Designing and Assessing Senior and Capstone Projects

Facilitator: Doug Eder, Director Emeritus, Office of Assessment, and Professor Emeritus, Biology, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville

“Deep learning,” that is, the kind of learning that lasts beyond the final exam, takes place over a curriculum, not in a single course. Therefore, capstones, culminating senior experiences, and senior assignments—those projects that require students to integrate learning from all facets of their college career—are becoming more popular as pedagogies for assessment. In this interactive session, a long-time advocate of the senior assignment uncovers principles, costs, surprises, dos, and don’ts for creating, implementing, and monitoring student learning through the senior assignment.