Enrich your students and the institution with a high-impact practice Designing and Teaching Undergraduate Capstone Courses is a practical, research-backed guide to creating a course that is valuable for both the student and the school. The book covers the design, administration, and teaching of capstone courses throughout the undergraduate curriculum, guiding departments seeking to add a capstone course, and allowing those who have one to compare it to others in the discipline. The ideas presented in the book are supported by regional and national surveys that help the reader understand what's common, what's exceptional, what works, and what doesn't within capstone courses. The authors also provide additional information specific to different departments across the curriculum, including STEM, social sciences, humanities, fine arts, education, and professional programs. Identified as a high-impact practice by the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and the Association of American Colleges and Universities' LEAP initiative, capstone courses culminate a student's final college years in a project that integrates and applies what they've learned. The project takes the form of a research paper, a performance, a portfolio, or an exhibit, and is intended to showcase the student's very best work as a graduating senior. This book is a guide to creating for your school or department a capstone course that ties together undergraduate learning in a way that enriches the student and adds value to the college experience. Understand what makes capstone courses valuable for graduating students Discover the factors that make a capstone course effective, and compare existing programs, both within academic disciplines and across institutions Learn administrative and pedagogical techniques that increase the course's success Examine discipline-specific considerations for design, administration, and instruction Capstones are generally offered in departmental programs, but are becoming increasingly common in general education as well. Faculty and administrators looking to add a capstone course or revive an existing one need to understand what constitutes an effective program. Designing and Teaching Undergraduate Capstone Courses provides an easily digested summary of existing research, and offers expert guidance on making your capstone course successful.

Enrich your students and the institution with a high-impactpracticeDesigning and Teaching Undergraduate Capstone Courses isa practical, research-backed guide to creating a course that isvaluable for both the student and the school. The book covers thedesign, administration, and teaching of capstone courses throughoutthe undergraduate curriculum, guiding departments seeking to add acapstone course, and allowing those who have one to compare it toothers in the discipline. The ideas presented in the book aresupported by regional and national surveys that help the readerunderstand what's common, what's exceptional, what works, and whatdoesn't within capstone courses. The authors also provideadditional information specific to different departments across thecurriculum, including STEM, social sciences, humanities, fine artseducation, and professional programs.Identified as a high-impact practice by the National Survey ofStudent Engagement (NSSE) and the Association of American Collegesand Universities' LEAP initiative, capstone courses culminate astudent's final college years in a project that integrates andapplies what they've learned. The project takes the form of aresearch paper, a performance, a portfolio, or an exhibit, and isintended to showcase the student's very best work as a graduatingsenior. This book is a guide to creating for your school ordepartment a capstone course that ties together undergraduatelearning in a way that enriches the student and adds value to thecollege experience.* Understand what makes capstone courses valuable for graduatingstudents* Discover the factors that make a capstone course effective, andcompare existing programs, both within academic disciplines andacross institutions* Learn administrative and pedagogical techniques that increasethe course's success* Examine discipline-specific considerations for designadministration, and instructionCapstones are generally offered in departmental programs, butare becoming increasingly common in general education as well.Faculty and administrators looking to add a capstone course orrevive an existing one need to understand what constitutes aneffective program. Designing and Teaching Undergraduate CapstoneCourses provides an easily digested summary of existingresearch, and offers expert guidance on making your capstone coursesuccessful.

Preface: The Importance of Senior Capstones in Contemporary American Higher Education ixThe Authors xxiAcknowledgments xxiii1 Overview of the Capstone Course 12 The Role of the Capstone Course in the Curriculum 153 Characteristics of the Capstone Course 394 The Role and Design of Research Projects Leading to the Capstone Experience 615 Research Project Impediments and Possibilities 896 Designing the Capstone Course 1037 Teaching the Capstone Course 1378 Using the Capstone Course for Assessment 1679 Conclusion: An Ideal Capstone Course 191Notes 201References 215Name Index 239Subject Index 245