Overview

The capstone for the Master of Veterinary Science is an Integrative Learning Experience (ILE) project, which integrates your previous learnings into a structured problem-solving project. It is designed to provide students with an activity that will help them synthesize and apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired during the MVS coursework. Over two semesters, you’ll work in groups to complete several deliverables, leading to a final solution that includes a full implementation or go-to-market plan. The capstone starts with an overview of the tools designed to streamline your project. This initial stage includes individual tasks, enabling you to personally explore tool usage and hone your unique skills. For two semesters, you’ll engage in group work, selecting a problem from provided options and creating deliverables leading up to your final project. The purpose of the ILE project is to encourage students to draw upon their creativity for innovation, integrating theory, practical experience, research, data collection, analytic skills, writing, and critical thinking into a hybrid research-design project targeted toward generating a solution to a real-world problem related to their professional background and interests. Upon the completion of their capstone project, students will have developed practical skills in the following areas:

Interpret and apply foundational principles of veterinary science to real-world problems.
Concisely define, assess, and prioritize problems.
Formulate specific testable questions about problems.
Seek out and critically evaluate evidence to support conclusions about answers to questions.
Apply structured problem-solving and solution design methods to generate, communicate, and
implement solutions for complex problems

We will utilize the human-centric design (HCD) framework facilitated by our colleagues at the Siebel Center for Design located here on campus to help guide each of you through the process of an innovation project. You can read more about the Siebel Center for Design on their website https://designcenter.illinois.edu/

The following are considered common innovation/design domains for the ILE:  

Systems technology – developing an innovative solution to address ‘big-society’ issues, e.g. consumer perceptions/confidence, climate change, animal welfare 
Physical device (e.g., tool, sensor, hardware) – for measuring/monitoring a specific aspect of animal health and production or management 
Process/workflow – solutions for problems in operational communication, efficiency, integration, effectiveness  
Data collection and analysis – improvements in data collection, reporting, visualization, analysis, or interpretation 
Education/training – to overcome knowledge or skills gaps in particular stakeholders 
Business – solutions for failings or deficiencies in a business operation, or for generating improvements in systems efficiency and profitability  

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

Identify data types and organize and navigate the data to facilitate the analysis of the data
Describe data using appropriate metrics
Determine if a difference exists between two or more groups through the application of the appropriate test
Identify relationships between two or more variables through the applicate of the appropriate test
Design a simple prospective study to determine the difference between two groups

Project Deliverables

For Section A of the capstone, students are expected to complete the following:

A comprehensive summary of “what is known” about the problem.
You will perform secondary research using written sources to comprehend the existing knowledge about the issue and summarize your findings in a fully referenced written document, often referred to as a “white paper.”
A comprehensive summary of “how the problem impacts people (users)”
You will perform primary research by engaging with users and individuals impacted by the issue, to gain insight into the human elements of both the problem and potential solutions.
Identify 3 potential solutions to the problem
Drawing from your previous work, you will identify three potential solutions to the problem and analyze the advantages and disadvantages of each.

For Section B of the capstone, students will continue their project and complete the following:

Select a proposed solution
You will select one solution and explain why it is the most effective.
Design and create your solution
You will subsequently develop every facet of the solution to the problem and produce prototypes of your chosen solution.
Develop a “go to market” plan
Finally, you will create a plan to bring your solution from concept to market.

Recommended Prerequisites

To be eligible to take this course, students must be in good academic standing, have completed at least 12 hours of VCM coursework, and received approval from the instructor. Students should be in their final two semesters of the program. Section A (4 credit hours) must be completed before students can take Section B (4 credit hours).