An Innovative Approach to the Psychology Capstone Course

Abstract

Background While capstone courses are popular among psychology programs, the capstone course design at a small private Midwestern university seems less conventional. Objective Along with meeting five course objectives, the course addresses understanding vocation, identifying academic and career strengths and weaknesses, identifying talents and gifts, articulating goals, defining servant leadership, knowing what it takes to persist in college and what career to pursue, and understanding purpose and calling. Method Students completed a 10-item questionnaire addressing the aforementioned items on the first and last days of class during four consecutive fall offerings of the Senior Capstone in Psychology course. Results Analysis of pre and posttest data revealed high confidence in positive change from the beginning to the end of the semester on every item measured. Conclusion Significant perceived student growth among each of the 10 questionnaire items was evident. Teaching Implications Institutions that wish to aid in the development of students related to vocation, servant leadership, and calling may want to consider the course design.