ABSTRACT
In examining a basis for the existence of a capstone course, the literature in the field of Education, specifically Curriculum and Instruction, provides some direction. The capstone course is an excellent method of direct assessment. By its very nature, the capstone course is a method of summative evaluation. In a summative evaluation of the students' experience in the university curriculum, a capstone course is an instrument used to directly assess the performance of students in the attainment of institutional and departmental curricular expectations. A capstone course might be designed that makes use of the increasing complexity of student learning when the end of the process of instruction is reached. The capstone course may be the singular opportunity to determine if the student has assimilated the various goals of his or her total education. Problem analysis, information sharing, creative solutions, and projects drive the capstone course.
