Running head: CAPSTONE PROJECT PROPOSAL OUTLINE 1

Teresa E. Sampson

Fall 2017

Instructor: Dr. Lemetrius Daniels

Program Start Date: September 20, 2016

Capstone Project Proposal Outline:

Duck River EMC Employee Orientation to Electric Cooperatives

CAPSTONE PROJECT PROPOSAL OUTLINE 2

Capstone Project Proposal Outline: Duck River EMC Employee Orientation to Electric

Cooperatives

Project Description

The purpose of the Duck River EMC Employee Orientation to Electric Cooperatives

project is to provide an overview for newly hired employees at the cooperative on three areas:

 A brief history of rural electrification, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), and Duck

River Electric Membership Corporation (DREMC)

 The Basics of power generation, transmission, and distribution to homes and businesses

 The Seven Cooperative Principles and how they define an electric cooperative

Capstone Rationale

It has been found that new and current employees are lacking in knowledge of what it

means to work for an electric cooperative in Rural America. DREMC is member-owned and

operates within TVA’s footprint in the Tennessee Valley. The cooperative serves over 74,000

members in parts of sixteen counties in southern Middle Tennessee. There are approximately

170 employees that work throughout DREMC’s eight offices. I work in the headquarters office

in the engineering department. My primary responsibilities include interacting with our largest

commercial and industrial members as well as economic development. I am also one of the core

members of the cooperative’s Balanced Scorecard Committee. Our CEO’s goal is for DREMC

to become the best electric cooperative in the nation. Member satisfaction is the key

performance indicator of how we are standing in that regard. As part of the balanced scorecard

process, we have identified key drivers that impact our member satisfaction. We feel that one of

those key drivers is informing and engaging our cooperative employees, which will have a

positive impact on how we engage with and satisfy the needs of our members. My goal for this
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project is to help DREMC employees understand the significance of working for an electric

cooperative and what it means for our members as well. In consulting with our CEO and other

stakeholders, additional training outside of the scope of this project is desired to further impact

the culture of the organization.

Project Learning Objectives

1. Employees will understand an overview of the history of rural electrification, TVA, and

the cooperative.

2. Employees will understand the basics of power generation, transmission, and distribution.

3. Employees will understand the seven Cooperative Principles and incorporate them into

their interactions with members, peers, the community, and other cooperatives.

Settings

The capstone project was completed using CourseSites, an online Learning Management

System. Feedback on the project plan and course development was obtained from peers in the

classroom setting as well as the management team at Duck River EMC. Employees will be able

to access the online training course from any internet connection, either at home or at work.

Evaluation Plan

Quizzes were built into some of the training modules to test learner knowledge, after

completion of the corresponding training material. Two reflection opportunities were provided

for learners to share their insights and to promote knowledge retention. An end-of-course survey

was created within CourseSites for learners to provide feedback on the course content, delivery

methods, and recommendations for improvement. A storyboard of drafted content was sent to

the Duck River EMC management team to encourage feedback on the design and content

development of the course. After all feedback from the storyboard review was implemented, a
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live link to the course was sent to the management team for review. Any subsequent feedback

will be used to fine-tune the course to meet the objectives of Duck River EMC and to meet the

needs of employees.

Project Schedule

A fully-developed project was completed and ready for a trial run on December 29, 2017.

Based on feedback from the formative, summative, and confirmative evaluations, the project will

be continuously updated to better meet the needs of employees and the cooperative. It is

expected that the first iteration of the training will be attended by our management staff before it

is rolled out to all new and current employees. The Capstone Project Timeline is shown below.

Capstone Project Timeline

Task Activities Start Finish
Research Phase
Define project scope Provided an outline draft of some project scope ideas to key stakeholders 10/23/2017 10/25/2017
Assess current conditions Consulted with HR Manager and Member Services Manager for information on current 10/25/2017 11/20/2017
situation
Design Phase
Choose design Began designing and setting up the course format in CourseSites 11/30/2017 12/29/2017
Draft content Gathered resources for content 10/17/2017 12/29/2017
Created storyboard to be reveiwed by peers in IDT program and stakeholders at DREMC 12/13/2017 12/16/2017
Built out content, quizzes, glossary, reflections, etc. in CourseSites 11/30/2017 12/29/2017
Survey Phase
Administer survey (storyboard Sent storyboard to classmates for feedback (including a link to enroll in course for live review) 12/16/2017 12/19/2017
review and request for feedback)
Sent storyboard to DREMC stakeholders for feedback (including a link to enroll in course for 12/20/2017 12/20/2017
live review)
Analyze results Reviewed feedback from classmates 12/19/2017 12/20/2017
Reviewed feedback from DREMC stakeholders 12/28/2017 12/29/2017
Made changes to content based on feedback 12/29/2017 12/29/2017
Presentation Phase
Produce Report Create final project presentation In-progress In-progress

Present Report Create video of project presentation In-progress In-progress