Capstone Projects for Self-Efficacy, Skills, and Successful Careers

Kimberly LeChasseur; Fiona Levey; Ahmet Can Sabuncu; Alireza Ebadi; John McNeill

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Conference: 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Portland, Oregon
Publication Date: June 23, 2024
Start Date: June 23, 2024
End Date: July 12, 2024
Conference Session: Cooperative and Experiential Education Division (CEED) Technical Session 4
Tagged Division: Cooperative and Experiential Education Division (CEED)
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Permanent URL: https://strategy.asee.org/48442

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Paper Authors

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Kimberly LeChasseur Worcester Polytechnic Institute

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Dr. Kimberly LeChasseur is a researcher and evaluator with the Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She holds a dual appointment with the Center for Project-Based Learning and the Morgan Teaching and Learning Center. She holds a PhD in Educational Leadership

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Fiona Levey Worcester Polytechnic Institute

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Dr. Fiona Levey is an Associate Professor of Teaching in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She teaches materials science and thermal fluids classes and advises capstone design projects. She employs active learning and project-based learning in her curriculum, using varied approaches for different levels, and correlating course design and teaching techniques to learning outcomes. Dr. Levey was awarded Best Professional Paper at the ASEE NE conference in 2020 for collaborative research related to identifying and addressing gaps in Math skills needed for courses at the sophomore level. She draws from her cross-functional team experience as a Metallurgical Engineer in applied research and development prior to moving into academia.

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Ahmet Can Sabuncu Worcester Polytechnic Institute orcid.org/0000-0001-7905-421X

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Dr. Sabuncu holds a Ph. D. in Aerospace Engineering from Old Dominion University. Dr. Sabuncu's professional interests spans from engineering education research, history of science and engineering, thermo-fluids engineering, and microfluidic technology.

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Alireza Ebadi Worcester Polytechnic Institute orcid.org/0000-0002-7051-714X

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John McNeill Worcester Polytechnic Institute

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John McNeill received his bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College in 1983, M.S. from the University of Rochester in 1991, and Ph.D. from Boston University in 1994. From 1983 to 1990 he worked in industry in the design of high speed, high resolution anal

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Abstract

Background/Motivation: Capstone experiences provide an important bridge between education and employment in engineering and providing marketable skills is a major function of the experience (Pembridge & Paretti, 2019). There is growing consensus around capstone projects as a potential site for teaching students professional skills, such as problem solving and teamwork (Lee & Loton, 2019). Yet there remains a gap in skills between employer expectations and the graduates they hire (Kolmos & Holgaard, 2019), suggesting that not all capstone experiences are providing sufficient support for developing these skills. For example, Picard, Hardebolle, Tormey, and Schiffman (2021) found limited growth in professional skills in small, short-term project experiences. One potential amplifier of developing professional skills is self-efficacy. Capstones that employ project-based learning may be particularly well-positioned to scaffold students’ sense of confidence in their ability to accomplish more than they previously thought (Fini, Awadallah, Parast, & Abu-Lebdeh, 2018). This paper uses three sets of analyses to examine the extent to which intensive capstone project experiences can assist in developing students’ self-efficacy alongside professional skills, as well as the contribution of self-efficacy and professional skills to long-term career preparedness.

Methodology: These questions are examined with a sample of 2,101 alumni from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) who completed a survey in 2021 about their educational experiences and its impact on their lives after graduation. All undergraduate students at WPI are required to complete a 9-credit major qualifying project in the final year to graduate. A series of hierarchical multiple linear regression models were constructed and assessed to determine the relative contributions of variables in predicting self-efficacy, each type of skill, and career preparation.

Results: The first series of models found that the capstone experience has a moderately sized positive effect on self-efficacy, even after controlling for student demographics, response bias, courses in the major, and other project experiences. The second series of models found a similar effect on the development of communication skills, information use skills, and teamwork skills. Finally, the third series of models demonstrated that self-efficacy, communication skills, and information use skills all significantly contribute to alumni’s preparation for their current career; teamwork skills, however, did not.

Conclusions/Significance: Self-efficacy is often implicit in the theories of action guiding capstone design (Pembridge & Paretti, 2019). The studies described in this paper explicitly confirm the significant role of capstones in developing students’ self-efficacy and its importance in preparing students for future engineering careers. This paper also extends prior research that stops short of assessing whether the self-efficacy and professional skills gained in capstones translates to career success.

Citation
Format

LeChasseur, K., & Levey, F., & Sabuncu, A. C., & Ebadi, A., & McNeill, J. (2024, June), Capstone Projects for Self-Efficacy, Skills, and Successful Careers Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://strategy.asee.org/48442

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Background/Motivation: Capstone experiences provide an important bridge between education and employment in engineering and providing marketable skills is a major function of the experience (Pembridge &amp;amp; Paretti, 2019). There is growing consensus around capstone projects as a potential site for teaching students professional skills, such as problem solving and teamwork (Lee &amp;amp; Loton, 2019). Yet there remains a gap in skills between employer expectations and the graduates they hire (Kolmos &amp;amp; Holgaard, 2019), suggesting that not all capstone experiences are providing sufficient support for developing these skills. For example, Picard, Hardebolle, Tormey, and Schiffman (2021) found limited growth in professional skills in small, short-term project experiences. One potential amplifier of developing professional skills is self-efficacy. Capstones that employ project-based learning may be particularly well-positioned to scaffold students’ sense of confidence in their ability to accomplish more than they previously thought (Fini, Awadallah, Parast, &amp;amp; Abu-Lebdeh, 2018). This paper uses three sets of analyses to examine the extent to which intensive capstone project experiences can assist in developing students’ self-efficacy alongside professional skills, as well as the contribution of self-efficacy and professional skills to long-term career preparedness. 

Methodology: These questions are examined with a sample of 2,101 alumni from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) who completed a survey in 2021 about their educational experiences and its impact on their lives after graduation. All undergraduate students at WPI are required to complete a 9-credit major qualifying project in the final year to graduate. A series of hierarchical multiple linear regression models were constructed and assessed to determine the relative contributions of variables in predicting self-efficacy, each type of skill, and career preparation. 

Results: The first series of models found that the capstone experience has a moderately sized positive effect on self-efficacy, even after controlling for student demographics, response bias, courses in the major, and other project experiences. The second series of models found a similar effect on the development of communication skills, information use skills, and teamwork skills. Finally, the third series of models demonstrated that self-efficacy, communication skills, and information use skills all significantly contribute to alumni’s preparation for their current career; teamwork skills, however, did not.

Conclusions/Significance: Self-efficacy is often implicit in the theories of action guiding capstone design (Pembridge &amp;amp; Paretti, 2019). The studies described in this paper explicitly confirm the significant role of capstones in developing students’ self-efficacy and its importance in preparing students for future engineering careers. This paper also extends prior research that stops short of assessing whether the self-efficacy and professional skills gained in capstones translates to career success. 
AU  - Kimberly LeChasseur
AU  - Fiona Levey
AU  - Ahmet Can Sabuncu
AU  - Alireza Ebadi
AU  - John McNeill
CY  - Portland, Oregon
DA  - 2024/06/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Capstone Projects for Self-Efficacy, Skills, and Successful Careers
UR  - https://strategy.asee.org/48442
ER  -