2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

"Exploring the Capstone Journey: Student Perspectives"
Capstone courses serve as a pivotal point in the educational journey of engineering technology students. While a significant portion of the undergraduate engineering technology curriculum typically revolves around technical knowledge, capstone courses mirror genuine engineering technology (manufacturing technology related) experiences. These courses often provide students with the chance to tackle practical, open-ended projects and engage with real clients and industry experts. The role of a capstone project in an engineering technology program at XXXXXX State University is to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application. Students will form teams composed of members possessing diverse technical skills to create and execute a lean production process. The course's tasks are designed to facilitate the students' shift from the academic environment to roles of authority within a corporate context.

Most of the research in capstone classes have been focused on areas such as pedagogy, project outcomes, assessment, and the impact of capstone experiences on student learning and professional development. In this paper authors would investigate the to gain the insights into student perspectives on to capstone projects, exploring their experiences, challenges, and perceived benefits. This research could also help improve the capstone course based on student feedback.

References
Lutz, B. D., & Ekoniak, M., & Paretti, M. C., & Smith-Orr, C. S. (2015, June), Student Perspectives on Capstone Design Learning Paper presented at 2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Seattle, Washington. 10.18260/p.24762