Capstone Project

General Information

Ideas are the most valuable currency a communications or creative arts professional has. This subject is all about developing a sustained piece of creative practice or research, from idea to execution. It is an opportunity for you to attempt the kind of work you admire in industry, in the process creating a substantial communication portfolio piece that reflects the cumulative learning from your degree and mastery of your chosen discipline. You may work individually or in collaboration with a small team within the fields of advertising, communication, creative writing, journalism, media studies, social media, public relations, and film and television, or develop a hybrid project that falls within the spaces among these disciplines. You will first establish the scope, limitations and context of your work, situating it within its industry contexts/comparisons and identifying the market and audience for it. Classes will take the form of workshops, where you will have access to substantial peer and instructor feedback. The subject will also explore models of productivity and sustained creative practise, pitching, freelance and client work models, project management and the transformative power of communication, creative practice, and research.

  • Academic unit: Faculty of Society & Design
    Subject code: COMN13-300
    Subject title: Capstone Project
    Subject level: Undergraduate
    Semester/Year: September 2022
    Credit points: 10.000
  • Timetable: https://bond.edu.au/timetable
    Delivery mode: Standard
    Workload items:
    • Seminar: x12 (Total hours: 36) - Seminar
    • Personal Study Hours: x12 (Total hours: 84) - Recommended Study Hours
    Attendance and learning activities: Attendance is strongly encouraged. While attendance is not assessed, classes facilitate a model for ongoing practice-based feedback and offer ongoing opportunities to receive feedback on your project, as well as to engage with the concepts and practice of your peers. As successful completion of this subject is heavily dependent on participation during all scheduled sessions, attendance will be monitored. 'Class Participation' does not equate to 'Class Attendance'. Merely 'being there' is not sufficient to fulfil the following criteria: contribution, collaboration, preparation, cultural sensitivity, and initiative. Most sessions build on the content of the previous one. It is difficult for a student to recover the information if a session is missed. It is the responsibility of the student to view the recordings of the weekly live sessions in order to catch up on any content missed and to complete set work outside class. In addition to synchronous sessions, students should plan to spend a minimum of 84 hours undertaking preparation/out of class work/personal study for this subject. This is intended as a general guide only for workload planning and more time may be required depending on factors such as the familiarity of the content. Please note: If you study on-campus, always bring your laptop to class. When you participate in the online sessions, always choose a private quiet place, with reliable internet and working microphone and camera, as you will use them regularly for class participation and activity.
  • Prescribed resources:

    Books

    • Additional readings and resources will be provided during the semester, based on student needs and individual capstone projects. n/a,
    After enrolment, students can check the Books and Tools area in iLearn for the full Resource List.
    iLearn@Bond & Email: iLearn@Bond is the online learning environment at Bond University and is used to provide access to subject materials, lecture recordings and detailed subject information regarding the subject curriculum, assessment and timing. Both iLearn and the Student Email facility are used to provide important subject notifications. Additionally, official correspondence from the University will be forwarded to students’ Bond email account and must be monitored by the student.

    To access these services, log on to the Student Portal from the Bond University website as www.bond.edu.au
Academic unit: Faculty of Society & Design
Subject code: COMN13-300
Subject title: Capstone Project
Subject level: Undergraduate
Semester/Year: September 2022
Credit points: 10.000

Enrolment requirements

Requisites:

Nil
Assumed knowledge:

Assumed knowledge is the minimum level of knowledge of a subject area that students are assumed to have acquired through previous study. It is the responsibility of students to ensure they meet the assumed knowledge expectations of the subject. Students who do not possess this prior knowledge are strongly recommended against enrolling and do so at their own risk. No concessions will be made for students’ lack of prior knowledge.

Restrictions:

Nil

Assurance of learning

Assurance of Learning means that universities take responsibility for creating, monitoring and updating curriculum, teaching and assessment so that students graduate with the knowledge, skills and attributes they need for employability and/or further study.

At Bond University, we carefully develop subject and program outcomes to ensure that student learning in each subject contributes to the whole student experience. Students are encouraged to carefully read and consider subject and program outcomes as combined elements.

Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs)

Program Learning Outcomes provide a broad and measurable set of standards that incorporate a range of knowledge and skills that will be achieved on completion of the program. If you are undertaking this subject as part of a degree program, you should refer to the relevant degree program outcomes and graduate attributes as they relate to this subject.

Find your program

Subject Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

On successful completion of this subject the learner will be able to:

  1. Create a substantive piece of original communication or creative practice that aligns with evolving industry expectations.
  2. Develop strategies for enhancing creativity, productivity and frameworks for sustained project management.
  3. Apply and deliver constructive editorial feedback, communicating with clarity, sensitivity and an awareness of a communication artifact’s social, political, global and critical contexts.
  4. Assess their process and practice to develop long-term strategies to sustain an extended project.
  5. Plan, problem-solve and apply creative/critical judgement throughout an extended project process.
  6. Situate their own work within ethical, cultural, theoretical and industry contexts.

Generative Artificial Intelligence in Assessment

The University acknowledges that Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen-AI) tools are an important facet of contemporary life. Their use in assessment is considered in line with students’ development of the skills and knowledge which demonstrate learning outcomes and underpin study and career success. Instructions on the use of Gen-AI are given for each assessment task; it is your responsibility to adhere to these instructions.

  • Type Task % Timing* Outcomes assessed
    Oral Pitch Oral pitch and written pitch of your project, including the title, content, scope, audience, potential publication venues and industry comparisons. 25.00% Week 3 1,2,3,4,5,6
    Essay Critical reflection on your Capstone Project process, experience and industry/academic contexts. 20.00% Week 12 2,3,4,5,6
    Capstone Project Choose a specialist area (content or genre) of communication, creative arts or journalism and spend the full semester developing a major portfolio piece, either individually or in a small team. The project scope will be defined during the Week 3 pitch. The final Capstone Project assessment will include an oral presentation, as well as the project output. In addition to being assessed on the calibre of your work, you will also be assessed on your ability to meet the goals and deadlines you outlined in your pitch, professionalism within the project workshops and your ability to give and apply feedback. 55.00% Week 12 1,2,3,4,5,6
    • * Assessment timing is indicative of the week that the assessment is due or begins (where conducted over multiple weeks), and is based on the standard University academic calendar
    • C = Students must reach a level of competency to successfully complete this assessment.

  • Assessment criteria

    High Distinction 85-100 Outstanding or exemplary performance in the following areas: interpretative ability; intellectual initiative in response to questions; mastery of the skills required by the subject, general levels of knowledge and analytic ability or clear thinking.
    Distinction 75-84 Usually awarded to students whose performance goes well beyond the minimum requirements set for tasks required in assessment, and who perform well in most of the above areas.
    Credit 65-74 Usually awarded to students whose performance is considered to go beyond the minimum requirements for work set for assessment. Assessable work is typically characterised by a strong performance in some of the capacities listed above.
    Pass 50-64 Usually awarded to students whose performance meets the requirements set for work provided for assessment.
    Fail 0-49 Usually awarded to students whose performance is not considered to meet the minimum requirements set for particular tasks. The fail grade may be a result of insufficient preparation, of inattention to assignment guidelines or lack of academic ability. A frequent cause of failure is lack of attention to subject or assignment guidelines.

    Quality assurance

    For the purposes of quality assurance, Bond University conducts an evaluation process to measure and document student assessment as evidence of the extent to which program and subject learning outcomes are achieved. Some examples of student work will be retained for potential research and quality auditing purposes only. Any student work used will be treated confidentially and no student grades will be affected.

Type Task % Timing* Outcomes assessed
Oral Pitch Oral pitch and written pitch of your project, including the title, content, scope, audience, potential publication venues and industry comparisons. 25.00% Week 3 1,2,3,4,5,6
Essay Critical reflection on your Capstone Project process, experience and industry/academic contexts. 20.00% Week 12 2,3,4,5,6
Capstone Project Choose a specialist area (content or genre) of communication, creative arts or journalism and spend the full semester developing a major portfolio piece, either individually or in a small team. The project scope will be defined during the Week 3 pitch. The final Capstone Project assessment will include an oral presentation, as well as the project output. In addition to being assessed on the calibre of your work, you will also be assessed on your ability to meet the goals and deadlines you outlined in your pitch, professionalism within the project workshops and your ability to give and apply feedback. 55.00% Week 12 1,2,3,4,5,6
  • * Assessment timing is indicative of the week that the assessment is due or begins (where conducted over multiple weeks), and is based on the standard University academic calendar
  • C = Students must reach a level of competency to successfully complete this assessment.

Study Information

Submission procedures

Students must check the iLearn@Bond subject site for detailed assessment information and submission procedures.

Policy on late submission and extensions

A student who has not established a basis for an extension in compliance with University and Faculty policy either by 1) not applying before the assessment due date or 2) by having an application rejected due to failure to show a justifiable cause for an extension, will receive a penalty on assessment submitted after its due date. The penalty will be 10% of marks awarded to that assessment for every day late, with the first day counted after the required submission time has passed. No assessment will be accepted for consideration seven calendar days after the due date. Where a student has been granted an extension, the late penalty starts from the new due date and time set out in the extension.

Academic Integrity

The University’s Academic Integrity Policy defines plagiarism as the act of misrepresenting as one’s own original work: another’s ideas, interpretations, words, or creative works; and/or one’s own previous ideas, interpretations, words, or creative work without acknowledging that it was used previously (i.e., self-plagiarism). The University considers the act of plagiarising to be a breach of the Student Conduct Code and, therefore, subject to the Discipline Regulations which provide for a range of penalties including the reduction of marks or grades, fines and suspension from the University.

Bond University utilises Originality Reporting software to inform academic integrity.

Feedback on assessment

Feedback on assessment will be provided to students within two weeks of the assessment submission due date, as per the Assessment Policy.

Accessibility and Inclusion Support

If you have a disability, illness, injury or health condition that impacts your capacity to complete studies, exams or assessment tasks, it is important you let us know your special requirements, early in the semester. Students will need to make an application for support and submit it with recent, comprehensive documentation at an appointment with a Disability Officer. Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Office at the earliest possible time, to meet staff and learn about the services available to meet your specific needs. Please note that late notification or failure to disclose your disability can be to your disadvantage as the University cannot guarantee support under such circumstances.

Additional subject information

The project is an opportunity to specialise in an area (content or genre) of communication, creative arts or journalism you’re passionate about and to develop a major portfolio piece, ideally the kind of work you’d like to be doing after graduation. You nominate a project concept and pitch it to the supervisor/group, and we will work with you to help resource and execute it. In some circumstances you might also collaborate with another student or small group (although all critical work will be done individually and project work will be separately assessed). Some possible projects are: developing a public relations campaign; developing a social media strategy; developing an advertising campaign or strategy; undertaking a research project; writing scripts for a doco-series; writing an extended creative non-fiction story; creating a portfolio of feature articles; creating multi-media features; video or blogged book reviews; portfolio of layout/design elements, or design project (e.g. Magazine redesign); working on an investigative project; construction of a website; creation of a podcast series; writing a short story; writing a book proposal etc. There’s a lot of scope for you to work within your interests and it’s important to choose something that plays to your strengths, ambitions and that you feel excited about.

Subject curriculum

Approved on: Mar 9, 2022. Edition: 2.2
Last updated: Oct 10, 2022
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