I had no idea what I was getting into.

Fumbled around for the first few weeks trying to choose a topic and figure out how to do the research. There is a "Mentor" that guides the course, but unless you engage with them for help you will have to do the assignments and figure everything out for yourself.

This is the hardest course I have ever taken, the most scholarly writing with critical thinking involved. College Comp dipped my toes into APA style citation and reference, but this threw me into the pool.
I got it done because I had to graduate with the September class (which was another major challenge) so I could get my degree for a work requirement.

Several people admitted in week 12 that they were asking for extensions, some were going to retake the class because they just couldn't get it done.

The common thread was that you really needed to take a course in scholarly writing AND research before being thrown into a dissertation.

I got an A, thank God, and graduated from TESU on September 19th, Yay! But beware, this is no cakewalk.

Matt in Austin Tx

[davewill]

Thomas Edison Liberal Arts Capstone


Took the 12 week capstone starting in June, finished late August. It was a 50 page dissertation. I had no idea what I was getting into.

Fumbled around for the first few weeks trying to choose a topic and figure out how to do the research. There is a "Mentor" that guides the course, but unless you engage with them for help you will have to do the assignments and figure everything out for yourself. ...

Which goes to show that you have to research the mentors. Dr. Cody was very engaged with us and provided a well-written example. I did not have to write a 50 page paper, just a 25 page paper, and I got an A.