Research Guides: UNIV 4995: Portfolio Capstone: Course Assignments

Assignments

Portfolio Capstone Assignments

Assignment Descriptions

Resume (required), Other supporting documents (optional)– Work with Career Services to prepare a professional resume. Draft submission worth up to 50 points.
2 Cover Letters – Write covers letters for 2 different jobs you are qualified for. Draft submissions worth up to 50 points

Get Help

Resumes and Cover Letters
Access helpful examples of cover letters. Make an appointment with Career Services to draft your own.
Writing and Communication Services
Writing and Communications at CASA offers in-person or online consultations to help you at any stage of brainstorming, writing, or revising process.
Cover Letter Guide
This guide provides you with recommendations for your cover letter as well as a sample.
Resume Guide
This guide provides you with recommendations for required and optional components of your resume.

Using Artificial Intelligence

So, when is it okay to use AI in an academic setting?

Do not use AI as the first step to writing your cover letter. However, there are ways to use it ethically. Consider the tools' limitations and how to use them without breaching your school's academic integrity guidelines.

Here are a two examples of how you can use various platforms to assist you in your cover letters without committing academic misconduct:

Provide feedback on a sample of your writing. (For example, you could use the Grammarly extension)
Use AI as a supplement. The goal is to enhance your personal effort, not replace it entirely. AI is a tool, and you should remain in the driver's seat, using it to complement your own critical thinking and storytelling.

Even if you use AI to assist you, it should not be the ONLY method used. There will be greater success if you incorporate AI with other writing techniques and get feedback from real humans, which will help you develop your critical thinking skills and subject knowledge.

Should You Use AI To Write Your Cover Letter?
You may be tempted to have ChatGPT or another AI tool write your cover letter for you. Here are some dos and don’ts to keep in mind.
ChatGPT Prompt Guide
Use Career Service's ChatGPT Prompt Guide to help you create a cover letter that highlights your most relevant qualifications.

Assignment Description

Report on leadership and civic responsibility – Prepare a minimum 6 slide Power Point presentation detailing your participation in leadership activities, civic organizations, volunteer work, etc. You may also use an appropriate portion of your previously submitted ELC portfolio to demonstrate your mastery of this learning outcome.

Presentation Resources

Writing and Communication Services offers feedback on presentations as well as writing. You can also reserve the Presentation Practice Studio at the library to practice your presentation on your own or with a group.

Writing and Communication Services
Writing and Communications at CASA offers in-person or online consultations to help you at any stage of brainstorming, writing, or revising process.
Presentation Practice Studio
The 4th Floor Presentation Practice Studio is a private, reservable space to polish and edit presentation projects

Assignment Description

Report on teamwork and collaboration – Prepare a 3-5 page Word document detailing your participation in coursework, activities, or events that demonstrate your ability to collaborate with others and work as part of a team to solve a problem or achieve a common goal. You may also use an appropriate portion of your previously submitted ELC portfolio to demonstrate your master of this learning outcome. Draft submission worth up to 50 points.
Research Paper: – Submit a minimum 5-page research paper, marketing report, or other detailed report using APA formatting. This should have submitted previously with prior coursework. Draft submission worth up to 50 points.
Reflective Essay: – reflect and evaluate how your work as a CPLS major has prepared you for professional employment or graduate studies. Draft submission worth up to 50 points.

Search Almost Everything

Preliminary Research

Encyclopedias online & in McWherter Library
Browse our collection of encyclopedias to research your topic.
Journals
Search journals by your topic area to read recent articles.
Opposing Viewpoints
Check here to explore various viewpoints on a single topic. click on "Connect to Opposing Viewpoints in Context" to actually access the database.

Evaluating Websites

Evaluation of Web documents	How to interpret the basics
Accuracy of Web Documents Who wrote the page and can you contact him or her? What is the purpose of the document and why was it produced? Is this person qualified to write this document?	Accuracy Make sure author provides e-mail or contact address/phone number. Know the distinction between author and webmaster.
Authority of Web Documents Who wrote the page and can you contact him or her? What is the purpose of the document and why was it produced Is this person qualified to write this document?	Authority What credentials are listed for the authors? Where is the document published? Check the URL domain.
Objectivity of Web Documents What goals/objectives does this page meet? How detailed is the information? What opinions (if any) are expressed by the author?	Objectivity Determine if page is a mask for advertising; if so information might be biased. View any Web page as you would an infomercial on television. Ask yourself why it was written and for whom.
Currency of Web Documents When was it produced? When was it updated? How up-to-date are the links (if any)?	Currency How many dead links are on the page? Are the links current or updated regularly?
Coverage of the Web Documents Are the links (if any) evaluated and do they complement the document's theme?	Coverage If page requires special software to view the information, how much are you missing if you don't have the software? Is it free, or is there a fee to obtain the information? Is there an option for text only, or frames, or a suggested browser for better viewing?
Putting it all together: Accuracy: If your page lists the author and institution that published the page and provides a way of contacting him/her and... Authority: If your page lists the author credentials and its domain is preferred (.edu, .gov, .org, or .net)... Objectivity: If your page provides accurate information with limited advertising and it is objective in presenting the information, and... Currency: If your page is current and updated regularly (as stated on the page) and the links (if any) are also up-to-date, and... Coverage: If you can view the information properly--not limited to fees, browser technology, or software requirement, then... You may have a website that could be of value to your research!

Sample papers

Here are sample papers from previous years for you to get an idea of what you're working toward. Do not plagiarize these.