Enhancing Student Engagement in Large-Scale Capstone Courses: An Experience Report
Asma Shakil, Paul Denny
TL;DR
This experience report documents the design, scaling, and continuous refinement of a CS capstone course that grew from 36 to 220 students across six iterations. It details pedagogy, client-driven projects, agile execution, and a multi-faceted assessment framework aimed at developing professional dispositions and soft skills while preserving student engagement. The authors share concrete lessons, including team formation strategies, real-world project sourcing, and the critical role of industry partnerships and recognition programs. The work offers actionable guidance for educators seeking to design or scale capstone experiences in large CS cohorts and highlights practical implications for employability and industry collaboration.
Abstract
Computer science (CS) capstone courses offer students a valuable opportunity to gain hands-on experience in software development, practice essential soft skills, and enhance their employability prospects. They are a core component in many CS undergraduate degrees and address the ACM curricula requirements of inculcating professional dispositions in students and making them aware of the broader societal implications of computing. However, coordinating a capstone course, especially for a large student cohort, can be a daunting task for academic staff. It demands considerable time and energy for planning and coordinating activities between students, academic staff, and any external stakeholders. In this experience report, we outline the iterative development and refinement of our capstone course as it grew substantially in size over a span of six consecutive sessions. We outline the pedagogies that helped us to enhance student engagement and motivation in the course as assessed by end-of-course surveys and students' written reflections. We share the lessons that we have learnt and provide recommendations to educators who are designing new capstone courses or looking to scale existing ones.