Sciences Participating with Arts & Culture in Education

Completing a SPACE independent capstone project: final reflection instructions
There are several ways a student can complete a capstone project in the certificate. In summary, a capstone project is completed

• through a credited program-specific integrating activity (e.g., CE, IA, and IS)

• as an independent project proposed by the student

• as an integrated reflection of activities done as part of their SPACE certificate experience

The following explains the final step in completing the capstone requirement in the form of a reflection with three options.

Option 1: Guided Reflection for any project

Aim to make your reflection between 250-1000 words

1. Read this example of a project reflection:
   https://space.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/explorations/article/crocheting_math
2. Open your written reflection with a hook: an anecdote, a description, or something else to catch your reader’s attention.
3. Next, explain to your reader: what is your project about? What was the context (e.g., coursework, research, independent project related to a SPACE activity, competition, or other extra-curricular, etc.)? Is it still ongoing?
4. How does this project connect with the SPACE theme of Uncertainty if at all? Are there any intersections with the sciences, technology and society?
5. What most interested you about the project? Why? Give a specific example.
6. How did working on this project affect your thinking or perspective? For example, was there a connection with anything to your personal life or our larger society and world? Did the project impact you in another way? Explain.
7. Optional: Create a photo, drawing, video or other piece of media representing anything related to the project. Submit your creative piece along with your written reflection.
   Example of a creative piece that really dug in to the student’s project and summarized the learning: https://space.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/explorations/article/an_inter-dimensional_journey
8. Optional: Prepare for project publication. Is your project suitable for the web? For more information contact Ursula Sommerer: usommerer@dawsoncollege.qc.ca

Option 2: Open-ended project reflection

Write a reflection of your own choice (250-1000 words) that is related to a project you completed in any way that you find interesting. For example, you might write about what you learned, challenges you overcame in the process, an aspect of the project that you would like to learn more about, or something else. As part of this option, include a summary of the project before your reflection.
 

Option 3: Activities Reflection

For students who have participated in various activities as part of their SPACE certificate experience, this option allows you to reflect on what you have learned from these engagements. Aim to make your reflection between 250-1000 words.

1. Introduction: Start with an engaging opening. This could be an anecdote from one of the activities, a surprising fact you learned, or a brief overview of the activities you participated in.
2. Activity Overview: Give an overview of any activities you participated in. These activities could include workshops, seminars, competitions, group projects, or other extracurricular engagements related to the SPACE certificate in some way.
3. Learning Outcomes: Reflect on any knowledge and skills you gained from participating in these activities. You can consider the following questions: What new concepts or ideas did you encounter? Were there any connections to sciences, technology, and society that you found particularly intriguing?
4. Personal Impact: Discuss how these activities influenced your personal and academic growth. You might address: How did participating in these activities change your perspective or thinking? Did you discover any new interests or passions? Were there any challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?
5. Conclusion: Summarize your overall experience with the activities. Reflect on the most significant takeaways and how they may have prepared you for future endeavours.
6. Optional: Creative Piece: Similar to Option 1, you may include a creative piece such as a photo, drawing, video, or other media representing your activities and learning journey. Submit this along with your written reflection.

Submission Instructions:

1. Use the form on the SPACE submissions page to submit your reflection.
https://space.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/space/static/submissions

2. Indicate in the “Statement” field that the submission is part of your certificate capstone project along with a few words to summarize your chosen reflection.

Example:

This reflection is part of my certificate capstone project: “Applications of Autonomous Robotics”. My reflection explores what I learned about the future promise and potential peril of intelligent robots.

Questions about either the capstone project or foundational knowledge requirements can be sent to Joel Trudeau via MIO.