The School Librarian’s Role in the Capstone Project:

5 Ws and H of the Capstone Project.

WHY?

With the current generation the number one question when we introduce the capstone project is “WHY?”  “Why do we have to do this?”  When I was in high school the teacher’s answer to such an ‘impudent’ question was “because I said so…” however, we give a little more than that these days.

I ask seniors to contemplate the question “On whose shoulders are you standing?”  Although it is important to create works of their own, it is equally important to realize and research the works of others.  Even Isaac Newton acknowledged “if I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”  Another critical purpose of the Senior [capstone] project is college preparation.  With the college prep answer, I depart from the philosophical and give them the stats about what college and universities expect. Since 2000 The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) collects data via the The College Student Report,  from first-year students at US and Canadian Universities.  Each year the surveys are slightly different, however the data is effective in making the case to college-bound seniors for a capstone project.  There is much emphasis on high-stakes testing in high school leading up to college.  However, there is some evidence that the amount of testing is actually declining at many colleges and universities in favor of other types of assessments.

Using the NSSE Custom Report Generator I pulled out the following data.

Why a paper?  [Data Years: 2013‐2014]

• 19% of first year college/university students wrote 1 to 2 papers or reports of 11 PAGES OR MORE
• 19% wrote 3 to 5 papers or reports BETWEEN 6 AND 10 PAGES
• 43% wrote 1 to 2 papers or reports BETWEEN 6 AND 10 PAGES
• 26% wrote more than 6-10 papers or reports of FEWER THAN 5 PAGES
• 11% wrote more than 11-15 papers or reports of FEWER THAN 5 PAGES
• 5% wrote more than 20 papers or reports of FEWER THAN 5 PAGES

The takeaway for my Seniors is that writing papers and reports will be a regular activity in college.

Research at a university library [MTSU] for the Senior Capstone Project

• 87 % – Prepared two or more drafts of a paper or assignment before turning it in
• 98.4% – Worked on a paper or project that required integrating ideas or information from various sources

Why present the material? [Data Years: 2009‐2010]

• More than 85% of First-year, Full-time students making mostly A’s, and B’s Made a class presentation
• More than 30% Made a class presentation “Often” OR “Very Often”

WHO?

At my school I work with eight adults that form the Senior Class advisory team.  I am with a small school, and there are 8-10 students per advisory group.  Each adviser works with their 8-10 students on the capstone project as an independent study and the Librarian is the lead adviser for the capstone project.  This year we added a visit to a university library to enhance the project.   The Librarians at the MTSU Library provided an orientation to the Library’s website, services, collections, and resources, as well as a brief walking tour of the building. They had a very large instruction room where our students did some  preliminary searching for their capstone projects.  They also issued borrowing privileges for some of our students.  We really appreciate the time the university librarians gave to our students.  I want students to leave high school with the idea that university librarians are approachable and can save students so much time in the research process.

WHAT?

The paper and all drafts are written in current MLA format with in-text citation and an alpha-order “Works Cited” page. The students receive rubrics and examples for all “deliverables.”  Eight to Ten scholarly sources are required for their final paper and presentation.   For the presentation of the paper we ask for a minimum of two visuals that can be any of the following: charts, illustrations, graphs, videos, props, and handouts.  Students are asked to explain the research question or thesis statement, show extensive research and critical thinking, provide appropriate and supportive details,  have good transitions and finally, make the presentation memorable. One additional step for our senior capstone project, is that we require primary research.

What is Primary Research – Examples for students include but are not limited to:

• Following Twitter Feeds or Blogs – journaling your impressions
• Starting a Twitter Feed or blog about your topic
• Keeping a research journal
• Interview an Expert/Professional face to face, Skype, OR via email
• Survey a group [you can use Google Forms for free]
• Statistical survey
• Video Journal an experience
• Conduct an Experiment
• Chart a Contrast/Comparison
• Creating an “Infographic” to include in your presentation
• Internship
• Shadow an expert [in person or online]
• Questionnaires
• Opinion Poll

WHERE?  WHEN?  HOW?

Once students write their paper, they present their research in assembly for the entire school.  Each day in the Spring, 2-3 seniors present their research in 8-10 minutes.  They are challenged to be both scholarly and interesting at the same time.  This is tough since topics range from e-textbooks, to fashion, to theoretical physics.  We often use the TED talks for inspiration and ideas on how to present complex research topics.

University Library Instruction Classroom [accommodated all 60 students]

• Rupal Patel: Synthetic voices, as unique as fingerprints
• Is there an equation for intelligence?
• We have personal computing, why not personal biotech?
• Jack Andraka: A promising test for pancreatic cancer … from a teenager

Some other resources:

• PechaKucha – The art of concise presentations. http://www.pechakucha.org/
• What is good PowerPoint design http://presentationzen.blogs.com/presentationzen/2005/09/whats_good_powe.html

How – some places to start

• New – AASL Position Statement on Role of School Librarian in Senior/Capstone Projects http://www.ala.org/aasl/advocacy/resources/statements/capstone
• We are considering the new – College Board offering AP Capstone™  https://lp.collegeboard.org/ap-capstone

One Example of a Senior Capstone Project  Presentation

Senior from 2015

Author: Hannah Byrd Little

Hello, I am the Library Director at The Webb School of Bell Buckle. I use my past experience in college and university libraries to help my current students in school libraries transition into college, career, and life. I am currently the lead Senior Class Adviser for the Capstone Project. I also served at the state level with the Tennessee Association of School Librarians executive board from 2009-2013 and was the TASL president in 2012. I am certified as a Library Information Specialist for PreK-12th grade, have a BS in Communications with a concentration in Advertising and Public Relations, a BS in Liberal Studies with a concentration in Education and Information Systems and a Masters in Library and Information Science.

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Categories: Advocacy/Leadership, Blog Topics, Student Engagement/ Teaching Models

Tags: capstone project, curriculum alignment, inquiry, senior slide