UArts MEd Virtual Capstone Celebration

April 15, 2020

The culminating experience in the PIE MEd programs is the formal capstone project. Each year, students in the Educational Program Design and Educational Technology MEd Programs complete a project that represents a unique reflection of his, her or their individual course of study. This capstone project ties together the sum of the M.Ed. coursework taken in the program, and offers educators the choice of completing one of three projects, according to educator interest and utility within the educator’s classroom, school or District. Options include: 1) curriculum project, 2) research project, or 3) action research project. 

Traditionally these projects are shared and celebrated during the Capstone Gallery Walk. This event brings together the students, UArts staff, capstone committee members and guests and provides students the opportunity to share and get feedback on these culminating projects. This year, due to the need for strict social distancing, the decision was made to hold this event online via zoom. Each student utilized “Padlet” to make a poster that the community could preview before the event. During the 2-hour zoom session, each student had 10 minutes to share the highlights of their projects and committee members had the chance to ask questions. Overall the event was a huge success! The capstone course instructor, Elana Betts, provided excellent leadership in orchestrating the event and the students were able to both celebrate each other and to get the meaningful feedback that they deserved as they moved into their final revisions over the course of the next few weeks. 

This year there were five curriculum projects and two action research projects (listed below). Highlights included several projects that ended up preparing students for the distance learning that many of them are engaging in (such as “Digital Feedback.” “The In-Class Flip” and “Integrating Digital Technology in the Planning of Artwork”). The key theme that ran through all of the projects this year was a strong focus on meeting the needs of K-12 students--from giving them the tools that they need to be successful, to delivering useful and meaningful feedback to focusing on the whole student through social-emotional learning. The capstone process truly allowed these MEd students to investigate a problem that they were encountering in order to devise meaningful solutions that benefit both K-12 students and teachers alike. 

Student

Program

Teaching Area

Project with Links to Presentation

Type of Project

Maddie Craig

MEd in Educational Technology

Mathematics

The Effectiveness of Problem-Based Curricula in the Mathematics Classroom

Curriculum

Damita Pridgen

MEd in Educational Technology

Family Consumer Science

Digital Feedback in the Classroom: A Family and Consumer Sciences Curriculum

Curriculum

Alexandra Maxwell

MEd in Educational Technology

Mathematics

Incorporating Financial Literacy into High School Mathematics

Curriculum

Alison Thompson

MEd in Educational Program Design: The Arts

Visual Arts

Integration of Digital Technology in the Planning of Artwork

Action Research

Jeanmarie Braddock

MEd in Educational Technology

Music

Exploring the In-Class Flip in the Elementary Orchestra Classroom

Action Research

Jason Springer

MEd in Educational Program Design: The Arts

Visual Arts

Incorporating Critical Thinking Skills into the High School Art Room

Curriculum

Danielle Scicluna

MEd in Educational Program Design: The Arts

Visual Arts

Integration of Social and Emotional Learning Within Photography Curriculum to Improve Mental Health

Curriculum