Overview

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In the Effective Communication Capstone learners apply the lessons of Business Writing, Graphic Design, and Successful Presentation to create a portfolio of work that represents their mastery of writing, design, and speaking and that expresses their personal brand. The portfolio includes three individual elements—a written memo, a slide deck, and a presentation—integrated around a single topic. We provide the elements for a basic capstone, but we also invite our learners to create their own project if they so choose. This self-designed "Challenge Capstone" allows learners to engage meaningfully in their world by choosing a project relevant to their current job or by volunteering to write, design, and speak for a social organization of their choice. By successfully undertaking the Capstone, learners will accomplish three main goals: 1. They will hone their writing, design, and speaking skills and build a portfolio for a job search and/or professional application; 2. They will shape these skills into a unique brand identity; and, if they choose, 3. They will undertake a transformative effect in the world around them. Ultimately, the importance of Capstone portfolio is greater than the sum of its individual parts. Its true goal lies in each student’s personal transformation and expression of their best selves. We invite you to unleash your skills and we can't wait to see the results! This course can be taken for academic credit as part of CU Boulder’s Master of Science in Data Science (MS-DS) degree offered on the Coursera platform. The MS-DS is an interdisciplinary degree that brings together faculty from CU Boulder’s departments of Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Information Science, and others. With performance-based admissions and no application process, the MS-DS is ideal for individuals with a broad range of undergraduate education and/or professional experience in computer science, information science, mathematics, and statistics. Learn more about the MS-DS program at https://www.coursera.org/degrees/master-of-science-data-science-boulder.

Syllabus

Capstone Introduction

Quentin, Dave, and William introduce learners to the Capstone, discuss options for the project, and provide learners with an overview of the elements necessary for completion.

Writing the Memo

Compose a highly polished draft of your memo. You'll review the key lessons from Business Writing so that you have a fresh reminder of the principles and techniques that drive all great writing. Then, you'll receive peer feedback (and a grade!) in preparation to create the visual elements and speech that will comprise your final project.

Designing the Slides

Design presentation slides which will illustrate key points from your memo. We'll review a few lectures from the graphic design course and work to make your slides functional and visually attractive. The final slides will be used in your capstone presentation.

Creating the Presentation

Create a draft of your final presentation. You'll draw on the work you've done writing your memo and designing your slides. As in the previous modules, you can review some of the videos and documents from the previous MOOC, "Successful Presentation," and you're work here will lay the foundation for your final revision.

The Final Push

You've reached the final module of Effective Communication, and you're ready to produce your very best work. In this module, we ask you to pull together your memo, slides, and speech into a powerful expression of who you are.