Business and Industry Project-Based Capstone Courses: A Reflection on the Performance of Student Teams

2009 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reza A. Maleki
Keyword(s):  
Professional Competence ◽  
Course Structure ◽  
Capstone Course ◽  
Work Activities ◽  
Academic Knowledge ◽  
Capstone Courses ◽  
Student Teams ◽  
Team Setting ◽  
Enhanced Learning ◽  
Selection And Assessment

This is the second of two articles in which the author shares experiences gained from the development and delivery of a business/industry project-based capstone course. The course integrates research, proposal development and design experience based on knowledge and skills acquired in earlier coursework. It also incorporates standards and realistic constraints and draws on combinations of all intended academic knowledge and skill outcomes. To succeed in this course, students must demonstrate professional competence through the accomplishment of work activities for business and industrial clients. They are required to collaborate as a team to apply their knowledge, think critically and complete activities. They face many of today's competitive challenges to industry, business and government. This second paper addresses the challenges and rewards of working in a team setting and the ways in which the capstone course structure contributes to students' enhanced learning. The first paper, also included in this issue of Industry and Higher Education, examines the processes of project selection and assessment.

scholarly journals INTERDISCIPLINARY CAPSTONE DESIGN STREAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO: IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cherly Pearce ◽  
Steve Lambert ◽  
Wayne Parker
Keyword(s):  
Team Members ◽  
Course Structure ◽  
Capstone Course ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering ◽  
Capstone Courses ◽  
Interdisciplinary Design ◽  
Project Deliverables ◽  
The University ◽  
Logistical Barrier ◽  
Capstone Design

An interdisciplinary design approach is a collaborative effort involving team members from different engineering disciplines to solve a problem. An opportunity for interdisciplinary education exists in the fourth year capstone design project. Interdisciplinary capstone courses are offered at other Canadian universities but, at the University of Waterloo (UW) the co-operative undergraduate engineering program poses a logistical barrier to students interacting with students in other disciplines for capstone design projects. Currently, students can form their own interdisciplinary team but differences in course structure, project deliverables, and design terminology and method between engineering disciplines is challenging for students and instructors. An investigation into the feasibility of a new interdisciplinary capstone design course at UW is undertaken. A possible home for the interdisciplinary capstone course could be under the Chair of Design Engineering. Overall, receptivity among departments is positive but a more comprehensive analysis is required.

scholarly journals TEACHING CIVIL ENGINEERING DESIGN USING PROJECT-ORIENTED INDUSTRY DRIVEN CAPSTONE COURSES

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Waddah Akili
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Thinking ◽  
Civil Engineering ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Industrial Sector ◽  
Engineering Practice ◽  
Capstone Course ◽  
Design Component ◽  
Capstone Courses ◽  
Student Teams

Teaching civil engineering design through senior projects or capstone design courses, with industry involvement and support, has increased in recent years. The general trend toward increasing the design component in engineering curricula is part of an effort to better prepare graduates for engineering practice. While some design projects are still of the “made up” type carried out by individual students, the vast majority of projects today deal with “real-world problems” and are usually conducted by student teams. The paper begins first by briefly reviewing the design as a “thought” process, focusing on several dimensions of “design thinking” and how “design thinking” skills are acquired. Second, the paper reports on the development, implementation, and subsequent evaluation of a senior design course at an international university, where practitioners have played a major role in planning and teaching the capstone course. The new, restructured design course, co-taught by practitioners from the Region, has met its declared objectives and exposed students to professional practice. This industry-driven experience has also provided information with regard to curricular content and capabilities of departmental graduates. In a way, the capstone experience reported on in this paper, serves as a microcosm of the four year program. Experiences and outputs from the course can be used to provide guidance and insights into curricular changes, teaching methods, and exposure to civil engineering practice in the Region; and helps in establishing enduring connections with the industrial sector.

A postgraduate capstone project: Impact on student learning and organizational change

2021 ◽  
pp. 095042222110365
Author(s):  
Gordon R. Elwell ◽  
Thad E. Dickinson ◽  
Michael D. Dillon
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Change ◽  
Adult Students ◽  
Graduate Program ◽  
Common Component ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Academic Knowledge ◽  
Capstone Courses ◽  
Capstone Project ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Capstone Projects

The capstone course serves to integrate accumulated knowledge with a culminating experience or project and is a common component in undergraduate and graduate programs. The research on capstones courses shows that many capstone experiences or projects involve students working with outside clients, such as local businesses and organizations, to solve problems or develop new projects or campaigns. Such capstone experiences or projects seek to offer students real-world, career-building experience, while the clients seek to benefit from the learned academic knowledge of the students. Where the literature is scarce on client-based capstone projects is when the client is the student’s employer or career-related organization. A graduate program in administration at a public Midwestern university in the USA offers a different approach to the student–client model by requiring a degree-culminating capstone project that challenges adult students to apply their learned knowledge to solve administrative problems not for an outside client but at their place of employment or career-related organization. The researchers surveyed 66 alumni and interviewed 6 on how the capstone project had benefited their work-related learning and its impact on their employer or career-related organization. Students perceived an improvement in their ability to define and analyze administrative problems in their workplace, while the employers or organizations which implemented the project recommendations experienced positive organizational change. This case study contributes to the literature on capstone courses by examining the relevance of a work- or career-related capstone project to students and their workplace.

scholarly journals A Cloud-Based Mobile System to Improve Project Management Skills in Software Engineering Capstone Courses

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Andres Neyem ◽  
Juan Diaz-Mosquera ◽  
Jose I. Benedetto
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Software Engineering ◽  
Technology Enhanced Learning ◽  
Mobile System ◽  
Management Skills ◽  
Software Artifacts ◽  
Capstone Courses ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Course Outcomes ◽  
Enhanced Learning

Capstone project-based courses offer a favorable environment for the development of student skills through an approach incorporating theoretical and practical components. However, it is often difficult to successfully coordinate between students, stakeholders, and the academic team. The absence of suitable tools for addressing this issue, along with time constraints, often prevents students from attaining the expected course outcomes. This raises the question “How can we improve project management skills in computing majors through the use of technology-enhanced learning environments?” This paper presents a Cloud-based mobile system for supporting project management under a framework of best practices in software engineering capstone courses. The Kanban approach was used as a core of the proposed system. Kanban boards are very popular in the software industry today. It has been empirically shown that they provide increased motivation and project activity control due to their inherent simplicity. This helps the students and academic team be aware of the project context as it aids in preventing ambiguities, flaws, or uncertainties in the development of software artifacts.

Capstone experiences in small MPA programs in the United States

2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Younhee Kim
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
The United States ◽  
Directed Group ◽  
Capstone Course ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Paper Model ◽  
Capstone Courses ◽  
Pilot Experience ◽  
Quasi Experimental

A capstone experience, as an exit degree requirement, allows Master of Public Administration (MPA) students to build quasi-experimental practices by applying learned knowledge and skills throughout their curriculum in the United States. Accredited MPA programs have implemented their capstone courses differently to achieve required standards. Small programs have faced more challenges in organizational capacities than big programs. Although no consensus on standard capstone course components has been made, this study intends to discuss feasible capstone formats for small programs by reviewing the relatively small accredited MPA programs. The majority of the comparable programs have adopted the professional paper model with different course structures. In response to the program reviews and the pilot experience, three components are suggested to redesign a capstone course for small programs: faculty-directed; group-based; and project-focused. The capstone pilot experience has confirmed that ownership by the involvement of many faculty and external inputs in designing the course is critical to implement successful capstone experiences for small programs.

scholarly journals The Impact of Enhanced Teammate Evaluations on Important Individual and Team Outcomes

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 158
Author(s):  
Erik R. Eddy ◽  
Caroline P. D’Abate ◽  
Melinda Costello
Keyword(s):  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Team Formation ◽  
Critical Area ◽  
Interpersonal Processes ◽  
Pedagogical Approach ◽  
Team Processes ◽  
Team Outcomes ◽  
Student Teams ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Enhanced Learning

There is evidence that teamwork is proliferating in organizations and, in many ways, is replacing working individually. Academia has responded by integrating teamwork into curricula, but the use of teams as a pedagogical approach is also driven by evidence that it can lead to enhanced learning and more engaged learners. Researchers have examined factors in team effectiveness, activities and assignments for student teams and ways to optimize team formation. The current study was designed to focus on an under-explored and critical area of managing teamwork in classroom pedagogy: peer feedback. Students were placed into two conditions - a “conventional” approach using general, non-benchmarked feedback and an “enhanced” behaviorally-specific, benchmarked approach. Findings suggest enhanced teammate evaluations held substantial benefits over conventional evaluations resulting in better student perceptions of team processes (i.e., action, transition, and interpersonal processes) as well as more enthusiasm for teamwork. These findings have important implications for classroom pedagogy and student career development.

scholarly journals Diverse Cross Functional Student Teams: A Teaching Tool For Enhanced Learning

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig Turner ◽  
Keith Johnson ◽  
W. Andrew Clark
Keyword(s):  
Teaching Tool ◽  
Student Teams ◽  
Enhanced Learning

scholarly journals FROM MECHANICAL ENGINEERING CAPSTONE DESIGN TO DESIGN IMPLEMENTATION

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Dumond ◽  
Eric Lanteigne
Keyword(s):  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Capstone Course ◽  
Capstone Courses ◽  
Engineering Theory ◽  
Teaching Design ◽  
The University ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Capstone Design

Traditionally, mechanical engineering capstone courses focused on teaching students the application of fundamental engineering theory to complex mechanical designs. Recently, there has been a transition towards experiential learning initiatives, such as prototyping, in engineering design. This paper looks at the relationship between the mechanical engineering design capstone course and a course in product design and development, which provides students with the opportunity to build prototypes of their designs, at the University of Ottawa. The importance of the traditional capstone course is considered and the implications of implementing these designs are examined. Many capstone design projects would require extensive work so that they could be implemented. A large hurdle appears to exist between analytical design and design implementation, and the term time constraints limit the complexity of designs intended for prototyping. In fact, students require many design iterations before they can build full-scale functional prototypes of their design. Therefore, we have observed that simple products work best for teaching design implementation.

Partnering With Industry on Mechanical Engineering Capstone Projects

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hani S. Saad ◽  
Martin W. Weiser ◽  
Donald C. Richter
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Engineering Problem ◽  
Engineering Technology ◽  
Capstone Course ◽  
Capstone Courses ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Program Change ◽  
Capstone Projects ◽  
Eastern Washington ◽  
Washington University

The purpose of a Capstone course is to present the students with an engineering problem that needs to be solved. The students work in teams and are expected to document and research each step of the process. The idea is to mimic, as much possible, the situation encountered by engineers in the field. While industry sponsored projects are preferred, suggestions from students are also welcomed. The Mechanical Engineering (ME) and Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) Department at Eastern Washington University has traditionally pursued industry sponsored projects by reaching out to the local businesses and through the department Industrial Advisory Committee. While the ME degree is a relatively new addition, the MET degree has been offered for many years. With the addition of the ME program, change came to the Capstone course. Emphasis is placed more on research and not on production. The goal now is to create one prototype instead of fifteen while focusing heavily on the research part. This change has an effect on the dynamics of the course and presents additional challenges, especially with industry sponsored projects. These changes are relevant to both the MET and ME Capstone courses. This paper highlights these challenges for four projects done in the spring of 2012 and proposes efficient ways of addressing them. One of these projects was very successful, two were moderately successful, and one was not particularly so. Recommendations for teachers and students on the best ways to approach such a project are also highlighted.

scholarly journals CAPSTONE DESIGN PROJECTS: THEORY MEETS PRACTICE

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raghu Echempati
Keyword(s):  
Finite Element Analysis ◽  
Finite Element ◽  
Time Constraints ◽  
Element Analysis ◽  
Capstone Course ◽  
Capstone Courses ◽  
Rigid Frame ◽  
Capstone Projects ◽  
One Year ◽  
Capstone Design

This paper describes one example of an adjustable gooseneck trailer hitch assembly that was assigned as a senior capstone design project course at Kettering University, Flint, Michigan, USA to carry out their work from concept to testing phases of a real prototype – in short, following “Theory meets practice” concept. Typically at most other engineering colleges, students complete their capstone projects in one year, while at Kettering University, the students complete their capstone courses in one academic term that lasts only about 11 weeks. Using math and advanced Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) tools for analysis is expected. Three different groups of students enrolled in three separate courses over 3 academic terms developed two different trailer hitch devices. The first gooseneck hitch system briefly described here was the effort of a group of four students of the capstone course. They designed a manually adjustable device. However, due to time constraints, their fabricated device ended up being a rigid frame. These students carried out all the different tasks of the project more or less equitably. The second trailer hitch system described in this paper was the effort of a single student of the capstone course who designed and fabricated a compliant (adjustable) hitch system. However, due to time constraints, detailed finite element analysis (FEA) or testing of the device could not be done. A third group of two students enrolled in Applied Finite Element Analysis course in another academic term chose the compliant hitch design carried by the single student for their final class project, and attempted analysis by MatLab and FEA. Preliminary results obtained for both of these gooseneck trailer hitch systems are presented and discussed briefly in the paper. Majority of the capstone course projects carried out at Kettering University represent uniqueness in terms of completing them in one academic term.

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