Capstone Project — Vagus Nerve Course

Core topics

Lessons in this module

Learning objectives

By the end of this module you will be able to

Lesson summary ↓Self-check ↓Glossary ↓

L01
Choose a deliverable matched to your track (patient guide, clinical decision aid, or trial protocol).
L02
Apply the A–F evidence-grading rubric to every claim in your deliverable.
L03
Cite primary literature and avoid marketing-language drift.
L04
Submit to peer review using the course rubric and revise based on feedback.

Expected takeaways

What you should walk away believing

→Mastery is the ability to teach the material honestly to your audience.
→Every claim gets a grade; ungraded claims don't ship.
→Plain language and calibrated uncertainty are not optional polish — they are the deliverable.

Lesson · Core emphasis

What this means for you

Patient summary

Use what you've learned to teach someone else — clearly, honestly, and without hype. A one-page guide for a friend, family member, or community group is enough.

Clinician summary

Choose: epilepsy, depression, stroke rehab, headache, or RA. Build a one-page patient decision aid with indications, expected benefit, AEs, alternatives, time course, and decision criteria. Apply the course's A–F grading rubric to every claim.

Advanced note

Design a pre-registered taVNS trial: population, site, parameters, sham + blinding check, primary outcome, biomarker of engagement, blinding plan, sample size justification, safety monitoring, pre-specified analysis plan.

Evidence framework

Where this module sits on the device evidence map

Capstone deliverables apply the full evidence map to a chosen indication or product.

Tier map →Tier 1 →Tier 2 →Tier 3 →Tier 4 →Tier 5 →

Objective self-check

Test the learning objectives

Score0 / 3(0 answered)

Objective · Track-matched deliverable.

Q1L01 — Core-track capstone deliverable?

Objective · Evidence-grading rubric.

Q2L02 — Every claim in the capstone must include:

Objective · Calibrated communication.

Q3L03 — Honest uncertainty in patient communication tends to:

Flashcards

Lock it in

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Front

Capstone goal across all tracks?

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Glossary

Key terms & abbreviations

Capstone: Final demonstration of evidence-graded mastery in a track-appropriate deliverable.
Decision aid: Structured patient-facing summary of options, expected benefits, harms, and alternatives.
A–F evidence grade: Course's claim-grading rubric: A established → F misleading/false.
Pre-registration: Public, time-stamped statement of trial hypotheses and analysis plan; defends against post-hoc bias.
Sham + blinding check: Methodological essentials for any device trial; required in advanced-track capstone protocol.
Biomarker of engagement: Physiologic readout proving the stimulation reached its target — required in any defensible taVNS trial.
Peer review: Reciprocal capstone critique using the course rubric.