Creating a Capstone Course

A capstone course or project is a culminating and often integrative experience of an academic program or learning experience.  ^[1]

If you are creating a capstone course for a particular program or discipline, the capstone curriculum should include each of the following:

• The capstone curriculum should be directly aligned with the Program Learning Outcomes (PLO) and include a Program Level Assessment.
• Throughout the capstone experience, students should be required to demonstrate mastery of all PLOs
• The curriculum should include at least one requirement to engage with an industry-relevant project (e.g. Riipen project, self-designed action research project, group industry-based project, etc.)
• At least one opportunity for in-class mentoring/Technical Advisors and Mentors (TAMs) and/or engagement with industry professionals
  • Consider partnering with the Alumni Office, Graduate School or Bay Path University’s adjunct faculty to identify mentors with appropriate expertise
• Opportunities for ongoing self-reflection and larger group reflection
• Integration of e-portfolio into the curriculum and course grade
• Capstone courses in Canvas should have a consistent look and feel to support student access and success
• Course content should support students’ successful completion of an experiential learning project (e.g.: literature review (background reading could be of project or population being serviced, etc); data analysis, recommendations, conclusion, etc).
• Capstone courses must follow the guidance in this template, however; there is freedom as to the pedagogy.
• Should incorporate the TILT model.