How Universal Are Capstone Design Course Outcomes?

Abstract

Capstone design courses are prominent elements of engineering degree programs and are central to the development and assessment of student professional competencies for program accreditation. This paper describes a process for establishing broadly-applicable capstone design course learning outcomes and proposes a set that may become universally applicable across programs and disciplines. These capstone course outcome definitions will guide faculty in creation of improved instructional materials and methods for facilitating engineering-practice-oriented student learning. They also provide a foundation upon which broadly-applicable assessments of student learning can be developed to address the nationwide challenge for capstone course instructors to assess student achievement of important program outcomes.