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Developing Professional & Transitional Skills in Capstone

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  • “ICap experiential courses gradually introduce challenging and open-ended assignments that foster cognitive learning. Consequently, those higher ... level skills important in the capstone course are strengthened: critical thinking, quantitative reasoning, teamwork, communications, information literacy, and design process.” (p.6) “In our experience, ICap yields the following transformational benefits to students, instructors, experiential courses, and the curriculum: (1) students self-monitor, reflect and assume greater responsibility; (2) instructors move from being overseers to mentors; (3) liberal education and design process skills are strengthened and integrated; (4) knowledge across topical areas is synthesized; and (5) the quality and rigor of capstone performance improves.” (p.9)

  • “Our study suggests that the participants believed the capstone subject did improve a broad range of employability skills and it also demonstrates ... the interrelated nature of these skills...Time management was also an element in interviewing clients and many students mentioned the importance of making the best use of the limited interview time” (p.12) “In other words, students recognised that an essential part of teamwork is the planning/organising skills such as allocating people to tasks and establishing clear goals and deliverables.” (p.10)

  • “Overwhelmingly, student respondents expressed that they are confident in their ability to conduct research from start to finish. Student ...respondents for the most part also reported that they expect to utilize their research skillset in their future social work career.” (p.6).

  • “Throughout the semester students demonstrated critical thinking skills needed as professionals, and more importantly developed a professional ... questioning disposition. Although students exhibited a willingness to transition to professionals, it is unknown how students will perform as professionals...Cultivating a professional perspective evolved from initial codes of gaining confidence to work in the field, being comfortable as a student and from a preliminary code of gaining a sense of the profession.” (p.113) “In other words, students knew the skills required of the profession and were now learning how to act as effective professionals.” (p.114)

  • “Student success was evident to the instructors in the quality of the products created and in the majority of student attitudes and level of course ... satisfaction...With individualized instructor feedback and completion of all the learning exercises, the final products showed comprehension and skill development...Student surveys from 7 years of course delivery showed the following self-reported learning and skill development: Scientific writing ability, Familiarity with data presentation, Understanding of research tools, Clarification of exposure/outcome relationships, Differentiation between issue associations and singular topic descriptions, Knowledge of independent/dependent variable, and Identification of appropriate peer-reviewed sources.” (p.4)

  • “Reflective practice, classroom management, and field experience have appeared regularly as key curricular experiences that contribute to ... student teachers’ preparation; discussion and suggestions for research and practice in these three areas follow. Reflective practice as a curricular component seems to be effective in promoting preservice music teachers’ growth, particularly during student teaching.” (p.58)

  • “This paper discusses the principle of Transition as it has been conceptualised by the Curriculum Renewal in Legal Education project. The project ...sought to develop a principled framework for renewing the final year of tertiary legal education in Australia. Capstone experiences were chosen as the most appropriate mechanism for assisting final year students to manage the transition process…We discuss the importance of addressing final year students’ transitional needs and explain how the principle facilitates this process. Although the framework has been developed specifically for legal education in Australia its approach enables transferability across disciplines and institutions” (p.194)

  • “Those who have participated in the program attest to the impact the program has had on both their professional and personal lives through ...increased cultural awareness, heightened understanding of the global issues and challenges faced by health care in general and pharmacy in particular, and a deeper appreciation for how pharmacists around the globe fulfill their professional purpose...They all indicated that they felt the experience improved their abilities as a pharmacist, particularly insofar as it helped them understand how pharmacists in other countries approach problems also faced by pharmacists in the United States (examples cited were drug shortages, rationing issues, compounding/product formulation issues, patient counseling and education, and interaction with physicians and other interprofessional team members). They all felt the experience gave them a deeper sense of professional identity and a broader "worldview" of health care and where pharmacy fits in that landscape.” (p.3-4)

  • “The research was conducted over nine semesters and involved the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data from a student ...questionnaire. The results indicate that in terms of student perceptions, the capstone unit was very effective in enhancing integration of the program and enhancing professional identity thereby assisting student transition into the professional accounting workplace.” (p.363)

  • “Formative capstone simulation scenarios that integrate therapeutic communication, fundamental patient care skills, and clinical reasoning offer ... one method to prepare students for clinical that is positively received by students...Students stated that they recognized a connection between the scenarios and what they would experience in the clinical setting and thus believed that capstone simulation scenarios were helpful prior to entering their first clinical rotation.” (p.589)

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