Developing final year and capstone projects to engage students in research and inquiry:
maintaining standards while encouraging creativity and diversity
Mick Healey
HE Consultant and Researcher
Honorary Professor University of Queensland
(mhealey@glos.ac.uk; www.mickhealey.co.uk)
Presentation to Australian Conference on Science & Mathematics Education 2012
conference on ‘Teaching and Learning Standards - What does a standard mean to you?’
Sydney, 26-28th September
This interactive presentation will explore creative ways in which we can design final year and
capstone projects which include a significant element of research and inquiry and deliver key
graduate attributes. Some departments have introduced capstone projects in their final year
courses which are innovative or creative in the context of their discipline or institution, and may
include group, work-oriented and community-based projects. There can also be novel ways of
disseminating the findings – via exhibitions, undergraduate research conferences and other forms of
public engagement. The key is to develop flexible alternatives which meet the needs of all students
while maintaining comparable standards.
Mick Healey was one of the first people in the UK to be awarded a National Teaching Fellowship and
to be made a Senior Fellow of the HE Academy. He has written and edited over 150 publications on
various aspects of teaching and learning in higher education. He is often asked to act as an advisor
to projects, universities and national governments on aspects of teaching and learning in HE. He has
advised the ALTC, the Canadian Federal government, the HE Authority for Ireland and the League of
European Research Universities on research-based teaching and learning. He is a frequent presenter
in Australia.