Designing and Teaching Undergraduate Capstone Courses (PDF)

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.