BroadwayVik
Active member
The Capstone idea from the vacationing Grizwold's own Marty Moose (hyuk, hyuk ... that's me !) is a terrific idea. Senior PSU business stakeholders helping PSU Athletics business stakeholders. It is so excellent in its simplicity. SBA needs to begin this program this year. :thumb:
Following is from Urban-serving Universities (USU) report on the topic of the efficacy of PSU's Capstone program:_________________________________________________________________________________
Each year, 3,400 Portland State students take part in over 220 Senior Capstone courses that give them the opportunity to apply their newly learned problem-solving skills, to work with an interdisciplinary team, and to create a final product that makes a difference in a local community. Begun in 1994 as part of an institution-wide general education reform, the six-credit Senior Capstone course has become a culminating general education requirement of the undergraduate curriculum. :notworthy:
Many of these Senior Capstone projects have created continuing partnerships with the University, allowing it to help various organizations increase their services and numbers of clients, find new staff and financial support, and build new networks and volunteer support. To address the barriers to walking and biking
to school – as well as other impediments to healthy lifestyles – the Capstone project at the Clarendon/Portsmouth and James John schools empowered local mothers, many of them without English skills, to make their case before health departments, transportation agencies, the police, and others.
Provided with cameras and training, the women were asked to take pictures that would show the problems they were facing. By combining these photos with neighborhood “asset maps,” the project’s report demonstrated why any initiative to encourage students to walk or bike to school must first eliminate barriers and address safety issues. The personal testimony of the women who took the photos dwarfed the impact of the report itself.
Each year, students report that the Capstone courses have enhanced their critical thinking and communication skills, deepened their appreciation of diversity, and increased their sense of social responsibility to their community. Portland State’s Capstone program is of a part with the University’s other efforts to be a responsible community partner. For example, the Bilingual Teacher Pathway program, or BTP, has produced over 190 accredited bilingual and bicultural teachers since 1999 – from 26 countries, speaking more than a dozen languages – for area primary and secondary schools. Each fall, the BTP accepts about 25 teacher candidates at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
All participants must be employed in one of 20 partner school districts as a bilingual/bicultural instructional assistant and must be approved by the school district liaison, who ensures quality, motivation, and commitment. The program has three major components: core methods and pedagogy courses, supervised field experiences, and 18 credit hours of ESL/Bilingual Endorsement courses. All BTP University supervisors are experienced in the education of culturally and linguistically diverse students, and many are retired administrators. :nod:
Tuition support, as well as academic counseling, exam preparation, preparatory work, and Web-based communication are all keys to the success of the program. Participants from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds have difficulty affording higher education, even though they are employed. Many have cultural misgivings about incurring financial debt through student loans, and those who apply for loans may still have difficulty with child care, transportation, and books.
BTP program faculty and school district representatives discuss each candidate’s progress and thus facilitate open communication and broaden the candidate’s support system. Workshops are held quarterly to help the participants prepare for their exams. Program meetings at the beginning of each quarter focus on resume writing, interviewing skills, working with families, and educational policies. And a user-friendly Web site includes all of the information necessary for candidates to understand the program and complete
requirements.
The result? As one district reported, “Students who have graduated from the program in recent years have
proven to be among our most talented and dedicated teachers.” :clap:
Following is from Urban-serving Universities (USU) report on the topic of the efficacy of PSU's Capstone program:_________________________________________________________________________________
Each year, 3,400 Portland State students take part in over 220 Senior Capstone courses that give them the opportunity to apply their newly learned problem-solving skills, to work with an interdisciplinary team, and to create a final product that makes a difference in a local community. Begun in 1994 as part of an institution-wide general education reform, the six-credit Senior Capstone course has become a culminating general education requirement of the undergraduate curriculum. :notworthy:
Many of these Senior Capstone projects have created continuing partnerships with the University, allowing it to help various organizations increase their services and numbers of clients, find new staff and financial support, and build new networks and volunteer support. To address the barriers to walking and biking
to school – as well as other impediments to healthy lifestyles – the Capstone project at the Clarendon/Portsmouth and James John schools empowered local mothers, many of them without English skills, to make their case before health departments, transportation agencies, the police, and others.
Provided with cameras and training, the women were asked to take pictures that would show the problems they were facing. By combining these photos with neighborhood “asset maps,” the project’s report demonstrated why any initiative to encourage students to walk or bike to school must first eliminate barriers and address safety issues. The personal testimony of the women who took the photos dwarfed the impact of the report itself.
Each year, students report that the Capstone courses have enhanced their critical thinking and communication skills, deepened their appreciation of diversity, and increased their sense of social responsibility to their community. Portland State’s Capstone program is of a part with the University’s other efforts to be a responsible community partner. For example, the Bilingual Teacher Pathway program, or BTP, has produced over 190 accredited bilingual and bicultural teachers since 1999 – from 26 countries, speaking more than a dozen languages – for area primary and secondary schools. Each fall, the BTP accepts about 25 teacher candidates at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
All participants must be employed in one of 20 partner school districts as a bilingual/bicultural instructional assistant and must be approved by the school district liaison, who ensures quality, motivation, and commitment. The program has three major components: core methods and pedagogy courses, supervised field experiences, and 18 credit hours of ESL/Bilingual Endorsement courses. All BTP University supervisors are experienced in the education of culturally and linguistically diverse students, and many are retired administrators. :nod:
Tuition support, as well as academic counseling, exam preparation, preparatory work, and Web-based communication are all keys to the success of the program. Participants from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds have difficulty affording higher education, even though they are employed. Many have cultural misgivings about incurring financial debt through student loans, and those who apply for loans may still have difficulty with child care, transportation, and books.
BTP program faculty and school district representatives discuss each candidate’s progress and thus facilitate open communication and broaden the candidate’s support system. Workshops are held quarterly to help the participants prepare for their exams. Program meetings at the beginning of each quarter focus on resume writing, interviewing skills, working with families, and educational policies. And a user-friendly Web site includes all of the information necessary for candidates to understand the program and complete
requirements.
The result? As one district reported, “Students who have graduated from the program in recent years have
proven to be among our most talented and dedicated teachers.” :clap:
