The Capstone Experience
DEFINITION
Capstone experience integrates coursework, knowledge, skills and experiential learning to enable the student to demonstrate a broad mastery of learning across the curriculum for further career advancement.
The capstone experience enables students to:
- have an overview of what they have accomplished in their degree program
- relate discipline-specific learning outcomes to the real world
- link their knowledge and abilities to future employment or higher education
- showcase their competency in certain areas
- substantiates personal and academic learning as well as professional development and achievement.
EXAMPLES
Capstone experiences include but are not limited to
- culminating senior experiences
- achievement portfolio
- senior project
- thesis
- comprehensive examination
- practicum
- internship
- field experience, co-op experience, clinical assignment
- study abroad
Capstone experience can be implemented as a capstone course or as capstone experience that is spread out in several courses in a degree program.
FEATURES
Capstone experience typically involves:
- integrating and extending knowledge, skills, perspectives gained through previous coursework, thus demonstrating program’s outcomes concretely
- reflecting on the social context, the body of literature, or the conceptual framework to which the student’s capstone work poses a contribution.
- bridging coursework with students’ careers after graduation
- preparing students for life-long learning
- the outcome is a tangible product to be presented to the public (written work, oral presentation, multimedia productions in various forms such as websites, CDs, DVDs)
- topics are selected by students and approved by faculty