Applied Exercise Program

Capstone Experience Course

AES 6990

Manual
 Please note this is not the syllabus.
This manual serves to provide the student with an overview of the course,
expectations, and project ideas/descriptions.

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 Table of Contents

Course Description 4

Assignments 5-6

Projects 7-16

Certification Exams 8-9

Internship 10

Event/Continuing Education Workshop 11

CAT Manuscript 12

Literature Review 13

Website 14

Grant 15

Course Development 16

Appendix A 17

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 Course Description

This course is the culminating experience in the Master of Science in Applied Exercise

Science degree. Experiences may include, but is not limited to, independent research that

leads to an actual product such as a publishable journal article, professional field experience,

conference presentation, advanced certifications, web site, on-line course materials, &

curriculum development.

Course Objectives
This course should enable the student to:

A. Synthesize, integrate and apply knowledge acquired from the Master of

Science in Applied Exercise Science degree program.

B. Explore and reflect on current and emerging trends in the exercise

science field.

C. Complete a project that demonstrates knowledge and skills acquired during

the Master of Science in Applied Exercise Science degree program. The project

may include, but is not limited to, independent research that leads to an

actual product such as a publishable journal article, professional field

experience, conference presentation, advanced certifications, program or

facility development, web site, on-line course materials, curriculum

development.

D. Apply ethical standards in the field of Applied Exercise Science

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 Assignments

This eight-week course is broken up into four, two-week modules. An overview of the

assignments for each module is identified below. Specific information is outlined in the course

syllabus.

Module 1

-Discussion Thread

-Capstone Project Plan

*All capstone project plans must be approved prior to beginning work on the project.

Students may be granted approval of their project during the eight-week term

immediately prior to taking the capstone course, however, they will still need to submit

this assignment (i.e. ALL students need to complete this assignment).

-Resume

Module 2

-Discussion

Module 3

-Discussion

Module 4

-Final Project Report

-Final Project Deliverable

*This is proof of project completion

-Final Project Presentation

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 *This is posted as a discussion thread, and is a presentation to the class regarding your

project

-Exit Interview Survey

*This survey address the AES program as a whole

*This is NOT the course evaluation sent by the university

*A link to this survey will be sent during Week 7

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 Capstone Project Ideas

Identified within this manual are the most commonly completed capstone projects. If a

student has a project that is not identified on this list, they can still propose the topic. Students

who wish to complete a project that is not identified here, are encouraged to schedule a

meeting with the Program Lead/Course Instructor prior to the course beginning. There are

projects that need to be formally approved prior to the student beginning the course, and these

projects will be discussed within the manual (internships & event hosting need to be approved

prior to the beginning of the course)

An information session will be held during the eight-week term prior to the capstone

course session. During this informational session students will be provided an overview of the

course, project ideas will be discussed, and there will be a question/answer period. A recording

of an info session as well as this manual will be emailed out to all students after the live

informational session. Students who have additional questions after reviewing this information

are encouraged to contact the Program Lead/Course Instructor.

The following projects will be discussed in this manual:

1. Certification Exams
2. Internship
3. Event/Continuing Education Workshop
4. CAT Manuscript
5. Literature Review
6. Website
7. Grant
9. Course Development

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Certification Exams

Students cannot complete a certification exam for the concentration they are taking.

This is due to university accreditation. For a student to earn course credit, that course cannot

be a review course. Since students have already learned the material for their concentration

exam, taking their concentration exam would constitute a review and the student would not be

eligible to earn course credit. Certification exams cannot be taken prior to the start of Week 7

of the eight-week course. Proof of exam completion will serve as the project’s deliverable. This

proof can include: certificate or a screen shot of the student’s account showing the student’s

name, the date/time the exam was taken, and the exam results (must show valid proof; ie. Not

a Word document). Students do not need to pass the certification exam to pass the course.

Table 1 outlines the major concentrations and the associated certification exams that cannot be

taken for the capstone experience.

CONCENTRATION CERTIFICATION EXAM

Nutrition ISSN
Fitness & Health Promotion NASM-CPT
Human Movement Science NASM-CES
Sports Performance Training NASM-PES
Strength & Conditioning NSCA-CSCS
Table 1. Concentrations & Associated Exam

Table 2 outlines a list of pre-approved certification exams. If you wish to take a

certification exam that is not on the pre-approved list, you can seek approval from the course

instructor. You are encouraged to do so prior to submitting your Module 1 Project Proposal

assignment in case your certification exam is not approved. Factors that will be considered

when approving certification exams include the rigor of the exam and rigor of the accrediting

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body. Certification exams that offer students multiple attempts and can be completed at home

are likely to be rejected.

ACSM-CPT NASM-CPT
ACSM-CEP NSCA-CSCS
ACSM-EP NSCA-Tactical S&C Facilitator Exam
ACSM-RCEP Positional Release Therapy
Active Release Therapy ACE Health Coach
SFMA ACE Certified Medical Exercise Specialist
ACE Behavior Change NSCA-CPT
NSCA-CSPS
Table 2. Pre-Approved Credentialing Exams

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Internship

Students who wish to complete an internship must have their internship site approved

prior to the capstone course beginning. Students are responsible for finding their own

internship location. Upon finding a location, the student must submit the internship site’s

curriculum to the Program Lead/Course Instructor for approval (this must occur a minimum of 1

week before the capstone course begins; requests submitted after the course begins will not be

approved). The curriculum must include the duties & responsibilities of the intern, learning

objectives, and assessments. Upon approval of the internship, the course instructor will select

artifacts from the internship’s curriculum (i.e. assessments) to serve as the project deliverables

for the student. In addition, a final evaluation will be sent to the student’s internship supervisor

for completion, and will also serve as a portion of the project’s deliverables.

Students are expected to complete a minimum of 15 hours a week over the eight-week

course. These hours must be logged and verified by the internship supervisor (Appendix A).

Students who do not complete this hourly requirement will not pass the capstone course.

These hour sheets will serve as one of the project’s deliverables.

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Event/Continuing Education Workshop

Hosting an event is another project that must be approved prior to the capstone course

beginning. Events can include: fitness/wellness event, continuing education workshop/seminar,

or a professional development course. The event must involve the capstone student providing

evidenced-based information to the participants. Events such as camps/clinics, races, or other

sporting events will not be approved.

To propose an event for a capstone projects, students will need to submit the following

information a minimum of 1 week prior to the course beginning:

1. Detailed description of the event

2. Learning objectives for the participants (learning objectives must follow Bloom’s Taxonomy)

3. Confirmed date, time, and location of the event

a. This information must be confirmed by the hosting site & proof must be provided

b. The event cannot take place prior to the start of Week 7

c. The event must occur before the end of the capstone course

__________________________________________________________________________

Upon approval of the event, the following must be included in the event and submitted

as the project’s deliverables:

1. Advertising information (i.e. brochures, emails, website, etc)

2. Content covered at the event (i.e. lecture notes, PowerPoints, worksheets, etc.)

3. Participant evaluations

4. Assessment map – the assessment strategy employed to ensure the learning objectives were

met. (mapped to the proposal list item #2)

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CAT Manuscript

A Critically Appraised Topic (CAT) manuscript answers a focused clinical question (PICO).

Students wishing to complete a CAT manuscript for their capstone project will submit their

PICO question as part of their Module 1, Capstone Project Proposal assignment. The purpose of

a CAT manuscript is to answer a focused question that has already been answered in recent

research (within the last 5-7 years). Students need to research their topic to ensure availability

of original peer-reviewed research articles prior to proposing their PICO question.

Students who compete CATs as part of a previous course assignment cannot use the

same topic. Submission of the same topic will result in an automatic failure of the course. Work

must be original, and produced for the sole purposes of this course.

The project deliverable will be the CAT manuscript formatted according to author

guidelines for either the International Journal of Athletic Therapy & Training or Journal of Sport

Rehabilitation. If a student finds a more appropriate journal for their particular topic that

accepts CATS, they can format their manuscript to that journal’s author guidelines.

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Literature Reviews

A literature review is a comprehensive overview of a particular topic. The topic must be

related to the field of Exercise Science. Literature reviews are commonly completed as part of a

thesis or dissertation. This paper is a thorough analysis of the applicable literature, reporting

findings, summaries, commonalities, differences, methodologies, and clinical implications of

results. It is an objectively written paper, with the author’s subjective thoughts/opinions not

included. The paper is a synthesis of information presented in a cohesive fashion using headings

and sub-headings liberally through the paper to keep content organized.

A literature review is not an annotated bibliography. The paper should integrate the

literature collectively, and not discuss individual articles. The excessive use of “Author et al.”

should be avoided, as literature should be presented cohesively.

Students who wish to complete a literature review are encouraged to talk with the

Program Lead/Course Instructor about the topic and feasibility of completing a comprehensive

literature review within the time frame of the course.

The project deliverable will be the literature review paper.

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Website

Students may develop a website for their capstone project. Website information must

be Evidenced-Based and include original peer-reviewed citations for support. For example, if

discussing the impact of an SAQ program on skill development, inclusion of peer-reviewed

citations must be included, and a thorough analysis of the topics must be included. Accuracy of

content and supporting documentation will be the focus of the instructor’s analysis of the final

product. Developing a website for purely business purposes (i.e. selling personal training) will

not be accepted. Students will need to propose their website idea and include the following in

their proposal:

1. Domain name (instructor will access)

2. Purpose of the website

3. Overview of the material to be covered on the website

The information provided within the overview of material will determine if the project is

rigorous enough to be considered for a capstone project. Students are encourage to a develop

multifaceted to ensure rigor. Brief overviews of topics will not be accepted. A thorough analysis

of topics with supporting literature must be included in order to make a website a viable option

for a capstone project.

The project deliverable will be the website.

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Grant

Students may submit a grant for their Capstone Project. There must be a formal

application process for the grant submission, the grant must be submitted during the capstone

course (therefore the grant window must be during the capstone course & the deadline cannot

occur prior to Week 6), and the grant must be related to the field of Exercise Science. For the

Module 1 Capstone Project Proposal, the student must provide the instructor with the specific

grant information - the website outlining the grant details.

The project deliverable will consist of the grant and proof of submission.

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Course Development

Students can develop a new course (high school or college) for their capstone project.

The course must be related to the field of Exercise Science. The course cannot be an activities-

based course. It can include a lab component, but must also include lecture/classroom didactic

components as the primary focus (majority of course work). The course should be developed as

a traditional 3-credit course. The project deliverables must include:

1. Course Syllabus

2. Assessments (All)

3. Assessment Map (mapping assessments to learning objectives)

4. Lesson plans/lectures (All)

5. Rubrics for assessments

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 APPENDIX A

Student Name: ___________________________________________

Internship Site: ____________________________________________

Supervisor: _______________________________________________

DATE Day’s Task/Responsibilities Total Hours Supervisor’s

Initials

Total Number of Hours: _____________

Supervisor’s Signature: _____________________________________________

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