The development and implementation of capstone project courses in graduate nursing programs often present with pedagogical issues and challenges. Student feedback via course evaluations and faculty expertise were used to guide program and course improvements in our program. Poor course evaluations were received in a capstone course where students were divided into small groups and linked to committees. Using this process introduced competing views between course faculty and the project committee. Although students enjoyed the hybrid format and atmosphere of teamwork, other issues such as difficulty obtaining feedback, vague responses from faculty, and lack of availability were reported. These issues were addressed by standardizing the capstone project development into a faculty-guided classroom experience, which included detailed lectures to develop critical proposal sections and mandatory student-faculty conferences. Student evaluative feedback from the revised approach indicated increased knowledge and confidence, better faculty experiences, and improved student outcomes with scholarship in general. The course concluded with the students' written analysis and poster presentations at the Faculty Research Day and served as a streamlined, more efficient approach in meeting course and program objectives. Although this quality improvement initiative was specific to 1 local university, the restructuring of the capstone course improved student perceptions of quality, overall learning experiences, and student outcomes.

By DeMonica L. Junious, PhD, RN, CNE, Assistant Professor and Coordinator, MSN Nurse Administration Program; Geneva Caldwell, DNS, RN, NEABC, Assistant Professor; and Jennifer Goodman, PhD, RN, CNE, Retired Professor and Director of Graduate Nursing Programs, College of Nursing, Prairie View A&M University, Houston, TX, (mailto:[email protected]).