ERIC Number: EJ1447822
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 24
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-2573-1378
The Capstone Fair for Promoting Initial Generation of Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstone Ideas
Laurie D. Stelter; Sandra M. Whisner; Cynthia Tiongco; Laura Alexander
Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, v8 n4 Article 9 2024
Entry-level occupational therapy doctorate (OTD) programs across the United States navigate the challenge of designing doctoral capstone (DC) processes to provide students with adequate scaffolding to plan, implement, evaluate, and disseminate their capstone projects. The DC process starts with the daunting tasks of student generation of capstone interests and connecting with mentors for collaborative guidance. The purpose of this program evaluation project was to assess a comprehensive process, known as the Capstone Fair, for effectively and efficiently facilitating students' initial generation of capstone ideas and the match between student and Faculty Capstone Mentor. A fixed convergent, parallel mixed methods design was used to evaluate the Capstone Fair's ability to meet pre-established criteria among two student cohorts, four years apart. Outcomes indicated 100% (n=101) alignment of the student's identified capstone topics with the program's curriculum design; interests that demonstrated cognitive flexibility and feasibility in 96% (n=97) of students; a statistically significant increase in student confidence with the identification of interests (p<0.001) and level of interest in ideas generated (p<0.001); high student satisfaction with the process (M=4.26/5.0); high connectivity of initial interests with final executed projects in 67% (n=33) of projects; and a time commitment for student/faculty mentor matching of 2.5 hours with 4% post-match adjustments. The results suggest that the Capstone Fair procedures were effective for student generation of capstone interests that were curricularly aligned and demonstrate flexibility and feasibility for responding to the evolving dynamics of the DC process over time.
Descriptors: Doctoral Students, Occupational Therapy, Allied Health Occupations Education, Capstone Experiences, Doctoral Programs, Mentors, Student Satisfaction, Teacher Student Relationship, Curriculum Development, Concept Formation, Student Centered Learning
Journal of Occupational Therapy Education. 521 Lancaster Avenue, Richmond, KY 40475. e-mail: jote@eku.edu; Web site: https://encompass.eku.edu/jote/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A