Capstone courses serve as the pinnacle of baccalaureate programs, offering students the chance to synthesize and apply their technical knowledge to solve authentic, real-world challenges. Crunkilton (1997) outlined six essential learning outcomes for capstone courses, encompassing skills in problem-solving, critical thinking, decision-making, professional collaboration, and effective oral and written communication. These outcomes are achieved through targeted activities such as project-based learning, case studies, small group work, presentations, intensive writing, and direct industry involvement. Building on this foundation, Andreasen’s (2004) Model for Integrating Experiential Learning into Capstone Courses (MEILLC) provides a structured approach for incorporating experiential learning, guiding students from fragmented disciplinary knowledge to cohesive, applied expertise. This model has since influenced a range of agricultural capstone courses, underscoring the value of integrating experiential methods to deepen learning.

As academic programs increasingly incorporate experiential learning throughout their curricula, there is a renewed need to reimagine the structure and role of the capstone course in agriculture. This workshop will explore contemporary best practice approaches to capstone course design including various disciplinary examples, best practices for implementation, ways to address student mental health and anxiety, and ways capstone courses can be used for assessment, accreditation, and faculty reflection for professional development.

Workshop attendees exhibiting all levels of experience with capstone courses are welcome. We encourage all participants to bring their degree program’s capstone course syllabi and be prepared to critique and discuss ways to enhance their capstone approach to address programmatic outcomes as well as student readiness for entering the ever-evolving field of agriculture and related disciplines.