Orientation

There will be an orientation session the first day of Capstone Week. Check emails and notices in the Forum for details

Capstone Presentations

Presentations will be held during the scheduled Capstone Week. Please note that immediately following your public presentation time, you are scheduled for a private comprehensive exam session with your advisors. Check the Capstone Forum notices for the final Capstone Schedule.

Professional/business casual dress is expected for your presentation.

Capstone Facilitation

You will be assigned to facilitate the presentation of a peer. Please contact with the person for whom you are facilitating via D2L email to determine how you can best help them. Below is an outline of expectations for facilitating a presentation.

You will be assigned to facilitate the presentation of a peer. Please connect with the person for whom you are facilitating via D2L email or in person to determine how you can best help them.

Below is an outline of expectations for facilitating a presentation:

As people are arriving:

  • Facilitate the attendee prize drawing… hand out, collect sign-up slip and choose a winner

At the scheduled start time:

  • Introduce yourself
  • Introduce the presenter: name, location, and school/teaching assignment of the presenter, etc.
  • Introduce graduate committee members, both in person and virtual
  • Read the presentation title
  • Anything else you’ve been asked to facilitate

Capstone Observations

You must attend every day of the capstone week. Twelve observations are required with at least three presentations per day. Your presentation and the presentation that you facilitate WILL count toward the twelve required presentations. However, you are ENCOURAGED to attend as many presentations as possible during capstone week. There are many super projects that you will not want to miss! There is always something valuable to learn from the work of peers and our continued presence at the presentations ensures adequate audiences for all presenters. Dress is casual for the audiences of these presentations – it will be summertime in Montana. Those attending online are also required to watch 12 sessions, one being your own.

Additional Presentation and Comprehensive Session Information

Presentation Guidelines

You will prepare an oral presentation of your MSSE Capstone Project for the Capstone Symposium.

Each presentation will be allotted 30 minutes. The prepared oral presentation should be 20 minutes in length and will be followed by 10 minutes of open discussion. MSSE students, MSSE Steering Committee members, graduate committee members, interested faculty, and guests will participate in the open question and answer session.

The presentation rooms have smart podiums complete with computer, projector, and screen. Please bring your Power Point, Google Slides, Prezi, etc. presentation on a flash drive or be able to access it online. This will facilitate quick changes between speakers. A staff member will be available to assist you in running the equipment and any other set up that is necessary before your presentation.

Oral Comprehensive Meeting

All comprehensive sessions are designed to meet the Graduate School requirements and deadlines for summer semester graduation. They are held immediately after your presentation has ended.

The comprehensive meeting will begin with discussion of and questions about your particular capstone project. The session is open only to the student, the graduate committee members, and other MSSE staff as appropriate. The comprehensive session can then extend into other areas that seem appropriate based upon the course of study of a particular student. Your project advisor will guide you to the session room immediately following your presentation/public question session.

The emphasis of comprehensive sessions will not be facts, but rather using information, grasp of concepts, and integration of concepts and information. The best preparation for this exam is comfort with your data, reflection about what you studied in your graduate courses, and a good night’s sleep. Your project advisor facilitates the oral session. He/she is the best person to speak with about any specific content, policy or process concerns.

After your comprehensive session, you will be asked to sign off that your project is original and authentic and that you have properly cited and

referenced any other person’s work or ideas used in your paper. You will be asked to complete the paperwork necessary for electronic archival of your professional paper with the MSU Library. You will also be asked to give permission for MSSE to use your paper for program instructional purposes. These documents will be sent via DocuSign email.

Please let us know what questions you have. We are looking forward to seeing you all this summer!

Capstone Symposium Celebration

On the final day of Capstone Week there will be an hour-long CELEBRATION. The agenda is a surprise, but you don't want to miss it. Family & friends are welcome. There will be light refreshments

afterwards to hold you over as you prepare to continue the celebration with your family and friends with dinner on your own.

 

Click here to download a printable version of the Capstone Symposium Week Guidelines