Every year, hundreds of AUA students prepare themselves for one of the most critical parts of their studies: capstones.
AUA offers capstones to teach students research methods, project management, and the application of ideas to real-world problems. Students propose what they want to research and carry out research to discover what kind of answers lie to their questions.
Dr. Aleksandr Grigoryan, an Associate Professor of Economics in the College of Business & Economics, explains a vital aspect of research in his research methods course. He shared that students should expect to work on a research perspective that links their research method to their capstone. Dr. Grigoryan added that this diversification benefits students, providing more opportunities that interest them. He said this bridging helps students think about their careers and what they want to do after graduating.
Dr. Knar Khachatryan, Vice-Provost for Integration and an Associate Professor at the College of Business & Economics at AUA, details the BAB program’s capstone course format. Dr. Khachatryan was the BAB program chair from 2015 to June 2022 and had a major impact on the development of the program’s capstone course. Simulation, thesis and consulting project are the three different options for the capstone course that business students can select.
She explained that students work together in groups in a simulation and have to respond to certain situations. Students manage the branding and strategy of textile companies within the regional market of Armenia. Sometimes, students have to respond to certain challenges. One example involves Turkey embargoing Armenia, limiting the types of goods and materials that can be imported. “We tell students to respond as you are managers of the companies. Try to find alternatives, try to fix the situation when you are making decisions,” said Dr. Khachatryan.
Dr. Khachatryan added that team management is crucial to the simulation process. “Team management should be important, coordinating work with team members and making sure delegation and coordination is happening in the team.” Dr. Grigoryan mentioned the importance of a complementary skill set for students when working as a team. He said that would help teams be efficient in various business areas, from finance to negotiations.
The second option is an honors thesis where students work individually, researching and analyzing quantitative and qualitative data. “We ask students to consult with faculty who are experts in the topics they are interested in,” said Dr. Khachatryan. Then, students formulate and submit a proposal based on the program’s guidelines. She explained that a committee examines the proposals and either approves or requests the student to modify their proposal.
The third option is capstone consulting, where groups have to work with instructors to research and propose solutions to the problems companies face. Dr. Khachatryan explained that groups propose their solutions and instructors must decide which groups best match the issues they are expected to solve.
Dr. Khachatryan believes that it is beneficial for students to have these choices to give students the necessary tools to learn. She says that some will want to write a thesis to prepare for graduate studies, the simulation helps those who want to enter the job market, and capstone consulting teaches students how to solve real-world problems.
Dr. Rafik Santrosyan, an Assistant Professor of English & Communications at AUA, teaches research methods and guides his students through the capstone process. “I encourage my students to look at their contexts. To pick a research topic that resonates not only to their interests in general but also brings the universal to the local context,” said Dr. Santrosyan. He explains that his main mission as a capstone supervisor is helping his students understand when to stop researching. “You start examining something and you get carried away,” added Dr. Santrosyan.
In terms of his class structure, Dr. Santrosyan assigns six research assignments to his students. These assignments inspire students to conduct research over the course of the semester and to specify students’ research into a singular question. “The best way of narrowing it down is to actually do the research,” said Dr. Santrosyan.
Dr. Santrosyan emphasizes that students should know what they want to research by the end of the fall semester.
“They should understand that going through this anxiety, concerns, and not knowing what to research is really natural,” said Dr. Santrosyan. Motivating individuals who are not confident in their ideas is another way Dr. Santrosyan supports his students. Procrastination is what Dr. Santrosyan hopes to avoid.
“If the work seems insurmountable, then this is the perfect reason for you to procrastinate,” said Dr. Santrosyan. He recommends his students to work on a regular basis. “You cannot come up with a capstone project in one week,” said Dr. Santrosyan. Communication is key to Dr. Santrosyan, who shared that weekly meetings help keep students on track.
Student research projects are essential parts of the EC program to Dr. Santrosyan because he is interested in what his students will discover through their findings. “As a researcher, I can’t manage to explore all these different aspects of our reality that I would otherwise love to, so it’s through my students’ research that I vicariously satisfy my research interests,” said Dr. Santrosyan.
During his time teaching capstones, Dr. Santrosyan has worked with students who have translated texts into Armenian. One student translated Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar, showing real-world applications of capstone projects. The skills students develop while working on their capstones show the necessity of taking them seriously as a culmination of their studies.
Working on their capstones helps students combine all the skills and knowledge that they have gained throughout the four years of their studies and turn it into something substantial and meaningful.
