The CoursesControl group (previous assignment) =

• 4 class sections (n=158 students) at Cabrillo College, 2 in Fall 2016 and 2 in Spring 2017

• 2 class sections (n = 84) at De Anza College in Winter 2017

New capstone assignment =• 3 class sections (n=111) at Cabrillo College in Fall 2017• 1 class sections (n = 46) at De Anza College in Spring 2017

Both teaching contexts =• Taught by the same instructor• Similar course content (lectures and in-class activities)• Similar student makeup

Conclusion• The capstone project format does not significantly improve overall student assignment performance. However, the

two assignment formats are graded slightly differently, which makes the use of project grades alone problematic. • Qualitative data indicate the capstone project helps students explore course topics in greater depth and provides

opportunities to practice cooperative skills. • In this way, it is likely that the capstone project supports higher quality learning of both anthropological knowledge and

essential skills that will continue to serve students in and out of the classroom.• Suggestions for additional research: collect additional qualitative data about the level of student engagement with

the capstone project and identify specific aspects of assignment grades (rather than overall scores) that could yield more comparable quantitative data across the two assignment types.

Results• Average scores are not significantly higher (p = 0.64

and p = 0.65) in the new capstone project group, compared to the previous assignment group (Chart 1, Table 1, and Table 2).

• However, qualitative data provided via student surveys suggests students find the capstone project format engaging, informative, and a useful means for practicing key skills (Table 3 and Table 4).

Capstone Projects: Combining Critical Thinking and CreativityK. Elizabeth Soluri (Department of Anthropology, Cabrillo College)

IntroductionIntroductory biological anthropology students often complete final papers or projects where they explore a course topic in greater depth by synthesizing relevant scholarly literature and, on rare occasions where circumstances permit, conducting original research. While these assignment formats mimic the work product of professional biological anthropologists, many of our introductory students are not anthropology majors and will instead need to apply course concepts and skillsets to a wide range of professional contexts beyond our classrooms. The present research explores the efficacy of an alternative capstone project format, where students research the realities behind a popular misunderstanding about evolution and then design public education materials that creatively teach these realities to a general audience.

Cabrillo College Mean SD 2-tailed T-test

Previous 91.1 0.57

p = 0.64

New Capstone 91.6 0.81

De Anza College Mean SD 2-tailed T-test

Previous 91.5 0.83

p = 0.65

New Capstone 92.1 1.26

Table 1

AcknowledgementsI thank the students who made this research possible, the colleagues who provided suggestions and feedback (Julie M. Hui, Beth P. Roselyn, and Tsim D. Schneider), and Jessica L. Westin, Margarita Hernandez, Becca Peixotto, and Molly Selba for organizing this symposium.

The New Assignment

The Previous Assignment The New AssignmentPoster (based on library research of a specific topic related to the course)• Completed in cooperative groups• Students submit: poster with in-text citations

and associated bibliography

Public Education Materials (based on library research related to general misunderstanding of human evolution)• Completed in cooperative groups• Students submit: public education materials

and annotated bibliography

Some students still finish course with the same pre-existing misunderstandings about human evolution.

By focusing on the misunderstandings, students should correct their knowledge as part of the project.

Students use inappropriate, low-quality sources. Students will receive more guidance andsupport to locate high-quality sources.

Teaching and assessment focused on writingand citation formatting, while students still struggled with underlying critical thinking.

Teaching and assessment will now focus on ability to evaluate and synthesize evidence (critical thinking).

Sample Projects: Capstone Format:• Students work in cooperative groups• Teams select from a list of common

misunderstandings:1. Natural selection is about individual survival2. Chimpanzees are monkeys3. Humans are the only smart primates4. Stone tools are simple and easy to make5. Neanderthals are dumb “cavemen”6. Humans have stopped evolving

• Step 1: Preliminary Bibliography (scaffolded by assignment completed at library with library faculty assistance)

• Step 2: Project Proposal (overview of plan submitted for approval)

• Step 3: Public Education Project and Annotated Bibliography

• Grading:• For each assignment, students complete

peer evaluations• Students receive their own individual grades

based on their personal contribution to the work

Chart 1

Analysis• Two-tailed T-tests are used to compare student

performance on the previous assignment and the new capstone project.

• All statistical analysis are run comparing the control (previous assignment) to the new capstone project population within each institution.

• Survey responses provided by students provide added qualitative insights.

Table 2

Survey Question% of Students who Strongly Agree

% of Studentswho Agree

The public education project helped me explore course topics in greater depth (thinking critically, making connections to real life, and/or linking course concepts together in larger themes).

48 42

The public education project challenged me to practice my cooperative skills, such as effectively communicating with others, listening to others and considering their opinions and needs, dividing work fairly, and meeting obligations to others.

50 44

Table 3

Question: What was your favorite topic, activity, or assignment? And, why was it your favorite?

“My favorite assignment was the public education assignment because going into it I thought the topic we were given was going to be hard, but by researching it throughout the semester I learned a lot from it.”

“My favorite assignment was the group project. It helped me with more than just learning about our topic. I was able to better communicate and learn to let myself not take on all the responsibilities and rely on others to help. It was hard for me to trust that others would follow through but they did and we ended up making a decent project.”

Table 4: Sample Student Survey Responses

Humans are not the only smart primates.

Neanderthals are not dumb “cavemen.”