Capstone Courses
What are capstone courses and experiences?
Whether they’re called “senior capstones” or some other name, these culminating experiences require students nearing the end of their college years to create a project of some sort that integrates and applies what they’ve learned. The project might be a research paper, a performance, a portfolio of “best work,” or an exhibit of artwork. Capstones are offered both in departmental programs and, increasingly, in general education as well. (Definition from AAC&U LEAP, 2008).
Additional recommended readings:
Campbell, D., & Lambright, K. (2011). How valuable are capstone projects for community organizations? Lessons from a program assessment. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 17(1), 61-87.
Lockhart, M., & Borland, K. (2001). Critical thinking goals, outcomes, and pedagogy in senior capstone courses. The Journal of Staff, Program Organization Development, 18(1), 19-26.
Todd, R., & Magleby, S. (2005). Elements of a successful capstone course considering the needs of stakeholders. European Journal of Engineering Education, 30(2), 203-214. doi:10.1080/03043790500087332
What are the key attributes or outcomes of capstone experiences?
According to AAC&U's "High-Impact Educational Practices: What They Are, Who Has Access to Them, and Why They Matter," this HIP is most clearly connected to these outcomes:
Fostering broad knowledge of human cultures and the natural world--through study in the sciences and mathematics, social sciences, humanities, histories, languages, and the arts (focused by engagement with big questions, both contemporary and enduring)
Practicing integrative and applied learning--Synthesis and advanced accomplishment across generalized and specialized studies (Demonstrated through the application of knowledge, skills, and responsibilities to new settings and complex problems)
How can you assess student learning using capstone experiences?
Berheide (2007) explained that capstone experiences are an effective way to assess student learning. Several examples are provided that demonstrate how capstone products can be assessed, including:
Requiring students to publicly present their work (exhibition, posters, etc.)
Encouraging students to present their projects at conferences or submit papers to contests
Inviting external evaluators or industry experts (perhaps potential employers) to grade projects
Evaluating senior seminar papers based on established criteria (program quality and learning outcomes)
The Association of American Colleges & Universities outlines various models for using capstone experiences to assess student learning. For more information, read Berheide's (2007) article, "Doing Less Work, Collecting Better Data: Using Capstone Courses to Assess Learning.
Why should reflection be used to facilitate this high-impact practice?
Students completing capstone work will apply the skills and knowledge acquired through former experiences to a "cumulative" project that represents the kind of work they should expect to complete post graduation. Because capstone courses and projects require integrating a broad range of experiences and skills learned across the curriculum in order to meet the learning outcomes, reflection activities can be used to encourage the student to synthesize and evaluate their work. Thus, since students must understand how their college experiences fit together to prepare them for the kinds of tasks and challenges they should expect to face as professionals, reflection activities about capstone experiences facilitate this level of understanding.
How can reflection be implemented in this high-impact environment?
Select from the questions below based on the integrative and lifelong learning outcomes and the TAMU student learning outcomes essential to your course or topic, adjusting the questions as needed to the level of students you are teaching.
Choose appropriate reflection activities.
Use the assessment descriptions below as a guideline for evaluating student reflections.
Assessment Descriptions for TAMU Student Learning Outcomes