Precapstone Tutorial

The semester prior to capstone enrollment (no earlier), you register for the noncredit DGMD E-598 Digital Media Design Precapstone Tutorial. The purpose of the tutorial course is to help you craft a high-quality capstone proposal. 

The tutorial is where you receive mentoring and guidance from your research advisor, Dr. Hongming Wang to develop an academically strong research proposal for your individual capstone project. It is a structured, semester-long course to ensure that your capstone project is well researched and designed prior to the start of the capstone course. You should begin the capstone course ready to engage in of the implementation of your project, and not still planning how you'll go about the project. 

It is important to remember that a well researched and structured capstone proposal research plan sets the stage for a strong capstone worthy of a Harvard degree. 

Over the course of the tutorial, you'll be revising and rewriting the capstone proposal multiple times. You will need to make self-directed progress on your research proposal without special prompting from the Research Advisor. Your due diligence throughout the semester is required. If you do not have a proposal that is close to being approved by your Research Advisor by the semester's withdrawl deadline, you'll need to withdraw from the tutorial, delay capstone registration, and re-take the capstone proposal tutorial again in a future semester, if your five-year degree-completion deadline allows. 

Prework Requirements

You need to submit the required prework in order to be qualified for the tutorial. Registration in the Capstone Tutorial is limited to digital media design degree candidates with quality prework submissions. The prework demonstrates that you have done enough prior reading and research on your topic to begin the capstone process. 

If your prework is not approved, you'll need to spend time revising and re-submit for the next offering of the tutorial. 

See Timeline for prework submission deadlines.

Create a 6 to 8-page Word document that answers all the following points, in detail. Do not create a cover page, do not include figures or images in the first 9 sections. Submit the Word document by email to ALMcapstones@extension.harvard.edu with “Digital Medial Prework” in the subject line.

Digital Media Design Capstone Prework Template

1. Capstone Track (Choose one)

  • web and mobile applications
  • animation, film, or virtual reality 
  • instructional design
  • emerging media and technology (e.g. AI, IoT, wearables, robotics)

Whatever focus you choose, you must have taken more than four courses in the area of your capstone track before enrolling in the precapstone tutorial to prepare yourself for successful completion of your capstone project. 

2. Completed Courses Related to Capstone Track

3. Title and Brief Description

  • title:
  • one-line description

4. Industry Collaborator or Expert User

Identify an independent person not connected with HES who is knowledgeable about the product you are trying to build, and willing to test it and give you feedback (contact Dr. Wang if you have not identified someone yet)

5. Community and Global Impact

  • Need for your product in your community:
  • Need for your product worldwide:
  • Number of people who will use it in your community:
  • Number of people who will use it worldwide:

6. Intended Achievements

Identify at least 3 ground-breaking achievements you plan to accomplish during your capstone. Each achievement needs to require as much work on your part as the assignments you produced for an entire course.

  • Milestone #1:
  • Completion date:
  • One-line description:
  • Milestone #2:
  • Completion date:
  • One-line description:
  • Milestone #3:
  • Completion date:
  • One-line description:

7. Related Work

Describe three projects created by other organizations or individuals that are similar to your capstone. For each work, you need to identify what makes it inferior to your work. You also need to include the citation to an early article about this work.

  • Work #1:
  • Authors:
  • One-line description:
  • Shortcoming of this work:
  • Citation in MLA format:
  • Work #2:
  • Authors:
  • One-line description:
  • Shortcoming of this work:
  • Citation in MLA format:
  • Work #3:
  • Authors:
  • One-line description:
  • Shortcoming of this work:
  • Citation in MLA format:

8. Novelty Compared to the Related Work

Describe the award-winning features of your work compared to the related work you mentioned earlier.

9. Software and Hardware You Plan On Using
For each piece of software and hardware you are planning on using, cite the earliest related article in MLA format.

  • Technology #1:
  • Authors:
  • One-line description:
  • Citation to the earliest article:
  • Technology #2:
  • Authors:
  • One-line description:
  • Citation to the earliest article:
  • Technology #3:
  • Authors:
  • One-line description:
  • Citation to the earliest article:

10. Preparatory Work and Sketches

Describe any work on the proposed project that you have already done. Also describe what your final product will look like using sketches, mockups, or storyboards. You need to draw yourself using a pen and paper, or using a software editor. Do not include images from other sources.