The Final Frontier: Capstone LIB-4970 or LIB-4950 for BACS and TESU's Recent Changes

[not4not]

Things have changed since I took the Liberal Arts Capstone.

My professor automatically gave full credit (100%) for the ETS Major Field Test and the ETS Proficiency Profile. From what I’ve heard, they no longer do that. Honestly, those tests aren’t worth studying for. At best, you might improve your grade by 1–2 points, and at worst, it won’t affect your grade at all despite hours (or even hundreds of hours) of studying. As far as scheduling, as I recall, they used ProctorU, so you can pay a little extra to take the test right away.

For the research paper, I could choose any topic, so I went with learning styles, which leans more toward psychology. I spent a few hours picking a topic, including time lost switching from my original idea after Assignment 1 when I realized it wasn’t viable for research. That mistake cost me around five hours.

If I were doing a CS-related topic, I’d probably focus on AI. It’s current, relevant, and widely discussed.

My advice: keep it simple and don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Choose a topic that’s not too broad or too narrow. Ideally, it should be something that already has existing research so you can easily find sources. I used ProQuest for most of my citations, especially when I couldn’t find direct sources.

Start by picking a topic, creating a rough outline, and gathering some preliminary sources to confirm it’s feasible to write about.

When it comes to professors, check RateMyProfessor. Look for someone who’s easy to work with, available for questions, and known for easy grading.

The class wasn’t easy for me at first. I didn’t fully grasp what a research paper was compared to a report, and the course materials didn’t explain it well. I ended up doing a couple of hour-long phone calls with the professor to get clarity and brainstorm ideas. I eventually got an A, but not before digging myself out of a hole after getting a dreaded “C” on my first assignment, which sent me into panic mode.

Since I am ready to take the CAPSTONE (starting in August 2025), the advisor mentioned few things. 

• LIB-4970 is a computer-related topic as research paper. 
  
• It can't be a general paper something a good research like how the AI agent can help solve the desktop issues ( i doubt that undergrad level the school should look for that technical). I have to sign up and see what advior says 
  
• I asked her about the ETS exam so i can give now rather taking during the course. Her answer was that "NO" you must take during your 12 week. It is now Pass/Fail marks and you must pass. Not appearing is no longer the option. This exam doesn't impact the gPA or add the grade but a opre-requesite to pass the capstone. The exam can be taken at even the last day of the course. 
  

So i am looking for anyone who recently took the BACS LIB-4970 capstone and how big the research paper is......like 30 pages plus reference, or any template out there like , Chapter 1 Introduction (10 pages), Chapter 2 literature review (10 pages), Methodology/Data design (5 pages), Data Analysis (5 pages), and Chapter 5 Conclusion (5 pages).

Appreciate any non-AI generated research question is welcome  or any idea's.

Does the TESU CS curriculum even cover all topics on the ETS? I thought it was graded on a 120-200 scale, but now it’s pass/fail? What happens if you don’t pass? Do you get to retake, or you fail the entire course?