Frequently Asked Questions about NIE499 Interdisciplinary Capstone Project - For Project Sponsors

Interdisciplinarity is the capacity to integrate data, methods, tools, concepts, theories, and/or perspectives from multiple disciplines or bodies of knowledge to answer a question, to solve a problem, or to address a topic or theme that is too broad or complex to be dealt with by one discipline (Klein, 2021).

An Interdisciplinary Capstone Project is a culminating academic experience that brings together students from diverse disciplines to collaboratively address complex, real-world problems. These challenges are dynamic, multifaceted, and deeply interconnected, making them difficult to resolve within the scope of a single field of study. Addressing such issues effectively requires a combination of perspectives, methodologies, and expertise from multiple disciplines.

As part of this experience, students are encouraged to step beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries, embracing new ways of thinking and problem-solving. Rather than seeking a single ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ solution, they learn to evaluate solutions based on their effectiveness, feasibility, and ethical implications. The goal is to develop well-reasoned and contextually appropriate responses to complex societal and global challenges.

The capstone project is worth 10 credit units (cu), reflecting its significance as a major academic undertaking that requires sustained effort, research, and collaboration. This experience prepares students to work across disciplines in their future careers, fostering innovation and holistic problem-solving in professional and academic settings.

Project Sponsors are organisations, or entities - often from industry, government, or the community who initiate, support, and guide capstone projects. They are considered the "clients" for the project, providing real-world challenges, resources, and expectations that student teams work to address. Typically, Project Sponsors are stakeholders who have a vested interest in the outcomes of the project.

In the context of NIE499, Project Sponsors play a crucial role in bridging academic knowledge with practical application. They contribute by:

• Defining a relevant problem or opportunity for students to explore
• Providing background information, context, and technical requirements
• Offering mentorship or subject-matter expertise throughout the project  • Reviewing progress and giving feedback at key milestones
• Providing feedback on the final deliverable or presentation

By collaborating with Project Sponsors, students gain exposure to professional practices and expectations, while Project Sponsors benefit from fresh perspectives and innovative solutions. 

Beyond the commitment to mentoring, Project Sponsors must be able to provide an interdisciplinary problem statement. The project should be structured such that it cannot be solved by one discipline alone, but rather requires a collaborative effort from students with different academic backgrounds. This ensures the project meets the rigorous requirements for a final-year Capstone experience.

A suitable complex project should involve a real-world challenge that is open-ended, multi-dimensional, and requires input from multiple disciplinary perspectives. It should not have a straightforward or purely technical solution, and ideally involves social, organisational, technological, or policy-related dimensions.

To support Project Sponsors in defining a suitable project, a detailed proposal form will be provided. This form guides Project Sponsors through the process of articulating the context, past and current solutioning efforts, the key challenge or opportunity, desired outcomes, stakeholders, and measures of success. It also includes an optional section to suggest preferred disciplinary backgrounds, including the identification of an anchor discipline if applicable.

Assistance will be provided to refine or co-develop the project challenge, especially for first-time Project Sponsors. The goal is to ensure the project is sufficiently rich to enable meaningful interdisciplinary exploration while being feasible for student teams to address over the course duration.

The Interdisciplinary Capstone Project is only open to students pursuing honours and enrolled from the July 2023 semester onwards, in the programmes listed below. 

The following programmes will be offering the Interdisciplinary Capstone Project, in place of the current capstone project:

	Full-time undergraduate	Part-time undergraduate
School of Business	• BSc (Hons) Business Analytics • BSc (Hons) Finance • BSc (Hons) Marketing • BSc (Hons) Supply Chain Management
School of Humanities and Behavioural Sciences		• BA (Hons) Sociology
School of Science and Technology	• BSc (Hons) Information and Communication Technology	• BSc (Hons) Biomedical Engineering • BSc (Hons) Digital Media • BSc (Hons) Information and Communication Technology • BSc (Hons) Information and Communication Technology (Integrated Pathway) • BSc (Hons) Information Technology and Business (ERP) • BSc (Hons) Mathematics