Academic Skills for University Success: Capstone

This Specialization is aimed at preparing students for undergraduate study in an English-speaking university. The course equips you for full participation and engagement with your studies by building awareness and understanding of the core values and expectations of academic culture, and providing you with practical strategies to apply to your studies. In the Capstone Project, you will apply the academic knowledge and skills you have learnt throughout courses 1-4 to research, write and present a project proposal that addresses a complex, real-world problem related to your field of interest and/or future study. After completing this course, you will be able to: 1. Apply a range of idea generation techniques 2. Apply research strategies to search, collect, select, process, and cite information 3. Use the research process to develop and critically analyse ideas 4. Apply critical thinking skills to evaluate and analyse ideas and evidence 5. Use problem-solving skills to identify gaps in knowledge and define issues 6. Develop creative and innovative solutions to real-world problems 7. Use appropriate academic genres for written texts and multi-media presentations 8. Use written and oral skills to communicate ideas effectively for academic contexts

• Introduction to the course & How to identify a real world problem
• In this module, you will be introduced to the course and then begin your project proposal. You will do this firstly by choosing a community that means something to you and identifying a real world problem within that community you would like to solve. This will help you to create a project that means something to you and that you can be passionate about. Then you will brainstorm the causes and effects of that problem before finally writing out a problem statement!
• Researching the Current State
• This module relates to Stage 2 of your Capstone project. Use the resources here to help you search for information, collate and then use the information in order to assess and describe the current state of your issue.
• Solving the problem: Defining the Desired State
• This module relates to Stages 3 of your Capstone project. Use the resources here to help you generate ideas and then combine them with research for the desired state.
• Stages 4 and 5: Generate and refine actions
• In this module, you will brainstorm possible actions you could do in order to bridge the gap between the current state of your issue, identified in Stage 2, and your desired states. You will also need to evaluate and refine those actions.
• Write the project proposal
• This module relates to Stages 6 and 7 of your Capstone project. Use the resources here to help you summarise your project, create SMART goals, a detailed action plan and a list of all the participants and resources your project will require. You will also find resources on polishing and refining your proposal for submission.
• Plan, write, and produce the video presentation
• This module relates to Stage 8 of your Capstone project. Use the resources here to help you plan, develop and produce your video! Good luck!
• RESOURCES
• This module is for the resources from the other courses you have studied. There is no new, or extra, material here. You do not have to watch any of this material.