For Faculty: Advise an HN Capstone Project
Have you been asked by an Honors student to advise an Honors Capstone Project and are wondering what this might involve? Are you currently advising a Capstone Project and want to make sure you are helping your advisee adequately meet project goals? Are you just curious what the Honors Capstone Project is? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then please keep reading!
Honors Capstone Project Overview
The UMW Honors Program Handbook describes the Honors Capstone Project as follows:
This project is a minimum of 3 credits of independent study (491, 492, or a course approved by the Honors Program Committee) completed during the last year of study at UMW and presentation of the project at the Honors Program Symposium (fall semester), Research and Creativity Day (spring semester), or another pre-approved comparable venue.
In advance of completing the capstone course (by the Wednesday of Week 12 of the preceding semester), all Honors scholars must submit a proposal for the project that clarifies how it will meet the capstone requirement. All proposals should be submitted in the Canvas Workspace meticulously following the posted guidelines. The proposals are reviewed by the Honors Faculty Advisory Committee, who may ask for proposal revisions before approval.
There are two primary options for completion of a Capstone Project for University Honors:
Option 1: Completion of a departmental project in a student’s major or minor. Departments will oversee these projects, perform the evaluation, and provide project advising. This project could also fulfill a major or minor requirement or could lead to departmental honors.
Option 2: Completion of an interdisciplinary project. These projects will be advised by appropriate faculty and must be pre-approved by the Honors Director/Committee. This option is intended for those students whose goals do not neatly fit the requirements of their major department(s), but who intend to complete a rigorous capstone research or creative experience.
HN Capstone Project FAQs
The following are some of the most frequently asked questions about the Capstone Project by UMW faculty. If you have a question that is not represented here, please feel free to reach out to the Honors Program Staff.
Honors Capstone Project design can vary widely between disciplines. Past projects have included major research papers; laboratory studies; theatrical or musical performances paired with research, journaling, website creation, etc.; creative writing or visual arts portfolios; computer programming projects; and more. Because a 3-credit Capstone Project equates to ~9 hours of work per week by the student, the student and advisor should ensure that the proposed project is substantial enough to demand this level of work. Moreover, all projects, regardless of discipline, must culminate in a public presentation of some sort (e.g., presentation at the Fall Honors Symposium, Spring Research and Creativity Day, or a departmental symposium; public musical or dramatic performance; etc.).
The Honors Program does not have specific syllabus requirements for Capstone Projects, and faculty are not required to submit syllabi to the Honors Program. However, faculty should be aware that Section 5.4.6 of the Faculty Handbook (“Course Plans and Syllabus”) states the following:
“Faculty should provide students with a course syllabus containing, at a minimum, the following: (a) instructor identification and contact information; (b) course identification; (c) course goals and objectives; (d) student learning outcomes, including (when applicable) general education learning outcomes; (e) required materials (textbooks, lab manuals, etc.); (f) course calendar (assignment due dates, tests, etc.); (g) guidelines for class participation; (h) basis for determining final grades and mid-semester progress reports (in undergraduate courses, where required); (i) accessibility statement; (j) course recording policy statement; (k) Title IX policy statement; and (l) instructor’s statement of adherence to the Honor System. Individual colleges and departments may determine additional requirements for syllabus preparation.”
Here are two sample syllabi from previous individual studies/Honors Capstone Projects:
While specific responsibilities may vary depending on the nature of the project, most Honors Capstone advisors can expect to do the following:
- Read the advisee’s Capstone Proposal draft prior to submission to the Honors Program Committee and provide feedback as needed.
- Meet with the student regularly to discuss project progress and offer guidance. (There is no specific requirement regarding meeting frequency, but many faculty meet with their advisees every week or every other week.)
- Establish grading criteria for the project and assign a final grade at the end of the semester.
The Honors Program staff document when students complete the Honors Capstone Preparation Workshop, submit the Capstone Proposal, present their work publicly, and submit the final version of the project (or major project artifact) to the Honors Program Canvas Workspace. The Honors Program Advisory Committee evaluates Capstone Proposals and may recommend revisions. It is up to the advising faculty member to establish grading criteria for the project, give the student feedback en route to the final product, and assign a final grade in Banner.
Students typically register for these projects as individual study courses. Unfortunately, UMW does not currently provide compensation for individual study courses unless the individual study occurs over the summer. However, Capstone Project advising is a vital service to the university, as it allows Honors students to complete one of the most meaningful components of their Honors Program journey. Capstone advising could also provide a significant addition to a one’s tenure and/or promotion case.
If your department/college does not have a disciplinary 491, 492, etc. individual study offering, then students may register for HONR 491 instead. The HONR 491 registration could also be used for interdisciplinary projects.
Yes and yes! The Honors Capstone Project can overlap with senior projects for a student’s major and/or departmental honors projects.
Yes, this is fine, as long as the continued research is substantial enough to qualify for its own 3-credit Capstone study. In general, if a Capstone Project is based on a multi-semester project, the student should specify in the proposal which semester will be the “Capstone semester,” and should indicate project goals/outcomes specific to that semester.
Yes, work completed on a research team can qualify for a Capstone Project, as long as the student clearly defines their specific role(s) in the Capstone Proposal. If they are not 100% sure what role(s) they will be taking when completing the proposal, that’s okay—they should just give their best prediction, ideally based on conversations with their advisor and research team, at the time of the proposal. Students need to demonstrate to the Honors Program Committee that their work on the team is substantial enough to count as a 3-credit Capstone Project.