Capstone Course
What is a capstone course?
As a ‘cap stone’ is the piece of stone finishing a building, a capstone course is the culminating experience of an educational program. The course can take a myriad of forms including final-year projects, dissertations, experiential learning, seminars and performances/exhibitions depending on the learning outcomes and discipline involved. In their report on best capstone practices, Brown University reminds us that the “goal of a capstone course is to provide students with a culminating learning experience through which they demonstrate proficiency and facility with key learning objectives articulated at the level of the concentration as well as the broader general educational goals of their institution” (2018, p.3). Cuseo’s widely-cited definition of such culminating learning experiences in the American context emphasizes three main components:
- “To bring integration and closure to the undergraduate experience,
- To provide students with an opportunity to reflect on the meaning of their college experience
- To facilitate graduating students’ transition to postcollege life” (Gardner, 1998, p.22)
Capstones are integrative as they enable students to synthesize disciplinary information collected over their undergraduate experience and apply their knowledge to new problems or contexts. They are reflective as they allow students the time to reflect on what has been learned during their studies. They are transitional as they prepare students for the next step in their career trajectory, whether it be in graduate school or industry.
Best practices in developing and implementing capstone courses
Faculty involvement and feedback is essential and leads to higher learning gains. Four types of capstones have been particularly associated with these gains and can be used on their own or in combination:- Capstone seminars
- Team/project-based capstones
- Portfolio-based capstones
- Internships/collaborative partnerships/field experience capstones (Brown University, 2018, p. 6)
Faculty should act as a mentor and guide, helping students integrate the various outcomes of their program, including lessons from required and non-required courses (Smith, 1998). This entails giving students freedom of choice to examine issues that are of importance to them and that may differ from those of the faculty member guiding a student's capstone work.
Incorporate aspects of effective capstones such as including real-world applications, meaningful peer discussions, public demonstrations of competence (See more at Saint Louis University Reinert Centre).
Resources
Brown University. (2018). Crafting meaningful culminating experiences: Best practices for capstones in the concentration. A Report on Capstones for the College Curriculum Council. Retrieved from: https://www.brown.edu/academics/college/support/faculty/sites/brown.edu.academics.college.support.faculty/files/
uploads/Capstone%20Report_Revised%20with%20Ex%20Sum.pdf
Joseph, B. (1998). “Objectives and benefits of senior year programs. In J.N. Gardner and G. Van der Veer (Eds), The senior year experience: facilitating integration, reflection, closure, and transition (pp. 21-36). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
National Survey of Student Engagement. (2007). Experiences that matter: Enhancing student learning and success, annual report 2007. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research, 2007). Retrieved from http://nsse.indiana.edu/NSSE_2007_Annual_Report/docs/withhold/NSSE_2007_Annual_Report.pdf
Smith, B. L. (1998). Curricular structures for cumulative learning. In J. N. Gardner and G. Van der Veer (Eds.), The senior year experience: Facilitating integration, reflection, closure, and transition (pp. 81-94). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
See also...
Questions?
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