Week 1.2 Flashcards
Capstone course involves (3)
1) A unit that serves as an integrating and culminating experience at the end of a university degree
2) A final course that draws upon previous courses within that degree
3) A final educational experience in an Undergraduate curriculum as well as the beginning of the students’ next learning opportunity in the world of graduation and work
Example of psychology as a capstone course
Integrate learning from previous years (biopsychology, cognitive psychology, social psychology etc.); different theories, different perspectives
A capstone provides students with the opportunity to (3):
1) Assess the impact of their undergraduate education on the development of: (a) critical thinking skills; (b) ethical perspectives; (c) personal and professional growth (skills and knowledge for employment)
2) Integrate and apply all the material they have learnt from the psychology program
3) Evaluate the students’ readiness to transition out of University
A capstone provides discipline staff with the opportunity to:
1) Assess whether the discipline has achieved: (a) Program learning objectives; (b) The psychology profession’s graduate capabilities
2) Develop course assessments that allow both students and staff to achieve the major learning/teaching goals of the psychology program
Types of capstone courses in psychology (in Australia and internationally)
From most to least frequent:
1) Discipline based - major project or thesis
2) Transition only course - life after third year (information-based)
3) Career planning course - further study or job seeking (skills-based)
4) Interdisciplinary course - contextualise psychology with related disciplines (psychiatry, medicine, social work, occupational therapists etc.)
What type of capstone course is PPiP
PPiP attempts the incorporate all of these
A capstone course is designed to focus on some or all of the following: (5)
1) Student centered learning (cognitive self-learning)
2) Emphatic listening (by department staff) [your learning, your experience but want feedback to staff]
3) Affective and experiential learning (growth in emotional learning)
4) Writing assignments that focus on personal and professional growth
5) Collaborative learning and self-disclosure
What does PPiP focus on?
PPiP attempts the incorporate all but the last one of these
Possible assessments within a capstone course can include some or all of the following: (10)
1) Oral presentation
2) Major (individual) project (or thesis)
3) Final (exit) exam
4) Focus on further studies
5) Group project
6) Portfolio development
7) Internship/work experience (including work shadowing)
8) Volunteering (community or service work)
9) Alumni involvement (guest presentations)
10) Leadership training
What does PPiP do in terms of assessments
PPiP attempts the incorporate some of these [and provide flexibility]
Barriers/challenges to ideal capstone courses:
1) Cost (should be small classes only)
2) Too demanding on staff time and resources (most staff avoid teaching this type of course)
3) Difficulty in assessing that integrative learning has taken place
4) Concerns regarding subjective assessment of integrative learning
5) Unstructured nature does not support below average students
6) Capstone courses offer too much flexibility for less-motivated students
7) Too demanding in student time and resources
8) Poor predictor of student success (low correlation between GPA for this course and overall program GPA)
What does PPiP attempt to do in terms of barriers?
PPiP attempts to overcome some of these barriers
Majority of students studying
- Applied science (around 50%)
- Criminology (around 30%)
- Social science (around 17%)
- Social work/social science (around 7%)
Do most people aim to become psychologists?
Yes - just over 50%
Most people aim to become what kind of psychologist
- Clinical psychologist (45%)
- Forensic psychologist (15%)
- Counseling psychologist
- Neuropsychologist
- Sport and exercise psychologist
- Health psychologist
- Research/academic psychologist
- Community psychologist
- Organisational psychologist
