Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Department

Psychology

Additional Departmental Affiliation

Educational Administration, Leadership, and Research

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

Coleus Academy, a nonprofit e-learning platform, has been created to address the deficits left by the de-emphasis and, at times, outright omission of practical skill-centric education in American curriculums. There exists a gap between the degree of knowledge necessary to engage with adult life and the extent of that knowledge that is actually possessed by emerging adults. Prominent legislations are among the numerous efforts to address this issue. However, there is a deeply fractured market where resources are proving too expensive, too sparse, or hyper-specific to the point of limited usability. Compounded with disparities in when, where, and to whom these resources are available, there is no guarantee that the typical young adult will have access to the information they are searching for. Unlike the resources that have previously been made available, Coleus sets out to cover the sum of topics that facilitate real-world proficiencies. Built over the course of this capstone experience, the web application targets the skills essential to adult competency and effective citizenry, and it utilizes the internet to maximize findability and shareability. ColeusAcademy.org was and continues to be programmed using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP. Described conceptually as “an encyclopedia of adulthood,” Coleus Academy prioritizes comprehensiveness and accessibility above all else. This document dives into the shortfalls of standardized education, introduces Coleus Inc., and dives into the Coleus Academy website in its current and previous forms.

Advisor(s) or Committee Chair

Mark Simpson

Disciplines

Art and Design | Computer Sciences | Education | Interactive Arts | Nonprofit Studies

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