Before arriving at St. Petersburg College (SPC) in the fall of 2009, Dr. Nathan Heinze worked at California State University (CSU) where he taught and developed a number of undergraduate, graduate and IT Management courses.  In 2002, he received his Ph.D. at Florida Atlantic University. He currently teaches the Senior Capstone Project along with other technology courses in Technology Management for the College of Computer & Information Technology (CCIT) department at St Petersburg College (SPC).

Commenting on the requirements for the Capstone class, Heinze said that students must complete two projects that span 16 weeks, along with a variety of written exercises designed to supplement their learning. They must choose from a selection of cases, recognize and diagnose any problems, and then recommend and defend a solution and implementation plan. In the first four weeks, students will complete a mini-case revolving around how the case can create business value. After this, groups will spend the remainder of the course where they must defend their choices.

At the end of the fall 2011 semester, the CCIT department completed its first Capstone class in December. Heinze said the results were promising. While presenting, students had to find core problems and explain them in their own words. Then they had to analyze the case, comparing and contrasting possible solutions. Once the analysis was complete, students had to offer a solution and defend it. Through an evaluation process, they had to identify the weaknesses of the chosen solution. Afterward, students had to suggest ways to improve or strengthen their chosen solution. Finally, students were asked to reflect on their thought process for the presentation after completing the assignment. The presentations were limited to 20 minutes and students were encouraged to dress professionally.

Throughout the capstone project, Heinze serves as a mentor for the students. He compared the operation of the capstone course to a CEO who runs a company. Students present proposals to him with a goal of convincing him to adopt their plan. “It’s more than just presenting facts and statistics. I teach them to think critically and to solve problems,” Heinze said.

 “Overall, the first semester presentations were quite good. I was very impressed with most of the projects. A number of them set high bars for achievement, and the goal is to make sure each and every team excels going forward. It’s a very encouraging start to our Capstone program here,” he said.

Heinze further stated that the best way to succeed in the course is to “keep up and do professional work.”