The main goal of this course is for the student to prepare and present a rational, persuasive and professional-caliber proposal for his or her geodesign capstone project. This course is the first step in the culminating experience for the M.P.S. in Geodesign degree and requires the student to formulate a plan for how s/he will apply the geodesign framework to a real-world, problem-based challenge of his/ her own choosing.
Competency will be expressed through the detailed research process, a strong -level of writing proficiency and skill at sharing the project proposal during a presentation to advisers and peers. Each student will also peer-review and critique the presentations of other capstone project proposals.
Suggested sequence regarding the Project Proposal
While each student will work one-on-one with his/her Capstone faculty advisor, the timeline below may be useful as a starting point in working towards an agreed upon schedule for this 8-week course.
- Weeks 1-2
A. Refine the problem - Narrative discussion of research regarding your geodesign project topic and why it's important
B. Conduct literature review
Deliverable to advisor: 2-3 page narrative identifying significant literature, including identification of major issues discussed, approach used, lessons learned, history of issues, and future of the issues, must include formal/proper reference citations
Citation resources: Common Citation formats Citation searching
- Weeks 3-4/5
A. Identify geodesign framework approach
B. Identify research steps/methods
C. Identify anticipated project results - Weeks 5-8
A. Develop rough draft of consolidated narrative
B. Develop PowerPoint presentation
C. Instructor review and comment on narrative and presentation - Peer-Presentation
A. Present via Adobe Connect
B. Collect peer review comments
C. Revise narrative and presentation based on peer review
The Final Capstone project proposal typically includes the following main sections, however your advisor may request a format different from this:
- Background
- Goals and Objectives
- Proposed Methodology
- Project Timeline
- Anticipated Results
Final deliverables: Comprehensive Project Proposal (word document); peer-review presentation
Currently we are sharing the Peer-review portion of this course with our colleagues in the MGIS program.
Please review the “Peer Review” and “Technical Requirements” portions on this webpage.
For Course grading and other policies, please see full syllabus for GEODZ 596A.
Please review resources related to Geodesign.
The MGIS program has been doing final Capstone Projects for more than a decade and offer several resources at the link below. Please keep in mind the students in the MGIS program have slightly different goals for their capstone projects, but never the less, viewing some examples may be helpful.