Transfer from capstone design: A model to facilitate student reflection

Abstract

This paper reports on a pilot study designed to gather information about the transfer abilities of capstone students. Students engaged in a set of activities intended to promote student reflection about and documentation of the skills and knowledge they perceive that they will transfer out of their capstone experience. The paper describes the transfer activities (an initial individual written assignment and a team transfer map), and discusses their intent, implementation, and possible variations. These activities were piloted with engineering students near the end of their two-semester capstone design course. As a follow-up, six students, each representing a different project team, were interviewed about their experiences in the transfer activities and their thoughts about transfer in general. The authors independently analyzed the transfer map, written assignments, and interview transcriptions to identify patterns and themes related to transfer. Results from the activity deliverables and interviews suggest that the transfer activities provide an effective student experience to promote reflection about transfer, document a list of students' main perceived takeaways from their capstone experiences, and, as such, offer data to capstone faculty to improve capstone education. Next steps include implementing a modified version of the activities with capstone alumnae to identify what alumni actually transfer in to their employment after graduation, and investigating whether and how to use these activities as an assessment tool for capstone courses and overall programs. © 2011 American Society for Engineering Education.