Capstone Practicum

Content and Length

The practicum must be a writing project that demonstrates the student's expertise in developing an actual workplace document or text, such as a company's or organization's Website, a corporate intranet Website or electronic training module, or a consulting project - such as the editing of a major work or design of a Website. A student must contract with a client - who may be the employer - to deliver a document or set of documents for use by the client. Obtaining the client's permission is necessary as the document(s) may be published as content in the student's final practicum, either in part or in whole. Moreover, in reflecting on the success of the project, the student will want to discuss the client-student relationship in the development of the project. The practicum must begin with an introductory essay that explains the rationale and purpose of its design.

Total length of the capstone practicum may vary depending on the type of document the student is working on, but the practicum project must be substantive. The final length should result from consultation with the student's capstone committee, as this committee will ultimately approve or reject the project. However, a minimum length should be fifty pages.