Capstone Reflection with Heather Rougeot

The auditorium was full and the atmosphere was electric. The students from Cohort 14 of the

Masters in Instructional Science and Technology (MIST) program were equal parts nervous and

excited to share their Capstone Progress Report with their faculty, peers, and Cohort 15.

As a new student of the MIST program, my energy matched the room. I spent two previous days

meeting my team and learning more about the program I plan on spending over two years to

complete. I was nervous about the time I would need to invest, but I was also excited and

motivated to get started on my project right away.

I was drawn to Heather Rougeot’s project, Oasis for Graduate Admissions Process. Heather is a

Graduate Admission Coordinator for the California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB)

campus. In the office of Graduate Admissions at CSUMB, the new and current Office of

Admissions staff us a data-dense, non-intuitive user interface called Oasis to process student

admissions. The software is used daily but does not have a formal training process or available

training reference guides for new and current staff.

Heather considered a few factors when narrowing down her ideas for the capstone project. The

criteria she used to decide on her project included selecting a work-related problem she could

solve and act as a subject matter expert (SME). Working with her leadership, she decided on a

project she could develop during work hours. Focusing on a project to benefit her department

and act as the SME would allow her the flexibility to make her own work schedule and reduce

potential challenges working with others on a tight timeline.

As we concluded our conversation, she shared an important piece of advice with me. I should

select my project now. If I select my project now, I can work on my capstone through class

assignments and receive ongoing feedback from my peers and faculty to refine the deliverables.

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 Capstone Reflection with Heather Rougeot

As mentioned in other capstone projects, finding and scheduling time with an SME can be a

challenge. If possible, Heather suggested I be my own SME for my project.

I work in the California State University (CSU) system. Like Heather, I feel frustrated using and

learning outdated technology. She identified a true problem and gap in training and resources.

Initially, I thought the problem was risky to take on as a capstone project. Technology changes

so rapidly and updates to programs happen regularly, I was concerned her solutions could

become obsolete if the system was updated or a new vendor selected. She addressed this issue

stating the program and user interface will not change and is not slated as a priority campus

upgrade project.

The Capstone Progress Report presentations showed a wide variety of projects giving me a good

overview of what others selected and how they approached the project challenge. I am deciding

if my project will be product-based or research-based. Personally, I would like to create a

product, but have an interest in pursuing my Ph.D. I have a wide variety of interests, so it will be

important for me to make a decision early. I look forward to the day I stand in front of the class

and share my project process and progress.