Innovative Collaboration to Improve Capstone Certificate Policies
In March 2021, after extensive document review, policy analysis, emails and meetings of cross-campus stakeholders facilitated by Degree Audit Encoder Sharon Sumner of the RO and Academic Planner Karen Mittlestadt of APIR, Vice Provost of Academic Affairs Jocelyn Milner sent out a memo to Associate Deans, Capstone Certificate Coordinators and Academic Planners, to make campus aware of an effort undertaken “in coordination with the Graduate School, Office of the Registrar, and the Division of Continuing Studies, to clarify the Capstone Certificate requirement information presented to students via the Guide. The goal is to standardize information to align with policy. Starting now and running through next academic year, the APIR team will be reaching out to Capstone Certificate Coordinators to partner on making the administrative and systematic updates necessary in Lumen so that all Guide entries reflect the current policy around Capstone requirements.”
As of May 5, 2021, APIR and the Office of the Registrar had agreement from six Capstone Certificates to update their Guide Requirement pages to include the approved Shared Content that lists the standard minimum requirements for Capstone Certificates. The standard minimum requirements text will be displayed for these Capstone Certificates in the Fall 2021 Guide which will be published June 1, 2021. These same six Capstone Certificates were updated in DARS to be in alignment with the standard minimum requirements and current policy.
The minimum requirements are now clearly encoded and stated in the text of the DARS audit. Sharon Sumner will work throughout the summer to assist individual Capstone Certificate Coordinators who may be unfamiliar with using DARS as a tool for advising, data analysis and/or clearance review. Phase 2 of the project will begin in late June 2021 as APIR and the RO collaborate with remaining Capstone Certificate programs (approximately 20) to verify appropriate updates to the Guide and DARS to align with existing policy. The established working group of representatives from DCS, Grad School, APIR and RO stakeholders will continue to work together throughout the next phase.