A Capstone Experience is included in this course for each member of the cohort as part of the project outcome measurement and evaluation required by IMLS as part of the grant funding. The course, LS 5843 Practicum with this Capstone Experience is designed to be in compliance with all criteria for a QEP Designated Course at TWU.
Student Learning Objectives in the Capstone Experience
Each student in the Literacy Matters cohort will complete a Capstone project in this course to demonstrate the student’s cumulative learning at the end of the grant project. Upon completing the course work and other project related learning activities, the student will be able to:
Textbooks or Course Materials for the Capstone Experience
Resources and supplemental project materials are posted and updated on LM Wiki site. Resources include the following that have already been introduced to the cohort:
Capstone Experience Course Conduct
LS 5843 Practicum, with Capstone Experience tailored for the Literacy Matters grant project, is specifically designed with student learning objectives in line with both student learning outcomes in a TWU QEP Designated Course:
SLO 1: Effectively connect classroom theories to real-world experiences through practical application of knowledge
SLO 2: Accurately assess knowledge and skills related to personal or professional goals to include collaboration, application, and problem-solving
Each student in the cohort will conduct the Capstone Experience in family literacy either on the job if the student is currently working in a library, or on the practicum library site where the student is completing the required 120 hours for practicum.
In the Capstone Experience, each student will
(a) select one agency among the local non-profit community based organizations,
(b) conduct asset inventory of the agency using community development methods learned,
(c) identify target clients, and
(d) develop a plan (an MOU) for collaboration and partnership in family literacy.
Work Products for Capstone Experience
Student will report and reflect on their learning at three stages:
Stage 1: Profile of a local non-profit community based organization. You will submit the first work product as a progress report to document your process of identifying non-profit community based organizations, comparing and contrasting them, and selecting one non-profit community based organization that best matches your passion for family literacy. You will use a template to collect data about these organizations. In addition, you will submit a narrative or other work product for Stage 1 and a reflection that addresses the extent to which you have achieved the student learning outcomes cited above at this stage of the Capstone Project.
Stage 2: Data collection, analysis and use to inventory community assets available for both the agency and the student’s library. Each student will submit a report to describe the community development tool(s) used for data collection, analysis and use to build community assets, and to reflect on student learning so far.
Stage 3: Asset-based community development plan. Based on the data collected, analyzed and used, the student will collaborate with the agency personnel to establish goals and objectives of the partnership and to design a collaborative plan for community outreach in family literacy. The final report, which will be presented as a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), will detail the plan, including goals and objectives, as well as the specific collaborative activities involving the work of the public library with the agency. The report will also include the student’s final reflection on learning throughout the project.