Abstract: The trends and practices of public administration are ever changing and it is essential that they be appraised from time to time. Designed as a capstone survey of the field, The State of Public Administration focuses on leading edge issues, challenges, and opportunities that confront PA study and practice in the 21st Century.

Abstract: The capstone design course allows students to synthesize solutions to open ended problems. However without some urging, the students tend to focus on the easy part of the project-a single technical solution. The paper deals with some experience in bringing the more demanding aspects of technical projects into the design course. These include: (1) defining the real project with your customer "how will we know when we're done?". (2) Planning for success. Resource analysis-time, money knowledge, equipment and all of their interactions. (3) What is the best solution? Holding design reviews and comparing alternatives. (4) Communication skills. How do you keep the design team, the boss, and the customer up to date? (5) Presentation of project information in written and verbal forms. (6) Team dynamics. How to support the development of high performance teams? (7) Social skills. Why do I have to deal differently with Mary than with Anne to get their commitment and support? (8) Conflict. Why you need it and how to manage it. Each of the above topics could be a course in itself, but the capstone design course is an ideal place to discuss and exhibit the interaction of these complex issues. These discussions sow the seeds that will allow our graduates to perform at a higher level in all of their future project activities.

Abstract: Recent surveys of practicing engineers and employers of engineers have identified a need for engineering education to create opportunities for developing stronger communications and interpersonal skills, improve problem solving techniques, and challenge the creative thinking and conceptualization abilities of engineering students. Traditional teaching methodologies often lack opportunities for students to develop these "soft" skills or limit their exposure to this training to senior capstone design courses. At the University of Tennessee, we have developed an introductory engineering course called BE 211, Engineering Design Workshop which was taught on a pilot basis during the 1994-95 academic year. This course was developed to meet this challenge using multiple team projects as a format. The paper describes our experience with these pilot sections. Among the techniques of note are; the integration of different types of projects to explore all aspects of the problem solving process, using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator for team formation, teaching team dynamics with the assistance of a consulting psychologist, extensive use of videotape for developing presentation skills, and using written responses to readings and group discussion to integrate technology, society, and engineering ethics issues into the course.

Abstract: Student teaching is a public act, one in which there are several pairs of scrutinizing eyes looking on: pupils, cooperating teachers, principals, parents, and university supervisors. The majority of student teachers perform satisfactorily and develop strategies to cope with the demands of their classrooms. Some, however, “fail.” They either remove themselves voluntarily and are given a grade deemed to be unsatisfactory for obtaining provisional teacher certification or a teaching position, or they are given a failing grade. Focused on “failing” student teachers, this article explores the perceptions of university supervisors with direct responsibility for assessing preservice teachers in their capstone preservice practicum. These individuals have considerable influence over the future of student teachers because of the weight their evaluations have for future employment. The questions addressed include: What does it mean to “fail” in student teaching? Why does it happen? What are the characteristics of st...

Abstract: Capstone courses generally target undergraduate students who are nearing completion of their studies. They are designed to build on skills acquired in earlier courses and emphasize situations and challenges that exist in the real world. Specific learning goals and course objectives vary across disciplines and institutions, but most capstone courses provide an opportunity for students to demonstrate a range of professional competencies and communication skills. By incorporating computer simulations, case studies, or research projects, students are better able to develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, a learning goal

Abstract: The Department of Systems Engineering (SE) at the United States Military Academy (USMA), West Point, New York was organized in 1989 to provide high quality undergraduate programs in systems engineering, engineering management and operations research. The design, development and implementation of the SE Major followed a "systems approach" that was motivated by several important factors: cadet education; faculty growth and development; remaining linked to the industry we serve-the Army; and use of state-of-the-art computer and information technology. Preliminary work included a review of undergraduate SE programs around the USA, revealing important lessons learned and success factors, many of which have since been incorporated into the SE Major at USMA. The Major builds on a strong, interdisciplinary core program of mathematics, computer science, and social and behavioral sciences. This is followed by engineering science courses that extend the core program into systems engineering. A somewhat unusual five-course sequence is integrated into the major leading to a capstone SE design experience. Nonengineering students take this sequence to meet an Academy requirement. Within this, heavy emphasis is placed on the "systems approach," to give students a structured framework for thinking creatively.

Abstract: Dialogue and community are two common foci of the recent nursing education literature. The author came to a new understanding of these concepts while teaching a capstone seminar course for registered nurses who were obtaining a baccalaureate degree. In this paper, this transformation is discussed in the context of one particular learning experience for the capstone course. The philosophical basis for fostering dialogical community through this learning experience is explained. The experience is described, and students' comments about the experience are cited. Finally, conclusions drawn as a result of the experience are compared to the themes of dialogue and community in the recent nursing education literature.

Abstract: A national survey of geology departments shows that 77% of the institutions have revised their major programs. With pedagogical concerns as the primary motivating force, approximately half of the departments have changed the number of courses in either the core or elective curriculum. A significant percentage (76) of departments are now offering academic concentrations in the environmental field. Nontraditional educational experiences such as capstone courses and research projects have been employed to promote independent learning and synthesis of knowledge. Only 45% of the departments responded that they have revised the introductory course. An even smaller percentage incorporated into the course pedagogical activities that promote independent learning and peer interaction. Though, to a limited degree, writing activities and quantitative exercises are utilized, class size appears to be a limiting factor to their more widespread adoption. In order to facilitate the learning process the utilization of comp...

Abstract: We describe the senior design program in Systems Engineering at the University of Virginia. This program serves philosophical capstone of our undergraduate curriculum. We also describe our experiences related to the implementation and execution of the program. The senior design courses provide a major apprenticeship experience for the students that involve them in real design problems while working with real clients. Working in groups of five to eight members, the students apply their classroom knowledge of systems analysis and design to open-ended problems and real applications. Our experience with the program for the first six years has led to considerable success, with numerous student design groups receiving commendations from clients.

Abstract: The intent here is to offer a financial assessment template that students and faculty can use in strategic management courses. The template can also be used by financial analysts. This template relies on a quantitative and qualitative assessment of multiple performance criteria, using a multistage benchmarking process. The objective is to facilitate a pragmatic yet comprehensive analysis.

Abstract: This paper describes the growth of the individual and team national undergraduate and graduate AIAA/Industry design competitions. These design competitions have been developed primarily to enhance the university capstone design education experience of both undergraduate and graduate aerospace engineering programs. The competitions represent an Industry/University partnership to improve the design capability of individuals, corporations and the nation at large. The AIAA serves as the facilitator in this process. The student design teams respond to RFPs developed by AIAA Technical Committees. The competitions are funded by interested corporations. The AIAA design competition model or template could easily be implemented by any professional engineering society to nurture and encourage student capstone design efforts in that society's discipline. Students, corporations, the AIAA and the nation benefit from these competitions which enhance the competitiveness of all of the participants and thereby the competitiveness of the national community. The paper also includes an assessment of these competitions and some thought about their future direction.

Abstract: The University of Queensland Gatton College, in developing its Agribusiness degree in the late 1980s, responded to the findings of extensive surveys of agribusiness employers, and to the Australian government's policy of increased international competitiveness, based on value‐added exports. This response took the form of a curriculum which integrated core business disciplines with a suite of linked case study‐based subjects so as to strengthen students’ views of management as a holistic process. The centrepiece of the curriculum is an overseas market evaluation project undertaken by final‐year students in small groups contracted to commercial firms. The firms pay most of the research costs, with assistance from the Australian government, the students and the university. This unique capstone experience requires students to apply their agribusiness training under strictly commercial circumstances in a foreign cultural environment. Each firm's significant financial involvement is the catalyst for en...

Abstract: Many computer science departments teach a capstone software engineering course involving the design and implementation of a large-scale project. Such a course is normally taught with students working together in teams; consequently, students must face a number of problems related to project management and team dynamics. Our experience has been that students frequently fail to adequately cope with these organizational problems, and consequently fail to complete their projects at an acceptable level of quality. To prepare students to better face these problems, we have modified our capstone software engineering course to provide equal emphasis in both management and technical areas. Our approach to management topics is formal rather than anecdotal, stressing general principles applied to organizational problems arising specifically from situations that occur frequently in technical organizations. This paper reports on the structure of this course, and provides insight into our initial experience in teaching it.

Abstract: In meeting the growing demand for graduates who have background in optical engineering,the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and the Photonics Research Center at the U.S. Military Academy have jointly developed an instructional program that familiarizes every student with principles of laser operation and provides undergraduate research opportunities in optics for electrical engineering majors and others. The program includes a series of laboratory demonstrations in the Photonics Research Center for students in all majors during their sophomore year. For electrical engineering majors, the program also offers a senior level photonics engineering course, advanced individual study in laser applications, and a variety of capstone design projects. Advanced individual study may include up to three semesters of experimental research similar to masters degree thesis work in a graduate program, while the capstone project is accomplished in one semester by design teams based on the design-build- test methodology. Both types of projects address real-world requirements specified by faculty advisors or external mentors. Our integrated approach to optics education supports ongoing state-of-the-art research in the Photonics Research Center and provides technically qualified graduates to meet the demands of the field Army of the 21st century.

Abstract: Methods of instruction for many undergraduate courses in database systems and design still focus primarily an lectures and a single, all-encompassing design project to reinforce database concepts. This paper describes how the database systems course taught at the US Military Academy has evolved to include immediate concept reinforcement in the classroom using networked PCs and a graphically-oriented relational database and application development software tool for each cadet. Heretofore, many relational database concepts were discussed in theory and not thoroughly demonstrated. Our course incorporates immediate concept demonstration using running courseware examples that graphically illustrate practical application of the underlying theory. These examples, for instance, allow direct mapping from theoretical discussions of relational algebra to SQL implementation and finally to query-by-example construction. The traditional course culminated in a final project of limited practical use. This delayed mastery of the theory until completion of the course project, still leaving students without a meaningful product to show for their efforts. With direct application of the theory in our course, understanding is immediate. This allows successful integration of an early project of equal magnitude to the usual final design project. Later, a capstone design project is permitted, emphasizing group interaction with a real-world client and team development of a viable, stand-alone database application. To conclude the course, groups orally present their product in class and write a technical report supporting their work.

Abstract: One of the options for students in mechanical engineering at West Virginia University is to participate in a 'robot design' course for their capstone design experience. For the past two years, the project has involved the construction of an autonomous mobile robot for entry in an international competition. This paper describes the design of the 1994-5 robot, reports on its status and offers observations on both the design and some of the pedagogical aspects of the class.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Abstract: At FIE94, the authors describe their first efforts at using the design and construction of devices for the disabled as the focal point for a junior-level Mechanical Engineering design course. This program has been expanded to include senior capstone projects and summer support for two undergraduates to work on extended projects. The construction costs of the projects have been funded through an NSF REU grant. In this paper the authors will describe projects which students have undertaken to illustrate the problems and potential of assistive technology as the source of design projects. Sources of information and networking through RESNA, the Center for Assistive Technology, and NSF will be given. There is a great satisfaction in providing a device for someone who cannot find an affordable solution to his/her problem. But these projects are not without their problems. Each project is a lesson for the students, as well as the instructor on effective design and project management. For the instructor the lesson is how to design and manage a course to teach design.

Abstract: The purpose of the United States Military Academy at West Point is to provide the nation with leaders of character who serve the common defense. In helping to prepare these future leaders for their service to the nation and to the US Army, the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science is chartered to provide a five-course electrical engineering sequence. The purpose of this sequence is to have cadets learn the engineering thought process that culminates with solving an engineering design problem. In addition, the department provides instruction for an ABET-accredited major in electrical engineering. As part of this program, cadets participate in a comprehensive capstone design project. This paper details a unique Military Academy program that provides an integrated design experience for students from both the core engineering sequence and the electrical engineering majors' program. By bringing both groups of electrical engineering students together into a single team to accomplish a significant design effort, substantial experience is gained by all. This integrated team approach has proven to be a positive learning experience for both groups, as well as for majors from other disciplines in a design team effort.

Abstract: Senior project or Capstone-type courses have existed at engineering schools for many years. Capstone courses provide student engineers the opportunity to solve real-world engineering projects, and have been highly regarded as important learning activities. A survey of Capstone courses in engineering departments throughout North America was conducted in order to understand current practices in Capstone education. This study was conducted for presentation at the 1994 Advances in Capstone Education Conference, held at Brigham Young University, which brought together engineering educators interested in improving Capstone experiences. This conference was sponsored by ASEE, ASME, SME, and NSF. Response to the study was very high, with 360 departments from 173 schools responding to the survey. Survey results were categorized into five major areas of interest: Profile of the Respondents, Course Description Information, Faculty Involvement in Capstone Education, Project Information, and Industrial Involvement in Capstone Education. Graphs provide the results of responses to survey questions.

Abstract: Recently, the School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science (CEES) at the University of Oklahoma instituted a “Programs Outcomes Assessment Plan” as mandated by the state regents for higher education. The assessment plan is designed to determine whether the existing CEES curriculum, teaching methods, and resources are achieving prescribed departmental goals. Within the plan, the senior level design course or capstone experience is to be used as one tool for assessing students. Development of the assessment plan coincided with a departmental decision to revamp and update the existing senior design course to more effectively convey the concept of design and to expose the students to professional practice. The restructured capstone course is now co-taught by a local industrial entity (i.e., consulting firm) and the CEES faculty. This industry driven capstone course has provided invaluable feedback regarding curricular content and capabilities of departmental graduates. The capstone course serves as a microcosm of the four year curriculum. Experiences and outputs from the course can be used to provide immediate assessment information regarding outcomes of the curriculum and at the same time provide insights into curricular changes necessary to improve the educational experience of our students.