Reflections on the Final Year Learning Experience –Designing a Capstone Experience

Abstract

Cross-sector educational reform to be implemented in 2012 in Hong Kong (HK) is intended principally to prepare students for the future workplace. One of the explicit requirements for the new four-year undergraduate curriculum is the inclusion of a capstone course for final year students. This paper explores the uptake and reported effect of the capstone- liked final year project using participating students’ experience (voice) in existing undergraduate study programmes in the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). Semi-structured interviews were used to collect student feedback; findings revealed considerations in terms of the core design elements highlighted in literature. The paper highlights students’ lack of readiness to successful transition into the workplace, linked to the current academic focus of projects. A framework that includes learning activities preferred by students is proposed for the final year learning experience. Findings from this study will be useful for curriculum development and evaluation of the final-year curriculum.

Keywords

• cross-sector educational reform
• future workplace
• capstone course