Capstone requirement change at TESU

[dfrecore]

@Merlin they recommend the writing courses and one other before you take the Capstone. I asked advsing before I registered for it.

I'm sure every capstone has heavy writing requirements. By the time someone gets to their capstone, it is expected that they are already a pretty decent academic writer. However, I think the BALS capstone is more focused on research while the BSBA capstone is more focused on business analysis. Which is why the BSBA recommends completion of the core business courses since you need to leverage that knowledge as part of each analysis.

I'm not sure which ones has more required writing though. The BSBA Capstone (OL) has 7 case analysis papers (4-5 pages each), plus 11 discussions (~1/2 a page each), plus a final paper (~15-20 pages). So roughly ~49-60 pages of writing. Plus a midterm exam.

That seems a bit excessive to me.

After taking the capstone, I did not think it was an excessive amount of writing.  Since it was broken down into pieces, each due weekly, it was very manageable.

Also, I took the Guided Study, so I had 5 Discussions at 1 page each, except 1 was 3 pages.  (total of 7 pages).
For my case studies, they were all 3-4 pages (total of 24 pages)
My final paper was 13 pages.
The midterm wasn't a paper, just a test (including multiple choice, short answer, and 1 think a couple of short essays that were actually just a paragraph each if I remember correctly).
Altogether, I wrote 44 pages over 12 weeks - so roughly 3 1/2 pages a week, which wasn't onerous at all.
I did write copious notes though, especially for the midterm - probably 10 pages a chapter, so roughly 120 pages I think?
But really, I did not think the course had an excessive amount of writing in any sense of the word.

[Merlin]

@Merlin they recommend the writing courses and one other before you take the Capstone. I asked advsing before I registered for it.

I'm sure every capstone has heavy writing requirements. By the time someone gets to their capstone, it is expected that they are already a pretty decent academic writer. However, I think the BALS capstone is more focused on research while the BSBA capstone is more focused on business analysis. Which is why the BSBA recommends completion of the core business courses since you need to leverage that knowledge as part of each analysis.

I'm not sure which ones has more required writing though. The BSBA Capstone (OL) has 7 case analysis papers (4-5 pages each), plus 11 discussions (~1/2 a page each), plus a final paper (~15-20 pages). So roughly ~49-60 pages of writing. Plus a midterm exam.

That seems a bit excessive to me.

After taking the capstone, I did not think it was an excessive amount of writing.  Since it was broken down into pieces, each due weekly, it was very manageable.

Also, I took the Guided Study, so I had 5 Discussions at 1 page each, except 1 was 3 pages.  (total of 7 pages).
For my case studies, they were all 3-4 pages (total of 24 pages)
My final paper was 13 pages.
The midterm wasn't a paper, just a test (including multiple choice, short answer, and 1 think a couple of short essays that were actually just a paragraph each if I remember correctly).
Altogether, I wrote 44 pages over 12 weeks - so roughly 3 1/2 pages a week, which wasn't onerous at all.
I did write copious notes though, especially for the midterm - probably 10 pages a chapter, so roughly 120 pages I think?
But really, I did not think the course had an excessive amount of writing in any sense of the word.

So far each of my case analysis papers has been at least 5 pages and the discussion posts have been about a page each, but I tend to be wordy. I have also been taking a lot of textbook notes. well, technically I've been summarizing each chapter, so yeah probably ~10 pages per chapter there. I have no idea what I'll be doing for the final paper yet, but I probably won't start on that until I've finished the chapter readings and completed the midterm.

I still have about a month until the midterm, but I've already started putting together my flashcards on Quizlet. I've never taken an exam with short essays, so that is going to be not fun.

At the rate I'm going, I'm pretty sure I'll be closer to the 60 pages mark, but even 44 pages seems excessive to me. But then again, I've never had to do any major academic writing outside of the papers I had to write for SL and SDC courses. The longest of which was the 20-page report I wrote for Systems Analysis. So having to do 45+ pages of writing for any single course seems like a lot, even if it is spread out across many weeks. The fact that it's going so slow is also a problem for me, but I'm using the time to work ahead.

[Supermind]

Good to know. Could someone help me understand what the mid-term and final exams are? What subjects will be tested in these exams?

[davewill]

As if taking courses from SL or SDC really prepares anyone for the capstone. cmon, really??
I have not experienced very tough grading so far...

If TESU really did care about preparing students for the capstone, than a mandatory university level writing course would make sense.
Anything else is just a pointless money grab, just as the cornerstone was.

They do require the standard college English courses which cover research papers. You should have finished them before trying the capstone. Specifying 100 credits first is surely an attempt to get better prepared students in the capstone courses. Nothing here sounds like a money grab, unless they try to specify a certain number of TESU courses, which they haven't done.

[allvia]

Good to know. Could someone help me understand what the mid-term and final exams are? What subjects will be tested in these exams?

They are speaking of the BSBA Capstone in this case, not the one you would be taking for your BA - information on that would be best asked on a thread specific to the course such as this one:  https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...one-Course

[zzzz24]

As if taking courses from SL or SDC really prepares anyone for the capstone. cmon, really??
I have not experienced very tough grading so far...

If TESU really did care about preparing students for the capstone, than a mandatory university level writing course would make sense.
Anything else is just a pointless money grab, just as the cornerstone was.

They do require the standard college English courses which cover research papers. You should have finished them before trying the capstone. Specifying 100 credits first is surely an attempt to get better prepared students in the capstone courses. Nothing here sounds like a money grab, unless they try to specify a certain number of TESU courses, which they haven't done.

Having graded credit as possibly a requirement based on the wording in the 2019 policy was basically what he was alluding to when creating this thread. Which means either courses at TESU or some other B&M institution. 

I don't know about everyone else on here, but I certainly didn't learn a great deal from taking English Comp 1 and 2.

[armstrongsubero]

As if taking courses from SL or SDC really prepares anyone for the capstone. cmon, really??
I have not experienced very tough grading so far...

If TESU really did care about preparing students for the capstone, than a mandatory university level writing course would make sense.
Anything else is just a pointless money grab, just as the cornerstone was.

They do require the standard college English courses which cover research papers. You should have finished them before trying the capstone. Specifying 100 credits first is surely an attempt to get better prepared students in the capstone courses. Nothing here sounds like a money grab, unless they try to specify a certain number of TESU courses, which they haven't done.

Having graded credit as possibly a requirement based on the wording in the 2019 policy was basically what he was alluding to when creating this thread. Which means either courses at TESU or some other B&M institution. 

I don't know about everyone else on here, but I certainly didn't learn a great deal from taking English Comp 1 and 2.

Please stop taking about this. With all the course provides, TESU, possibly ACE and all the providers and big 3 lurking on here please stop. Some people will learn and some people with experience will know more than others. I personally learned some things and some things I learnt. That is what competency learning is about, demonstrating you gained knowledge from outside the classroom being on job or whatever. Anyone who reads casually and has a job would easily pass Eng Comp I and 2. However I dare you to go the final exam of Calc 1, Calc 2, Discrete Math, Statistics, some UL business and comp sci courses etc and you will fail.

Please stop giving providers a reason to make things harder than they are. Look at ALEKS, people with dyscalculia were thankful they could do intermediate algebra (and at one time beginning algebra) and at least get a BALS degree to keep their job or get promoted and feed their families.

Some fools started posting they cheat this way and that and not learn anything etc and got beginning algebra removed, then got intermediate algebra removed and in part probably prevented ALEKS from getting long term renewal.

Just be thankful we can get a degree and stop talking about not learning anything before TESU states "From Jan 2019 all writing courses must be done at TESU".

Just please stop this madness, and let people earn their degrees in peace. If YOU dint learn anything fine, but don't make it sound like no one learns anything, which is what you are saying from MY perspective.

Lets us earn out degrees and let other after us experience the path of least resistance and shut your pie holes about not learning!! Before someone important sees Lol   I for one learned a lot from some of my courses, thank you very much, including Eng Comp. I never did an interview before that and it was a good experience.

For some people this is the ONLY way they can earn a degree and feed their families, don't ruin it!!

[zzzz24]

I'll post whatever I want from my OWN personal perspective, thanks!

[armstrongsubero]

I'll post whatever I want from my OWN personal perspective, thanks!

So do I thanks!

[vetvso]

I have been watching this forum and TESU since 2007 and really started asking questions in 2010. Many things have changed and many people have come and gone. I lost credits several times because I had not finished my degree but I personally have enjoyed the educational ride over the years. The capstone and requiring a few paid for classes seems reasonable to me since I want them to stay in business. However, keeping everything affordable for lower-income people is also something I hope TESU can achieve. Most people can get a Pell Grant and offset some of these costs and I think there may be a push by TESU in this direction. For the most part, I have welcomed most of the changes but have to admit I miss the FEMA and ALEKS days and only wish I had finished the degree before everything changed. I wish everyone here success on their future degrees and whatever careers they choose. I for one am planning to teach in retirement and that is my current goals. I really like TESU and will be finished soon and have other plans with them in place.