Editing Herzing Issues: Faculty Instruction and Curriculum Design (section)

=== HU-111: MSN capstone project 'not actually implemented, just theoretical'; presented to classmates and professors via Zoom only; raises questions about MSN-level competency assessment for a professional degree ===
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%"
! style="width:14em" | Severity
| Medium
! Status
| CONFIRMED
|-
! Issue type
| Capstone Implementation Gap
! Date added
| 2026-05-05
|-
! Owner
| colspan="3" | Program Chair / Curriculum Committee / Synthesis Course Faculty
|}
'''Finding.''' Per the tracker's evidence, the MSN-DE capstone project, framed as a quality improvement initiative in a clinical setting, is not actually executed in that setting; students develop a project proposal and present it virtually but do not implement the intervention, collect real data, or evaluate actual clinical outcomes, raising questions about MSN level competency assessment for a professional degree. This finding is partially captured in {{HU|HU-097}} (mentor requirement not disclosed), but the specific pedagogical concern, that the capstone is a proposal exercise rather than an implemented quality improvement project, warrants its own issue.

'''Evidence.''' Anonymous member 753 (May 28, 2025), a student who had completed or was completing Synthesis I and II, disclosed that the capstone is not currently implemented and is presented to classmates and professors only by Zoom. Student CR (May 28, 2025, a December 2024 graduate) said students needed to secure only one mentor for the last two semesters of the capstone project. Source Group: Herzing Direct Entry MSN Facebook Group Export (Dec 2022 to May 2026), Exhaustive Line-by-Line Review, Volume 7.

'''Reported statement.''' According to the tracker, anonymous member 753 said that as of the time of posting, the capstone is not actually implemented, only theoretical, and is presented to classmates and professors by Zoom, and separately described the capstone process as something of a mess so far.

'''Standards.''' ACEN Standard 4: MSN curriculum must include learning experiences that develop graduate level clinical competencies. A capstone that is purely theoretical, not implemented in a real clinical environment, not generating real data, and not evaluating actual patient or system outcomes, does not meet the standard of a graduate capstone in clinical nursing education. AACN Essentials for Master's Education in Nursing (2011, revised 2021): master's level education requires application of evidence based practice and quality improvement in real clinical contexts, not solely theoretical proposal development. If the capstone is presented as a clinical quality improvement project to state boards of nursing or accreditors but is in fact a theoretical Zoom presentation, this constitutes a potential misrepresentation of curriculum rigor. 34 CFR §668.71-75 (Misrepresentation): marketing the program as including a clinical capstone implies a level of implementation that a theoretical Zoom presentation does not provide.

'''Impact.''' MSN graduates whose capstone was a theoretical proposal have not demonstrated their ability to design, implement, evaluate, and disseminate a clinical quality improvement initiative, skills expected of MSN level nurses in practice, leadership, and advanced practice roles. Employers and post graduate programs (NP certificate programs, DNP programs) may expect MSN graduates to have completed a real capstone, which a theoretical only exercise may not satisfy. Students who invested significantly in the mentor finding process ({{HU|HU-097}}), including geographic restrictions, credential requirements, and in person hour requirements, may reasonably expect the capstone to constitute meaningful clinical work in return for that investment.

'''Notes.''' This issue is marked CONFIRMED based on anonymous member 753's firsthand account as a student who had reached Synthesis. It is possible that the capstone format has changed for subsequent cohorts; Student CR's December 2024 graduation account does not specifically address whether implementation occurred. Verification recommended: review of Synthesis I and II syllabi for capstone deliverable requirements, and comparison of those requirements to ACEN and AACN capstone standards for MSN programs. Cross-reference: {{HU|HU-097}} (mentor requirement not disclosed), {{HU|HU-077}} (80-20 self teaching expectation).

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