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Capstone and Portfolio Projects

As part of the requirement for the completion of the MTPC degree, students choose either a capstone project or a portfolio project. The capstone project is due no later than the 9th week of the semester a student plans to graduate. Due dates for the portfolio project and the accompanying presentation are determined by each student's committee, but they must be complete before the 12th week of the semester a student plans to graduate.

Capstone Project

The capstone project is particularly useful for students preparing to enter doctoral programs in technical communication or a related area. The capstone project is an extended research project; it allows a student to work independently, under a professor’s supervision, on a project that may or may not have begun in a class setting. An English department faculty member must agree in advance to supervise the capstone project. The faculty supervisor will also be a member of the student’s MTPC advisory committee.

Permission to undertake a capstone project is not automatic. A student must apply for permission by November 22 if the student plans to complete the project in the following spring semester, and by April 22, if the student plans to complete the project in the following fall semester. Permission is granted by the student’s three-member MTPC advisory committee. The committee will consider the student’s choice of topic, preliminary research, plan of work, and ability to work independently.

At the completion of the project, the student will submit a formal paper or report and defend it in a meeting with his or her advisory committee.

Portfolio Project

The portfolio project is best suited for students who are looking for non-academic employment after graduation. The portfolio project has three parts: the professional workplace portfolio, a memo to accompany the portfolio, and a public presentation of its contents.

Portfolio

The portfolio should be designed to showcase your best work and should include 6-10 samples from class projects, internships, volunteer work, or employment. Samples should represent a variety of different communication situations and can be either individually or collaboratively produced. You must submit an electronic, browser-based version of your portfolio (archived on CD-ROM). A print version is optional.

Your portfolio should include the following:

  • Résumé
  • List of References
  • Testimonials and Awards (if applicable; this section could include letters or emails from clients and other records of achievement)
  • Technical Communication Samples (each with a cover page that includes a brief list (50-75 words) identifying the purpose of the sample, context within which the sample was created, and the software used to create the sample; be sure to include appropriate buzzwords)

Memo

In addition to the portfolio, write a short memo (1000 words) to present your portfolio to the Technical and Professional Communication faculty committee. Use this space to briefly describe how the portfolio represents your training and experience, to reflect on your choices for the selections in the portfolio, and to provide a more extended discussion of the contexts and purposes of the individual samples.

Presentation

The public presentation of the portfolio should take a selection of your samples (no more than 5) and develop a 20-minute presentation to be delivered in a technology-enhanced classroom. Presenters should provide visual aids (usually PowerPoint and/or PDF presentations). Audience members will be encouraged to ask questions and provide feedback.

Readings

The following articles (required reading) offer practical, concise advice about creating professional portfolios for technical and professional communicators:

Steven M. Kendus. "Developing a Web-Based Portfolio." Intercom Nov. 2002: 4-7.

Jack Molisani. "Portfolios: Tools for Acing the Interview." Intercom, Sept./Oct. 2003: 20-22.

Julie S. Scott. "Portfolios for Technical Communicators: Worth the Work." Intercom, Feb. 2000: 26-28.

Kirk R. St. Amant. "The Ten Commandments of Effective Portfolios." Intercom, June 2002: 10-12.

The following textbooks offer more extensive advice for creating portfolios, but are not required reading:

Miles A. Kimball. The Web Portfolio Guide: Creating Electronic Portfolios for the Web. New York: Longman, 2003. (visit the Web site for portfolio resources and gallery samples)

Herb J. Smith and Kim Haimes-Korn. Portfolios for Technical and Professional Communicators. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2007.

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Last updated March 3, 2008