FRAMES, DEFINITIONS, AND DRIVERS: A Multinational Study of Institutionally Required Undergraduate Capstones

By studying required capstones from a multinational perspective, the authors hoped to better understand the range of this high-impact practice in a variety of contexts. After identifying 55 institutions that require baccalaureate capstones, the aanalyzed the language in public-facing documents to better understand how institutions define and frame capstone work. More than 90% of the institutionally required capstones in our data set are major capstones. Because institutionally required capstones are often implemented in a variety of contexts, clear definitions are essential. About half of the institutions explicitly connect capstones to core competencies such as communication and critical thinking. Career and future goals appear in almost a third of institutional descriptions of required capstones. While about a quarter of all the institutions in our data set emphasized self-directed learning, this theme was found in four of five UK institutions, a frequency that reflects the project-based nature of UK required capstones.