Capstone Experience Purposes

Russell Kirkscey,Jennifer Hill,Julie Vale,James Weiss

doi:10.20343/teachlearninqu.9.2.19

Abstract

Capstone experiences (CEs) serve a variety of purposes in higher education as opportunities 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 United Kingdom (UK), a college of a large public research university in the United States (US), and two medium-sized private liberal arts universities in the US. 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.

Highlights

In seeking to create a meaningful university education, some institutions have developedCapstone experiences (CEs), which are intended to provide both a culminating and transitional experience for college seniors (Kinzie 2013)
The present study responds to calls for additional research with a content analysis of CE purposes in syllabi/course outlines/module outlines and catalog/calendar descriptions across a convenience sample of five institutions: a large public research university in Canada, a large public teaching university in the United Kingdom (UK), a college of a large public research university in the United States (US), and two mediumsized private liberal arts universities in the U.S.3
In our review of comprehensive scholarship about CE purposes, scholars noted several purposes of capstone courses across disciplines and institutions. We organized these purposes into three broad domains: (1) post-graduation life and employment; (2) academic skills that transfer to post-graduation careers; and (3) a meaningful undergraduate event

Summary

Introduction

In seeking to create a meaningful university education, some institutions have developedCapstone experiences (CEs), which are intended to provide both a culminating and transitional experience for college seniors (i.e., students in the final year of their undergraduate education) (Kinzie 2013). Most experiences have several purposes, which may include improving communication skills, preparing for employment, or reflecting philosophically on undergraduate education (Lee and Loton 2019). These purposes may align with broader departmental, college, and university values such as diversity, ethical inquiry, research, and service (Henscheid, Breitmeyer, and Mercer 2000). Since CEs often reflect the contexts and needs of individual institutions, stated capstone purposes may vary considerably across institutions and disciplines (Henscheid, Breitmeyer, and Mercer 2000).2 Perhaps because of this disparity, few studies have attempted to identify specific purposes of CEs across institutions and disciplines (Young et al 2017). The present study responds to calls for additional research with a content analysis of CE purposes in syllabi/course outlines/module outlines and catalog/calendar descriptions across a convenience sample of five institutions: a large public research university in Canada, a large public teaching university in the UK, a college of a large public research university in the US, and two mediumsized private liberal arts universities in the U.S.3

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion