Skip to main content Skip to local navigation
Home » SoTL Research » Student Benefits From Capstone Courses

Student Benefits From Capstone Courses

ycn dots
  • “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)

  • Survey and self-evaluation data indicated that students learned within the course. Increases in student confidence in critical ...thinking, problem-solving, decision making, and lifelong learning were also seen during APPEs. (para.2)

  • “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)

  • “The authors believe the Leadership for Dummies capstone project helps students not only use their disciplined mind, the synthesizing mind, and ...their creating mind, but also meet several of Crunkilton’s educational outcomes (e.g., decision making, critical thinking, and written communications).” (p.127)

  • “Results indicate that the student teachers found this form of collaborative planning with their cooperating teachers motivational and ...presented opportunity to increase their ability to observe students, promote stronger collegial networks, and develop a stronger sense of self-efficacy.” (p.228)

  • The post-test scores were significantly higher than those of the pre-test indicating that the learning outcomes were achieved. Students’ overall ...feedback was positive, implying that the lab projects have been successfully implemented. In addition, the lab projects were found to increase students’ writing and presentation skills. (p.25)

  • “The overwhelming majority (89%) of students found the capstone course moderately to very successful in helping them integrate core ...concepts.” (p.35) “Overall, student perception and performance measures suggest that this model for a capstone course for the biology core has been successful at promoting integration of core concepts, appreciation of global ecological issues, and analytical and oral presentation skills of the primary literature.” (p.38)

  • “In the classroom skills areas, speaking and writing skills showed the highest levels of student confidence. Students reported the least confidence... in their ability to do well on exams and in open classroom discussion. The areas of relatively greater confidence were small-group discussions followed by oral or formal presentations.” (p.144)

back to top