Description

Students will draw together the knowledge and experiences they have gathered in their undergraduate program to create a Capstone experience. This takes the form of a hypothetical or potential project which reflects the culmination of their degree and the work typical of their academic field of study. Students design a hypothetical or potential research project which investigates a problem in animal or veterinary science, aquaculture, or a related field. The hypothetical project may include scientific research in a laboratory, farm, or field site; literature review; meta-analysis; survey; design problem solving; or other hypothesis-driven testing. Course assignments are designed to teach about research planning, experimental designs, writing research proposals, and presenting their ideas as an oral report to faculty and students. Students are not required to perform research during this course. AVS 401 and AVS 402 collectively serve as the Capstone experience for Animal and Veterinary Sciences students.

Course Goals

The student will complete a written project proposal for a real/planned or a hypothetical research project. The proposal will explain the project objectives and the context behind the proposal, and present the proposal to faculty and students. Students completing the general education area of Capstone experience will be able to:

1. Synthesize knowledge, skills, and dispositions gained throughout the student’s major of study.
2. Demonstrate competence within the discipline through professional conduct and, as appropriate, critical reasoning, analytical ability, and creativity.
3. Demonstrate effective communication skills.

Student Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this course, students will have the skills to perform the following numbered tasks.  Course objectives specific to each learning outcome are provided as lettered explanations.

1. How to find and assess the quality of scientific information. 
   1. In assembling background information about their topic, students will learn how to perform a search of scientific databases, how to read scientific literature, and how to assess information for validity and generalizability.
   1. In peer-reviewing other student research proposals, students will learn how to peer-review manuscripts, including reviewing, editing, and scientific critique.
2. How to create a research proposal.
   1. Students will learn how to write a short, informal summary of their project.
   1. Students will learn how to write a scientific project proposal, including how to format documents according to a pre-specified scientific format.
   1. Students will learn how to incorporate instructor and peer-review comments and revisions, and how to progress the maturity of concepts and writing with each successive draft. (Writing Intensive)
   1. Students will learn how to explain their process and controls to ensure the project is rigorously designed, how to present information in a logical and scientific manner.
   1. Students will learn how to build a citation database and use it to create relevant in-line citations and a bibliography.
3. How to present scientific information.
   1. Students will learn how to present a short, informal summary of their project.
   1. Students will learn how to create an oral presentation using software tools and present to a technical audience.

Taught annually in the Spring. Satisfies a Writing Intensive general education requirement

Syllabus

** Syllabus is subject to change.

Press

Animal and veterinary sciences seniors: Capstone stories