The Design and Development of an Innovative Project Selection Tool to Facilitate Intentional Collaboration In Capstone Courses

Audience Level: 
All
Institutional Level: 
Higher Ed
Streamed: 
Onsite
Special Session: 
Diversity & Inclusion
Abstract: 

Experience the new interactive Capstone project selection tool that we designed and developed to assist students and faculty in discussing, analyzing, and selecting appropriate Capstone projects.  Students learn how to evaluate their project ideas across program criteria. This tool makes course expectations transparent and provides a supportive EDI environment.

Extended Abstract: 

Join us as we share our new project selection tool that helps students evaluate multiple options for Capstone projects so that they can practice the skill set required in the prioritization and selection of a Capstone project. The selection tool that we developed is available to students via our Online Learning Management System (LMS) as an interactive web application, and has students rate their project on five criteria. 

The goal of the selection tool is not to prescribe a project, but to facilitate a conversation about the relative strengths and weaknesses of the projects the student is considering completing. We will discuss how the tool makes course expectations transparent to students, while also providing the necessary scaffolding by first asking the right questions as they then narrow their choices to work toward the selection of a final Capstone project. 

We’ll discuss how the selection tool provides a supportive DEI environment for students to ask appropriate questions and discuss alternatives. The presentation will conclude with a brief demonstration and discussion of how this tool can assist with the DEI environment and scaling courses from a wide range of programs and institutions.

Plans / Strategies to Engage Audience

We will start with a quick poll and ask participants about their top five pain points in selecting projects in capstone courses. 

We will provide the rationale for the project selection tool, share it with participants and demonstrate a brief, hypothetical capstone project with the larger group.

Learning Outcomes:

Key Points / Learning Outcomes for Attendees

As a result of attending our session, attendees will be able to: 

  1. Identify appropriate selection criteria and reflective learning strategies for a capstone course.

  2. Select and prioritize criteria and reflective learning strategies for a capstone course.

  3. Discuss benefits of this tool for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for student success.

  4. Develop strategies to help facilitate students through the active, reflective learning associated with project refinement and selection. 

 
Conference Track: 
Technology and Future Trends
Session Type: 
Discovery Session
Intended Audience: 
Administrators
Design Thinkers
Faculty
Instructional Support
Technologists
Researchers