Congratulations! You have done quite a bit of work on clarifying and better solidifying your Capstone Project during this course! You have drafted a Capstone Project Outline, talked w

6.5 Journal Assignment. Capstone Reflection – Next Steps

Getting Started

Congratulations! You have done quite a bit of work on clarifying and better solidifying your Capstone Project during this course! You have drafted a Capstone Project Outline, talked with your instructor about it, refined it, and are getting closer to having a clear plan mapped for your project! This is something to celebrate! However, because the capstone is such a major undertaking, you will still need to work on further clarifying it.

Let’s do a quick review of where you are and where you go from here. We mentioned in Workshop One of this course that your Capstone Project will integrate and build on what you learned from the literature review and/or your research proposal in PSY-535, as well as your previous Capstone Reflection Journal entries. The insights you gained along the way will enable you to explore an area of interest and apply your creative touch as it relates to the Capstone Project.

Over the next two specialization courses (PSY-562 and 563), you will work on components of your Capstone Project. In this course, you mapped out your Capstone Project. In the next course, PSY-562, you will refine it. In PSY-563, you will finalize the details so that you are ready to implement your plan and evaluate the outcome in PSY-590.

This final journal will enable you to critically consider what the most important next steps should be for your Capstone Project, especially as you move into the next phase of your master’s program. Consider, too, that the concept of grit is a major component of being successful in completing your Capstone Project.

Upon successful completion of this assignment, you will be able to:

• Reflect on the next steps or phases for your capstone project.

Background Information

For this final journal entry, you will review examples of exemplary Capstone Project submissions from previous MA students in light of the next steps for your Capstone Project. Also, you will reflect on the outlines you created, the readings for the course, as well as all instructor suggestions and other course materials. Focus on critical next steps for your Capstone Project: What must you do next and why? How have your course materials and assignments supported your progress toward finalizing your Capstone Project?

You will add this assignment as a new journal entry to the Capstone Reflection Journal you began in PSY-520.

Instructions

1. Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.
2. In Grit, read:
   1. Chapter 9, “Hope”
   2. Chapter 11, “The Playing Fields of Grit”
   3. Chapter 12, “A Culture of Grit”
3. Review the document Exemplary Capstone Project Ideas(Word document).
4. Open your ongoing Capstone Reflection Journal you have saved in a Word document.
5. Title this new journal entry “PSY-561, 6.5, <Day, Month Year>.” As you write in your journal during this session, reflect on the following prompt, citing references in proper APA format:
   590. After reviewing the document, Exemplary Capstone Project Ideas, write at least a paragraph response to how you will assure that your project engages a small group of people for a period of time in PSY 590. Include at least one example of how previous students included other people from the Exemplary Capstone Project Ideas 
   591. Reflect on the next steps or phases for your capstone project. You will refine your Capstone Project in PSY-562, finalize it in PSY-563 and implement your plan and evaluate the outcome of that project in PSY-590. 
6. Your entry should be a minimum of three paragraphs.
7. When you’ve completed this assignment, save a copy of your journal and submit your PSY-561, 6.5 Capstone Reflection Word document to your instructor using the Assignment submission page.