Capstone Experience purposes: an international, multidisciplinary study

Kirkscey, Russell, Vale, Julie, Weiss, James M and Hill, Jennifer ORCID: 0000-0002-0682-783X (2021) Capstone Experience purposes: an international, multidisciplinary study. Teaching and Learning Inquiry: The ISSOTL Journal, 9 (2). Art 19. doi:10.20343/teachlearninqu.9.2.19

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Abstract

Capstone experiences (CEs) serve a variety of purposes in higher education as places to apply academic skills, explore post-graduate life and employment, and achieve a meaningful undergraduate event. This study investigated the purposes of CEs through a content analysis of institutional course syllabi/course outlines/module outlines and catalog/calendar descriptions at five institutions of higher education: a large public research university in Canada, a large public teaching university in the U.K., a large public research university campus in the U.S., and two medium-sized private liberal arts universities in the U.S. Using the CE purposes found in a review of scholarly literature as a research guide, the authors analyzed 84 institutional documents. CE purposes that appeared in the sample at lower percentages when compared with published studies included oral communication, a coherent academic experience, preparation for graduate school, preparation for life after college, and civic engagement/service learning. Implications for practice include the need for instructors and administrators to consider revising CE documents to better reflect the content and goals of the courses and to address the requirements of other audiences (e.g., program reviewers, accreditation evaluators). Moreover, the results of this study may assist educators in considering reasons for omitting explicit purposes from CE documents and/or justifying the inclusion of previously omitted purposes.

Item Type:	Article
Article Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Undergraduate capstone; Syllabi; Module outline; Catalog; Calendar
Subjects:	L Education > L Education (General) L Education > LB Theory and practice of education L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2300 Higher Education
Divisions:	Professional Services > Academic Quality, Enhancement and Innovation
Research Priority Areas:	Society and Learning
Depositing User:	Rhiannon Goodland
Date Deposited:	27 Jul 2021 10:45
Last Modified:	29 Sep 2023 12:52
URI:	https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/10002

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