Capstone Courses and Experiences

This article focuses on the purpose of learning outcomes and how they relate to capstone projects. In order to support teaching and learning excellence as well as meet accreditation requirements, academic institutions have charged each program to develop expected learning outcomes so that they can measure their effectiveness in providing students with the required knowledge to earn a degree. Although goals are important, it is critical that learning outcomes can be assessed. The primary role of the capstone course is to provide students an opportunity to integrate the knowledge that they have acquired in prior coursework. An example of how a MIS program assisted students with integrating knowledge is presented.

Keywords Accreditation Bodies; Capstone Course; Cross-Functional Integration; Information Technology; Learning Assessments; Learning Outcomes; Management Information System (MIS) Program; Pedagogy

Overview

In order to support teaching and learning excellence as well as meet accreditation requirements, academic institutions have required each program to develop expected learning outcomes so that they can measure their effectiveness in providing students with the required knowledge to earn a degree. However, learning outcomes may be written at the university, program or course level. Program learning outcomes should be able to support the goals and objectives of the program and guide the development of specific learning outcomes for courses within the program (Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 2003). According to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (2003), program learning outcomes should be able to answer questions such as:

• What is most important for students to learn in a program?

• What should graduates of the program be able to do?

• How do the program's learning outcomes reflect the goals and objectives of the program as well as the requirements for potential accrediting bodies? (p. 22).

Learning Objectives

Examples of program learning objectives are:

Example 1 Program graduates will be able to apply critical thinking and problem solving skills to business problems in American corporations.

Example 2 Graduates of this program will be able to effectively communicate in any type of situation through speech and writing.

Example 3 A graduate of this program will be able to pass a national standardized test geared toward their area of study.

Learning Assessments

Although goals are important, it is critical that learning outcomes can be assessed. Learning assessments seek to determine if:

• The learning outcomes are measurable and can be assessed.

• There is evidence of student learning for each outcome and whether or not the evidence is relevant to each outcome.

• Established criteria have been developed in order to evaluate the above-mentioned evidence.

Examples of learning assessments are:

Example 1 Student achievement of this learning outcome is assessed by sample student portfolios that reflect the students' overall work in the program and by senior surveys.

Example 2 Student achievement of this learning outcome is assessed by reviewing samples of student work (i.e. essay examinations, capstone projects) and by employer surveys.

Capstone Courses

Capstone courses are an example of a learning assessment, and they can be developed for any discipline. Capstone projects encourage students to pursue independent research and scholarly work with the guidance of faculty from their chosen major discipline. Case Western Reserve’s SAGES learning program offers capstone projects that allow students to demonstrate their ability to:

• Articulate a problem or question that is both interesting and relevant to their chosen field(s) of study;

• Identify an appropriate research method or analytical response to the question or problem, and present the method/approach in discipline-specific modes of writing (i.e. project proposal);

• Conduct sustained research (i.e. designing and conducting experiments, exploring an archive, analyzing data, reading publications in their field) sufficient to draw conclusions significant to their discipline; and

• Produce a substantial presentation in response to the question or problem (Case Western Reserve, 2004, p.1-2).

By creating effective capstone projects, students have the opportunity to:

• Showcase their skills sets. Capstone courses allow students to integrate all of the courses that they have taken during a degree program.

• Develop a portfolio for potential employers. Employers want to see how graduates can transfer their classroom experience and academic background to the corporate world.

• Show the faculty what they have mastered. Faculty members have the opportunity to see how effective the curriculum is in preparing students for continuing their education and/or entering the world of work.

• Demonstrate how they are able to apply concepts to a practical situation. Institutions may use documents to showcase their students' achievements. This is helpful when accrediting bodies make site visits to evaluate the outcomes of programs.

A successful capstone project is a win-win situation for both the student and the institution.

Applications

Management Information System (MIS) Capstone

This section will discuss how the adult graduate information technology program at Johns Hopkins University developed and implemented a management information system (MIS) capstone project. Instead of focusing on the technical aspects of the program, the MIS capstone project allows the students to apply the information and skills that they have learned in the program. The students are divided into teams and assigned to work with an organization in the information technology field. The students are given the opportunity to deal with issues that are in the real world environment.

According to Novitzki (1998), "the effectiveness of communicating global MIS and business concerns to technical students has on the whole been poor. A survey of academic journals and popular literature reveals numerous articles describing various education programs and their efforts to better prepare MIS students to function in the corporate business world after they graduate" (p. 100). His article discusses how there is a problem accomplishing the above-mentioned objective at many schools. It was found that many students perceive themselves as being technically competent, but lack the confidence about their abilities in the IS field. In addition to Novitzki's work, there are many articles that discuss the shortcomings of IS students and employees from an employer's perspective (Chow & Edmundson, 1994). Studies have shown that there tends to be a disconnect between MIS programs and what the industry wants and needs graduates and potential employees to do in their organizations.

Course Objectives

Novitzki (1998) conducted interviews with local Information Systems professionals and business executives to determine if there was a consensus about this lack of integration. The participants in the study identified the same general skill sets that Herman (1994) and others identified as being an important part of an effective MIS program. These researchers found that an effective MIS program must provide students with the opportunity to:

• Obtain skills that are necessary to function as a part of a group.

• Display good oral and written communication skills.

• Work on their ability to develop useful systems that provide functional managers the information that they need.

Based on the above-mentioned points, a course was developed with the following course description:

This course is intended as the culminating experience in the MIS program. As such, it is taken in the student's last semester. This course provides a guided experience, which will help students to manage information or telecommunication system projects in the future. It provides students an opportunity to participate in actual technology projects within a real work environment with all its processes and challenges. Under the supervision of a faculty advisor, student teams develop a project proposal (Novitzki, 1998, p. 101).

Learning Outcomes

The following learning outcomes were identified for the course. By the end of the course the students should be able to:

• Demonstrate meeting and project management skills while meeting with technical and non-technical staff.

• Determine the real underlying IS problems and/or needs of the organization.

• Research the corporate sponsor's industry and demonstrate a working knowledge of the best business practices in this industry or business, particularly in the project's content area.

• Analyze current business practices/processes within the corporate sponsor's organization.

• Gather and analyze pertinent data about the project.

• Document the approach and techniques used to solve the business problem.

• Demonstrate use of good documentation standards to support research, findings, and analysis in the corporate and academic reports discussing the project.

• Use electronic presentation methods to communicate project progress and obstacles.

• Demonstrate appropriate team building skills to work cooperatively in assigned groups to complete the project.

• Demonstrate analytical and problem solving skills in solving the business problem, addressing a changing business environment, and meeting the client's expectations (p. 101).

Student Objectives

After the learning outcomes were identified, a syllabus was developed that highlighted the outcomes and identified several specific enabling tasks and objectives for the students. Students were expected to:

• Utilize systems analysis and design methodology;

• Apply content specific skills and knowledge learned in the MIS degree program;

• Quickly organize themselves to address the specific technology project proposed by the corporate sponsor;

• Quickly learn the industry to which they are assigned and the business processes involved;

• Identify and negotiate a scope of services statement;

• Apply a proven methodology to address the agreed upon business problem;

• Analyze and evaluate alternative solutions;

• Propose sound and reasonable, creative recommendations;

• Implement recommendations when appropriate;

• Document business processes and customer requirements; and

• Evaluate accomplishments of the project (p. 101-102).

Viewpoint

Linking Theory, Pedagogy & Practice

The primary role of the capstone course is to provide students an opportunity to integrate the knowledge that they have acquired in prior coursework. "Formal goals often include the strengthening of students' command of the material covered in these courses and enhancing their ability to effectively integrate the knowledge" (Stephen, Parente & Brown, 2002, p. 165). This goal is achieved by presenting issues and situations that highlight the interrelationships between the various functional areas (Morris, 1995; Watkins, 1996).

The integrative focus has gained importance given the fact that resource based perspective of organizations has become a dominant area in strategic management. Many researchers believe that "the importance and difficulty of developing cross-functional, integrative perspectives is supported by other work on tacit knowledge" (Stephen, Parente & Brown, 2002, p. 166). Some have raised the question as to whether or not higher order principles can be taught and how can it be best accomplished? Porter and McKibben (1988) asserted that most business curriculum did not provide students an opportunity to develop integrated knowledge structures and that capstone courses could rectify this situation.

An effective capstone course must allow students to experience cross-functional integration. "Firsthand experience permits students to understand how difficult it is to initially achieve integration within a firm and thus for competitors to initially imitate it" (Stephen, Parente & Brown, 2002, p. 166). Some institutions have added a computer simulation in their business strategy courses so that students may practice different key concepts and principles. In addition, there have been various models to surface in an effort to provide a range of teaching methods to design undergraduate business courses that attempt to create a more holistic or integrative approach to business issues.

Conclusion

In order to support teaching and learning excellence as well as meet accreditation requirements, academic institutions have required each program to develop expected learning outcomes so that they can measure their effectiveness in providing students with the required knowledge to earn a degree. However, learning outcomes may be written at the university, program or course level. Program learning outcomes should be able to support the goals and objectives of the program and guide the development of specific learning outcomes for courses within the program (Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 2003).

Capstone Projects

Capstone courses are an example of a learning assessment, and they can be developed for any discipline. Capstone projects encourage students to pursue independent research and scholarly work with the guidance of faculty from their chosen major discipline. By creating effective capstone projects, students have the opportunity to:

• Showcase their skills sets. Capstone courses allow students to integrate all of the courses that they have taken during a degree program.

• Develop a portfolio for potential employers. Employers want to see how graduates can transfer their classroom experience and academic background to the corporate world.

• Show the faculty what they have mastered. Faculty members have the opportunity to see how effective the curriculum is in preparing students for continuing their education and/or entering the world of work.

• Demonstrate how they are able to apply concepts to a practical situation. Institutions may use documents to showcase their students' achievements. This is helpful when accrediting bodies make site visits to evaluate the outcomes of programs.

A successful capstone project is a win-win situation for both the student and the institution.

Investigation of MIS Students

According to Novitzki (1998), "the effectiveness of communicating global MIS and business concerns to technical students has on the whole been poor. A survey of academic journals and popular literate reveals numerous articles describing various education programs and their efforts to better prepare MIS students to function in the corporate business world after they graduate" (p. 100). His article discusses how there is a problem in accomplishing the above-mentioned objective at many schools. It was found that many students perceive themselves as being technically competent, but lack the confidence about their abilities in the IS field.

The results of his research showed that the program he proposed was very effective even though many students struggled with it given the complexity and intensity of the course. In order to keep everyone on track, the design of the program required a partnership between the course instructors, faculty advisors and corporate sponsors. There was too much work for one instructor to complete. Novitzki (1998) created a three-tier approach to the roles and responsibilities of these three groups.

• Course Instructors

• Facilitate the in class sessions, encourage interaction of teams and use class resources to help project teams.

• Provide project management oversight direction and work with faculty advisors to ensure that all class projects progress.

• Work with corporate sponsors to ensure that required information is provided to teams in a timely manner.

• Identify and assign topics for the individual research papers.

• Act as faculty advisor for at least one project.

• Rate performance of all teams and give feedback for improved importance.

• Evaluate individual research papers, scope statements, interim and final reports.

• Faculty Advisors

• Provide guidance to team members on technical issues that arise in discussion with corporate sponsor and process issues that arise during all phases of the project design and implementation.

• Observe students in team meetings, record observations, and submit a final evaluation of team and individual contribution.

• Communicate with course instructor on any unusual challenges or project implementation issues or process problems with team members.

• Evaluate student projects from technical and process perspective.

• Meet with teams as appropriate, particularly during project scope of services development and the final meeting with the corporate sponsor and at other times as requested by the team members.

• Attend interim and final team presentation and the formal presentation to the corporate sponsor.

• Corporate Sponsors

• Serve as the appointed contact who acts as the corporate project liaison for the team.

• Provide access to users and data that the team needs to deliver services agreed upon in the scope of service statement.

• Be accessible to respond to team member questions and follow up communications in a timely manner.

• Attend final presentation (p. 104).

Cross-Functional Integration

An effective capstone course must allow students to experience cross-functional integration. "Firsthand experience permits students to understand how difficult it is to initially achieve integration within a firm and thus for competitors to initially imitate it" (Stephen, Parente & Brown, 2002, p. 166). Some institutions have added a computer simulation to their business strategy courses so that students may practice different key concepts and principles. In addition, there have been various models to surface in an effort to provide a range of teaching methods to design undergraduate business courses that attempt to create a more holistic or integrative approach to business issues.

Terms & Concepts

Accreditation Bodies: Organizations that are responsible for making decisions within the higher education sector regarding the status, legitimacy or appropriateness of an academic institution, school or program.

Capstone Course: According to Skidmore College, a capstone course is “designed to be offered in the final semester of a student's major, a course that ties together the key learning objectives that faculty expect the student to have learned during the major, interdisciplinary program, or interdepartmental major” (www.skidmore.edu).

Information Technology: The development, installation, and implementation of computer systems and applications.

Learning Assessments: Assessment is an ongoing process aimed at understanding and improving student learning. It involves making our expectations explicit and public; setting appropriate criteria and high standards for learning quality; systematically gathering, analyzing, and interpreting evidence to determine how well performance matches those expectations and standards; and using the resulting information to document, explain, and improve performance (Angelo, 1995. p. 7).

Learning Outcomes: After completion of a course of learning or educational unit, outcomes are the tangible evidence of demonstrated knowledge, skills, and abilities the individual students possess.

Pedagogy: The strategies of instruction, or the art and science of being an educator.

Bibliography

Angelo, T.A. (1995). Assessment. AAHE Bulletin, 48 , 7.

Artzt, A., Sultan, A., Curcio, F., & Gurl, T. (2012). A capstone mathematics course for prospective secondary mathematics teachers. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 15, 251-262. Retrieved December 15, 2013, from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=75178857&site=ehost-live

Case Western University. (2004). SAGES learning outcomes. Retrieved November 16, 2007, from http://artsci.case.edu/wiki/sages/index.php?title=SAGES_Learning_Outcomes

Chow, J., Dick, G. & Edmundson, R. (1994). Industry satisfaction with IS graduates in the 1990s: An empirical study. Proceedings of the Ninth Annual Conference of the International Academy of Information Management, 153-174.

Draves, T. J. (2013). Transition from student to teacher–student teaching: The Capstone experience. Journal of music teacher education, 23, 50-62. Retrieved December 15, 2013, from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=90263481&site=ehost-live

Herman, S. (1994). Hiring right. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

Hess, A., Rombach, D., Carbon, R., Murphy, D. F., Hoeh, M., & Bartolein, C. (2013). The role of collaborative capstone projects - experiences from education, research and industry. International Journal of Engineering Education, 29, 1088-1099. Retrieved December 15, 2013, from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=91853478&site=ehost-live

Johnson, P., & Koirala, H. P. (2013). Showcasing students' mathematical understanding through portfolios: A capstone course for mathematics majors on a secondary teaching track. Primus: Problems, Resources & Issues in Mathematics Undergraduate Studies, 23, 359-366. Retrieved December 15, 2013, from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=87554830&site=ehost-live

McGee, M. (1998, February 2). School daze. Information Week .

Middle States Commission on Higher Education. (2003). Student learning assessment: Options and resources. Philadelphia, PA.

Morris, R. (1995). Software support in the strategic management course: A review of simulations and case analysis tools. Journal of Management Education, 19 , 138-155.

Novitzki, J. (1998, December 1). The MIS capstone: Development on an integrating group applied project course. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED431422).

Porter, L., & McKibben, L. (1988). Management education and development: Drift or thrust into the 21st century? New York: McGraw-Hill.

Rash, A., & Weld, K. (2013). The Capstone course: Origins, goals, methods, and issues. Primus: Problems, Resources & Issues in Mathematics Undergraduate Studies, 23, 291-296. Retrieved December 15, 2013, from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=87554833&site=ehost-live

Stephen, J., Parente, D., & Brown, R. (2002). Seeing the forest and the trees: Balancing functional and integrative knowledge using large-scale simulations in capstone business strategy classes. Journal of Management Education, 26 , 164-193. Retrieved November 20, 2007, from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=12699682&site=ehost-live

Watkins, T. (1996). Stage 1: Creating a new MBA core with teaching. Journal of Management Education, 20 , 411-421.

Suggested Reading

Berheide, C. W. (2007). Doing less work, collecting better data: Using capstone courses to assess learning. Peer Review, 9 , 27-30. Retrieved November 20, 2007, from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=25975840&site=ehost-live

Capstone courses prepare students for transition to working world. (2006). Academic Leader, 22 , 8. Retrieved November 20, 2007, from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=19568511&site=ehost-live

Junghagen, S. (2005, January 1). Working with business and industry to enhance curriculum development and student employability. New Directions for Institutional Research, 2005 , 69. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ760694).

Kerrigan, S. & Jhaj, S. (2007). Assessing general education capstone courses: An in-depth look at a nationally recognized capstone assessment model. Peer Review, 9 , 13-16. Retrieved November 20, 2007 from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=25975836&site=ehost-live

Essay by Marie Gould

Marie Gould is an associate professor and the faculty chair of the Business Administration Department at Pierce College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She teaches in the areas of management, entrepreneurship, and international business. Although Ms. Gould has spent her career in both academia and corporate, she enjoys helping people learn new things - whether it's by teaching, developing or mentoring.