Assessment

Assessment Models - Capstone Experiences

Capstones represent the culmination of a program of study. Their form can vary: course, paper, research, project or practicum. Capstones allow students the opportunity to reflect on their learning, to connect the dots, and apply what they’ve learned to the world they are about to move into. They also allow faculty a yearly “vintage” of student learning to look through and see how well students are learning what they are teaching.

Advantages

• Reveal how learning is cumulative and integrated
• Can be used to assess both the core curriculum and the discipline
• Help students integrate their learning into a whole and prepare for a profession
• Allow for departments to have collaborative assessment of learning
• Encourage external review

Possible Problems

• Scheduling so students take them at the end of the program
• Sometimes necessary to add a course
• Can be used by some disciplines more easily than others
• Require clarification of criteria and raise issues of confidentiality
• Need to serve students and assessment needs equally