It is natural to feel somewhat apprehensive before coming to your first Weekend Experience. This document is intended to help alleviate some of that feeling by providing information on what you can expect to find, what is expected of you, and what you should bring with you.
What You Can Expect to Find
- Representatives of the University leadership, available to converse and to hear your interests or concerns.
- Capella staff—from Learner Services, Events, and other departments—available before and after sessions and during breaks.
- Faculty instructors who are fully committed to ensuring that you have the best learning experience possible. They will consult and advise your work throughout the weekend, and will provide ongoing formative feedback.
- Continental breakfast each morning and full lunch service.
- Scheduled coffee or snack breaks—two in the morning, two in the afternoon.
- An intra-colloquia messaging system to contact other learners or faculty on site.
- Links to advisers back at Capella as needed.
- Free wifi and electrical outlets for Internet work during sessions, and hotel wifi (if you wish to subscribe) in your rooms at night.
- Markers and poster paper for the final day's Poster Presentation Session.
- The Capella Store, an on-site shop selling all kinds of Capella gear.
- All the usual hotel amenities.
What Is Expected of You
All Capella policies apply to Colloquia. You will find copies of all the relevant learner-oriented policies.
- The colloquium is a scholarly event. The usual courtesy, respect for persons, attitude of collaboration, and openness to scholarly feedback are required.
- Conduct or speech that is offensive to others is unacceptable.
- Illegal drug or alcohol use during academic sessions is unacceptable.
- Dress is business casual, defined at Capella as being comfortable but business-like. Men's shirts are expected to have collars, and clothing should be respectful both to oneself and to others. Wearing anything inappropriate in an academic environment should be avoided.
- The sessions are working sessions. This means you are expected to:
- Attend all the sessions, as opposed to working in your room or off-site.
- Make yourself available to your colleagues in your cohort or at your work table for consultation, feedback, and academic support.
- Ask for help when you need it.
- Take smoking breaks or tend to personal business (such as phone calls) only during the scheduled break periods, limiting rest room breaks to a few minutes.
- Be present at the scheduled starting time and remain until the schedule ending time.
There will also be sessions during which you and your colleagues will make oral presentations of your work. During these, you will be expected to:
- Attend carefully to your colleagues, so that you can offer them electronic feedback after their presentations.
- Provide electronic feedback after each presentation.
- Make your own presentation when your turn comes, staying within the stated limits for time.
In your oral presentations, you are expected to:
- Strive for a genuine academic tone; you are not expected to be a polished public speaker.
- Present what you have done to date. If it is incomplete, that will not be held against you—just be satisfied with whatever work you are presenting. Your presentation will not be evaluated on citations and references. Of course, when you create documents in the courseroom, you should provide citations and references to others’ work.
- Evaluate your colleagues using an electronic rubric that can be quickly checked off to provide evaluative feedback. You may provide comments to your colleagues, if you wish to make them.
- Inform your faculty instructor or reach out for guidance from the Capella Disabilities Office if you have a documented accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act. You should not be expected to make oral presentations if this applies to you.
What to Bring With You
- Your laptop computer and power cord. It will be necessary in order to:
- Search databases for existing research related to your research topic.
- Access and complete the feedback tool for colleagues' oral presentations.
- Complete various activities that you will do during some sessions.
(Please note that learners at past Colloquia have found their laptops stolen when they left them in the unsupervised room during breaks. We strongly recommend that you not leave your laptop or other valuables in the room during the longer break periods, unless you are certain that someone will be supervising them.)
- Do not bring or use external Internet-connecting devices. Use the wifi that Capella provides in the rooms. External devices often crash the wifi system.
- Note paper and pens or pencils, if you use them.
- Your copy of the 2010 Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.).
- Bring a copy of your most recent final paper in a Capella course. It can be either an electronic copy or a paper copy.
- A light sweater in case the room is too cold for your comfort level, which often happens in hotels.
Doc. reference: phd_t1_u09s1_h02_protocol.html