Business and Industry Project-Based Capstone Courses: Selecting Projects and Assessing Learning Outcomes

2009 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reza A. Maleki
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Real World ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Capstone Course ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Capstone Courses ◽  
Capstone Project ◽  
Engineering And Technology ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Project Life

This is the first 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. The course also incorporates standards and realistic constraints. Preparing students for ‘real world’ practices is an integral part of the curriculum for many engineering and technology programmes. Such preparation can involve numerous approaches to simulate realistic experiences, including engaging students with real-world external clients who might use their work. These practices offer the challenge of identifying and selecting suitable projects as well as developing the means to evaluate effectively the learning outcomes related to students' participation in such projects. This paper has two main parts. Part 1 concerns the process of project solicitation and communication with clients during different phases of the capstone project life. The difficulties encountered and the means of reducing their negative impacts are also addressed. Part 2 includes the development of the students' learning outcomes and the tools used to measure them. The second paper, also published in this issue of Industry and Higher Education, addresses some of the key factors in enhancing student learning in teams.

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 Implementation of a capstone course with Formative OSCEs to evaluate preparedness for Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE)

2021 ◽  
pp. 145-158
Author(s):  
Ashleigh L Barrickman ◽  
Lena Maynor
Keyword(s):  
Pharmacy Practice ◽  
Student Feedback ◽  
Pharmacy Students ◽  
Student Survey ◽  
Capstone Course ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Capstone Courses ◽  
Unique Aspect ◽  
Objective Structured Clinical Examinations ◽  
And Performance

Background: Capstone courses are well documented in pharmacy programmes, but vary in content, methods, and assessment. Aim: To describe the development and implementation of a capstone course for pharmacy students. Description: Components of the capstone course included clinical reviews, pre-tests, calculations, cases, and formative and summative objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs). Formative OSCEs were a unique aspect of this capstone course, and were used to help students identify clinical strengths and recognise areas of weakness prior to advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPE). Evaluation: A total of 72 students completed the capstone course in spring 2018. Student survey data indicated that the format of the course was conducive to learning, particularly the use of formative OSCEs. Conclusion: A capstone course was successfully designed and implemented that assessed a variety of pharmacy knowledge and skills prior to APPE. Student feedback and performance in the course provided insight that led to revisions in the pre-APPE curriculum.

scholarly journals Effective Assessment of Computer Science Capstone Projects and Student Outcomes

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 72
Author(s):  
Fatima Abu Salem ◽  
Issam Damaj ◽  
Lama Hamandi ◽  
Rached Zantout
Keyword(s):  
Computer Science ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Student Outcomes ◽  
Student Learning Outcomes ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Analysis And Evaluation ◽  
Capstone Courses ◽  
Capstone Project ◽  
Capstone Projects ◽  
Effective Assessment

A capstone project is a culminating experience that entails creativity, critical thinking, and advanced problem-solving skills. To that end, capstone projects enable students to prove their abilities, demonstrate their attained skills, and carry out a significant project in their field. In Computer Science Bachelor programs, there is a strong mapping between learning outcomes of capstone projects and all student learning outcomes. This paper presents an assessment framework for capstone courses that allows for sound evaluations of the performance of students and project qualities; besides assessing the student outcomes of the program. The developed framework comprises criteria, indicators, extensive analytic rubrics, and a summative statistical formulation. The presented course and framework are supported by the results, analysis, and evaluation of a pilot study for a single institution to explore the effectiveness of the proposed tool.

scholarly journals A Novel Rail-Network Hardware Simulator for Embedded System Programming

Electronics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Balaji M ◽  
Chandrasekaran M ◽  
Vaithiyanathan Dhandapani
Keyword(s):  
Embedded Systems ◽  
Embedded System ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Real World ◽  
Time Constraints ◽  
Network Simulator ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Rail Network ◽  
Knowledge Enhancement

A Novel Rail-Network Hardware with simulation facilities is presented in this paper. The hardware is designed to facilitate the learning of application-oriented, logical, real-time programming in an embedded system environment. The platform enables the creation of multiple unique programming scenarios with variability in complexity without any hardware changes. Prior experimental hardware comes with static programming facilities that focus the students’ learning on hardware features and programming basics, leaving them ill-equipped to take up practical applications with more real-time constraints. This hardware complements and completes their learning to help them program real-world embedded systems. The hardware uses LEDs to simulate the movement of trains in a network. The network has train stations, intersections and parking slots where the train movements can be controlled by using a 16-bit Renesas RL78/G13 microcontroller. Additionally, simulating facilities are provided to enable the students to navigate the trains by manual controls using switches and indicators. This helps them get an easy understanding of train navigation functions before taking up programming. The students start with simple tasks and gradually progress to more complicated ones with real-time constraints, on their own. During training, students’ learning outcomes are evaluated by obtaining their feedback and conducting a test at the end to measure their knowledge acquisition during the training. Students’ Knowledge Enhancement Index is originated to measure the knowledge acquired by the students. It is observed that 87% of students have successfully enhanced their knowledge undergoing training with this rail-network simulator.

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 AN EXAMPLE OF ABET ACCREDITATION PRACTICE OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM AT UAE UNIVERSITY

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. 387-401
Author(s):  
Emad Elnajjar ◽  
S.-A.B. Al Omari ◽  
Farag Omar ◽  
Mohamed YE. Selim ◽  
AHI Mourad
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Student Learning Outcomes ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Indirect Assessment ◽  
Engineering Program ◽  
Engineering And Technology ◽  
United Arab Emirates University

This paper focuses on the Mechanical Engineering Program (MEP) at United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) as a case study in terms of consistent accreditation by the internationally recognized Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc. (ABET), where significant proportions of the study give attention towards the recent records of accreditation; granted in 2016. The paper describes the program educational objectives (PEOs), the student learning outcomes (SOs), and the curriculum, direct and indirect assessment tools of the SOs and it’s mapping to the PEO, and the level of attainment achieved is addressed through a case study example.

scholarly journals The Hidden Contents in the Professional Military Education Process

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 141-153
Author(s):  
Markéta Licková
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Hidden Curriculum ◽  
Military Education ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Professional Military Education ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
The University ◽  
Education Process ◽  
Strategic Studies

Increasing pressure on the quality of the educational content brings the need to address the issue of hidden mechanisms in the educational process that have impacts on the quality of knowledge and skills. This article discusses the existence of the hidden curriculum in lifelong learning and puts it into the context of the lifelong Professional Military Education as it is provided at the Centre for Security and Military Strategic Studies at the University of Defence. The uncovering of the hidden content in education may not be a welcome process, in extreme it may become unacceptable. However, hidden content can affect the achieved learning outcomes, as well as their deliberate disclosure and appropriate processing. The aim of the article is to describe whether and with what benefit can the concept of the hidden curriculum be applied to professional military education in the Centre for Security and Military Strategic Studies environment.

scholarly journals Knowledge of geographical map at the end of primary school education in Serbia

2009 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 526-541
Author(s):  
Djurdjica Komlenovic
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Achievement Test ◽  
School Education ◽  
Educational Standards ◽  
Final Grade ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Students Success

The paper presents the results of one part of empirical research conducted for the purpose of conceiving the proposal of educational standards for the subject Geography at the end of primary school education. The goal was to determine the extent to which the students were trained to orient themselves and use cartographic method in the process of using geographical map. Research comprised the representative sample of 919 students of the final grade in 159 Serbian primary schools. Achievement Test served for studying the levels of students' knowledge and skills in the field of Geographic Skills. Besides this, the questionnaire studied students' opinion on learning outcomes in this field, and by analyzing contingency tables, the correlation between students' success in geography at the end of the first term of the eighth grade and their opinion about learning outcomes in the afore-mentioned field was determined. The findings of this research indicate that students are not sufficiently trained to orient themselves in space and on geographical map, as well as to use geographical map in instruction. Besides, it was established that there is a correlation between students' success and their opinion on learning outcomes in the field of Geographic Skills.

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