Assessing learning and teaching strategies of a post-graduate capstone course: Students' perspective

Quality enhancement and quality assurance are the means by which higher education institutions are monitoring to ensure the standards are maintained worldwide. The views of students are in integral component in this process: as such extensive studies have been conducted in this regard. The students' perspective, over a three year span (2010 to 2012), on the design and delivery of a post-graduate capstone course that has undergone a recent restructuring is presented in this paper. The research utilised an anonymously e-assessed questionnaire: thirteen (13) closed-ended and two (2) open-ended questions. The instrument was administered a week after the delivery of the course. The results indicate a generally significant positive reception to the learning and teaching strategies employed. However, the negative feedback also indicates the level of dissatisfaction and lack of understanding of the intentions of the course structure. The research can be used to guide others engaged in the development of capstone courses to ensure quality is achieved from the perspective of the key stakeholder - the students.