The Boston College Capstone Program: Formation and Function of a Holistic General Education Cumulative Experience

Autor/inn/en	Weiss, James M.; Kirkscey, Russell; Vale, Julie
Titel	The Boston College Capstone Program: Formation and Function of a Holistic General Education Cumulative Experience
Quelle	In: Journal of General Education, 70 (2021) 1-2, S.50-61 (12 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Weiss, James M.) ORCID (Kirkscey, Russell)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0021-3667
DOI	10.5325/jgeneeduc.70.1-2.0050
Schlagwörter	Capstone Experiences; College Seniors; Seminars; Intellectual Disciplines; College Faculty; Teacher Role; College Freshmen; Curriculum; General Education; Massachusetts (Boston) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? College; Colleges; Senior; Hochschule; Fachhochschule; Seminar; Geisteswissenschaften; Fakultät; Lehrerrolle; Studienanfänger; Curricula; Lehrplan; Rahmenplan; Allgemein bildendes Schulwesen; Allgemeinbildung
Abstract	This essay discusses Boston College's Capstone Program (BCCP), a distinctive experience with a thirty-two-year history. Unlike capstones focused on specialized projects, often in the student's major, BCCP has helped seniors integrate their entire academic and personal growth. Additionally, the article describes BCCP's historic models, holistic goals, course designs, faculty formation, administrative support, and impacts. It also offers recommendations for founding or extending general education capstones. BCCP comprises 25 or more seminars available to all seniors. Instructors from over 20 departments in Humanities, Sciences, Education, Management, and Nursing use materials and methods from their specializations, but do so to explore larger life purposes for students from any major. Examples from several disciplines are offered. Focusing on personal development, each seminar proceeds by "review" and "preview": students "review" their agency in their educations and "preview" long-term goals. Demand for seminars has remained high: students praise them among their most significant college experiences. Regular faculty communication has ensured BCCP's vitality, including annual retreats on pedagogy and shared oversight of new seminar proposals. BCCP has enjoyed substantial administration support, providing a program director with stipend and course reduction. As a signature element of Boston College's curriculum, BCCP has also generated formative curricula for freshmen. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01