Using a major field test (MFT) is a common method of program assessment. For accurate assessment to take place, however, students must be sufficiently motivated to perform. This paper studies a change in major requirements that associated a major field test to a grade in a political science capstone course. After controlling for possible…

This article is a discovery-based instructional resource for faculty to use as a capstone course or exploratory project for undergraduates who are familiar with (but not necessarily fluent in) calculus, linear algebra, complex variables, and geometry. The explorations flow from a simple change in sign: in the complex numbers a + bi, where…

Using qualitative open item analysis, MBA alumni were asked their perceptions of competencies, skills and concepts developed or reinforced in a client-focused team project MBA capstone course. The replies from 167 respondents were aggregated together over a nine-year period from 2013 to 2021. Conversion of coded responses to managerial…

Teaching ethics to undergraduate psychology students has been the focus of professional organizations for several years. However, the evidence that psychology programs are teaching ethics and its effectiveness is scarce. In this review, we present recent evidence on teaching ethics based on three themes: delivery of ethics in the curriculum,…

In this study we explored the experiences of students who completed a project-based, interdisciplinary capstone course that was offered at a large university in Southern Ontario, Canada. To do so, we interviewed students after they completed the course, adopting a constructivist perspective and a phenomenological approach. Interview transcripts…

It is challenging for economics major programs to support an undergraduate research capstone where the goal is for all majors to complete a research project that creates new knowledge. Our program has found a way to achieve this for all of our majors in the face of resource constraints and varying student skill levels, and has done this without…

The term "interdisciplinary" is an increasingly popular buzzword within higher education, yet varying interpretations of what constitutes interdisciplinary learning can dilute its meaning and potency. The Integrative Studies program at Kennesaw State University has participated in this dilution by offering an Integrative Studies degree…

Background: Acquisition and generalization of data analysis skills are perennial challenges for psychology students. Teaching advanced data analysis in a psychology-specific context might improve students' learning. Objective: At a mid-sized public university, we evaluated student outcomes after a new quantitative psychology course taught in the…

The Microbiology Concept Inventory is an assessment tool derived from the fundamental statements created by the American Society for Microbiology. This two-tier, multiple-choice question inventory requires students to choose the most correct answer for each question and provide a brief justification of their reasoning. Educators can utilize this…

In this paper, we report on the analysis of data collected from 684 students majoring in Accounting and Finance, to examine the relationship between academic outcomes and Work-integrated Education (WIE) and International Study Exchange (ISE) experiences. Both WIE and ISE are common elements of undergraduate business education because of the…

It has been suggested that integrating reasoning and proof in mathematics teaching requires a special type of teacher knowledge -- Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching Proof (MKT-P). Yet, several important questions about the nature of MKT-P remain open, specifically, whether MKTP is a type of knowledge specific to teachers, and whether MKT-P can…

Capstone projects provide key learning opportunities for STEM undergraduates to consolidate knowledge gained over the life of their degree. These projects typically reflect lab- or fieldwork-based research, which can exclude students who do not wish to pursue these career avenues. Here we deployed school engagement projects (SEPs) as an…

We present a programmatic approach to incorporating ethics into an undergraduate major in statistical and data sciences. We discuss departmental-level initiatives designed to meet the National Academy of Sciences recommendation for integrating ethics into the curriculum from top-to-bottom as our majors progress from our introductory courses to our…

Decades of research spanning a range of educational domains have confirmed that students differ in their learning styles and that student performance is impacted by the degree of fit between these styles and the teaching and assessment methods deployed in courses (Allinson & Hayes, 1988; Cegielski, Hazen & Rainer, 2011; Drissi &…

Most undergraduate social science programs require the completion of a capstone experience before graduation. Despite the recognized potential of capstone courses to deepen learning, many students do not perform well. The present study examines several factors that may prepare students for academic success in a fairly typical capstone course for…