Business and industry project-based capstone courses: selecting projects and assessing learning outcomes

摘要

This is the first of two articles in which the author sharesexperiences gained from the development and delivery of a business/industry project-based capstone course. The course integrates research,proposal development and design experience based on knowledge andskills acquired in earlier coursework. The course also incorporatesstandards and realistic constraints. Preparing students for 'real world'practices is an integral part of the curriculum for many engineering andtechnology programmes. Such preparation can involve numerousapproaches to simulate realistic experiences, including engaging studentswith real-world external clients who might use their work. These practicesoffer the challenge of identifying and selecting suitable projects as well asdeveloping the means to evaluate effectively the learning outcomesrelated to students' participation in such projects. This paper has twomain parts. Part 1 concerns the process of project solicitation andcommunication with clients during different phases of the capstone projectlife. The difficulties encountered and the means of reducing their negativeimpacts are also addressed. Part 2 includes the development of thestudents' learning outcomes and the tools used to measure them. Thesecond paper, also published in this issue of Industry and HigherEducation, addresses some of the key factors in enhancing studentlearning in teams.