Culminating course partners interdisciplinary teams

The Senior Capstone is the culminating course in the undergraduate general education curriculum at Portland State University. Capstone courses bring students together to work in interdisciplinary teams under the supervision of faculty and community partners on community-based projects. Ideally, students combine the principles of inquiry and group process, learned throughout the University Studies Program, with the specialized knowledge gained through courses in their major.

The idea of Senior Capstones arose from the university's mission to make connections with the community in which it lives, and the general education program's mission to engage a student's sense of civic responsibility. The capstone courses allow the university and the community to interact on projects that are beneficial to each.

The early goal of the Capstone program involved simply finding and making connections with 120-170 community organizations whose projects would also support our curriculum goals. Appropriate community response has been gratifying. We find there are more opportunities than we can take advantage of.

Portfolio central assessment plans

The next big goal for the capstone program, and University Studies as a whole, is to incorporate assessment of student learning into the curriculum and program review. This has been an ongoing process.

Proposed methods for assessment involve the use of surveys, interviews, observations and case studies. The case studies are derived from student and faculty portfolios, produced from key assignments in courses at pivotal junctures in specific programs. The assignments are preserved in a portfolio and submitted to faculty at different stages of academic progress.