M.S. EREA Capstone

In addition to coursework and an internship, the Master of Science (M.S.) in Educational Research, Evaluation and Assessment program requires that students complete a capstone experience. For the capstone experience, a student has the option to complete a thesis, a project or a portfolio. All capstones are typically started near the end of your studies, typically after 24 to 30 credit hours have been completed.

All capstones require a student to assemble a committee of three faculty members (one chair and two members). A student will work primarily with the chair, who will guide you through the capstone experience. The two members will generally only provide feedback at key junctures. All capstones culminate with a formal oral defense of the capstone to the committee. The thesis and project options also involve an earlier proposal defense. The capstone experience serves as the Comprehensive Examination for students in the M.S. EREA program.

You should start thinking early in the program about which capstone experience you will complete.

Thesis

The thesis option engages a student in the conduct of a traditional, empirical research project. Per the Graduate School at Northern Illinois University, a thesis is to be a substantial contribution to knowledge, in the area of the student's major, in which the student exhibits original scholarship and the ability to conduct independent research. This capstone option is a good match for a student who is especially interested in research or who wants to continue into a doctoral degree program.

In completing a thesis, a student must first write a research proposal orally defend the proposal, and then receive approval to conduct the research from the capstone committee. The final outcome of the thesis option is the production of a written thesis document, consistent with the elements described in an approved proposal. This written thesis must be presented and successfully defended in a final oral defense before your capstone committee and others. The mode of the thesis defense (or thesis proposal defense) may be either face-to-face or online.

The thesis typically requires at least three semesters from initialization of a committee through the final thesis defense. Institutional Review Board (IRB) human-subjects review is generally required for completion of a thesis.

Project

The project option engages a student in an applied professional experience. A project may involve a variety of professional activities other than traditional, empirical research. Such experiences may include but are not limited to program evaluation, test development and validation or software development. While either a thesis or project may involve traditional empirical research, the latter offers a more flexible timeline in that you need not meet Graduate School deadlines. This capstone option is a good match for a student who is interested in working in applied settings, who is not considering a doctoral degree or who desires more flexibility in the timeline for the capstone.

In completing a project, a student must first write a project proposal orally defend the proposal, and then receive approval to conduct the project from the capstone committee. The final outcome of the project option is the production of a product, consistent with the elements described in an approved proposal. The nature of the product will vary and may include but are not limited to an evaluation report, a fully developed and validated test or a software program. This product must be presented and successfully defended in a final oral defense before you's capstone committee. The mode of the project defense (or project proposal defense) may be either face-to-face or online.

The project typically requires at least two semesters from initialization of a committee through the final project defense. Institutional Review Board (IRB) human-subjects review may be required for completion of a project, depending on the nature of the project and whether the results may be professionally disseminated (e.g., as a conference presentation or journal article).

Portfolio

The portfolio option engages a student in the development of a professional portfolio, plus additional coursework. For the portfolio option, a student is required to construct, present and defend an e-portfolio that documents and reflects on his or her experiences in the Educational Research, Evaluation and Assessment (EREA) program. Completion of the portfolio option as a capstone requires a student to also take five additional credit hours of coursework (because the portfolio only involves the curation and repackaging of, and reflection on, previous work). The additional coursework must be in research and assessment and allows a student to focus on a methodological area that is of interest to him or her.

The capstone portfolio is designed to allow a student to:

• Reflect on his or her professional goals and demonstrate how he or she has progressed during the course of study
• Reflect on the assessment, evaluation, quantitative and qualitative analysis skills he or she has acquired, and highlight what he or she believes are his or her personal strengths
• Demonstrate his or her written and oral communication skills in research and evaluation

Therefore, the capstone portfolio will give a student the opportunity to showcase his or her strongest skill sets in the research and evaluation field and show how different methodological approaches can be used to address particular research/evaluation questions. Further, the capstone portfolio will allow a student the opportunity to reflect on his or her professional development during the course of his or her M.S. degree and how this relates to his or her professional goals. This option is a good match for a student who wants to continue or gain employment in research and evaluation after his or her degree and who is not at the current time considering continuing into a doctoral degree program.

The format for the portfolio must be electronic (e.g., Google Sites, Moodle, Weebly, LiveText). The portfolio must be presented and successfully defended in a final oral defense before your capstone committee. The mode of the portfolio defense may be either face-to-face or online.

Assuming that you have already completed five additional credit hours of coursework, the portfolio experience can typically be completed in' semester. Institutional Review Board (IRB) human-subjects review is generally not required for completion of a portfolio.

If you are pursuing the portfolio capstone option for your degree, please make sure that you have either completed all your required/elective MS-EREA courses or are enrolled in your final semester of courses before enrolling in ETR699C (Master's Portfolio). Additionally, be aware that successful completion of ETR 699C does not necessarily indicate that you have completed the MS-EREA program requirements.