HomePublicationsSeries on Engaged Learning and TeachingCultivating CapstonesPart 3 Chapter 11: Understanding Faculty Needs in Capstone Experiences Book MenuCultivating Capstones SectionsPart 1Part 2Part 3ChaptersIntroductionChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 7Chapter 8Chapter 9Chapter 10Chapter 11Chapter 12Chapter 13Chapter 14ConclusionBook Resources Contributors Buy in PrintISBN: 9781642674170January 2023 Morgan Gresham, Caroline Boswell, Olivia Anderson, Matthew J. Laye, and Dawn Smith-Sherwood This chapter shares results from a mixed-method, multi-institutional study gauging the type of faculty who teach capstone experiences, their intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, and the type of support they receive at their institutions. Henscheid (2000) found that almost half of 707 regionally accredited colleges and universities use capstones as part of their institution’s assessment program and the 2010-2011 HERI Faculty Survey indicated that 35.8% of respondents had taught a Capstone course. The 2016–2017 HERI Faculty Survey indicated that just half of undergraduate teaching faculty participated in teaching-related professional development opportunities and that a majority of faculty surveyed (69.2%) agree that there is adequate support for faculty development. The results shared in this chapter paint a different picture of faculty desire for resources and support in teaching capstone experiences. In a survey of 138 faculty, less than half found the availability of resources “good” or “excellent,” with 14% of those surveyed saying that resources were not even available to them. It is vital that faculty members preparing to develop and teach capstone experiences have access to the resources they need to help them be successful. To that end, this chapter provides a common support needs checklist; a set of heuristics that help faculty identify what resources may be most helpful for them at the particular moment and guided by the tensions/pressures/motivations they experience in their particular context; and a how to guide to structure a significant conversation. Related Book ResourcesQuestions to Consider: Heuristics for Better CapstonesDiscussion Questions What can institutions learn from the faculty stories about teaching capstones? How does your institution support (i.e. funding, release-time, tenure and promotion criteria) faculty who teach a capstone experience? How would you describe your department culture related to teaching disciplinary/interdisciplinary capstones? Do faculty within your department support the need to teach the capstone? What are the benefits gained by including faculty who do not teach the capstone experience in conversations and professional development workshops? Share: