Summative Comments:

AY2023 “Educational Goals, Evaluations, and Strategies for Final Projects in Undergraduate Programs”

Abstract

  This research distinguishes itself from prior studies on final projects in undergraduate by clearly positioning itself in the context of quality assurance in undergraduate education. The title of this research aptly reflects the potential of final projects to assess the learning outcomes of the entire curriculum. Today, when a particular emphasis is placed on understanding and visualizing educational outcomes, gaining an accurate understanding of the education for final projects or the learning outcomes derived from final projects, is deemed more crucial than ever before.

  One notable contribution of this research to undergraduate education is examining why the evaluation of final project outcomes remains underutilized in curriculum reform. The findings from the national survey conducted as a part of this research revealed this underutilization, despite considerable overlap between the Diploma Policies (DPs) and the objectives of final projects. In addition to the challenges of assessing final project outcomes, it is reasonable to assume that the factors driving curriculum reform extend beyond the existing curriculumʼs outcomes. However, given the position of final projects within the curriculum, reforms based on its outcomes appear both reasonable and efficient. Analyzing cases where this cycle functions effectively can provide valuable recommendations for other universities.

  In terms of academic research, understanding how university faculty members define or perceive the “quality” of final projects can offer unique insights into the quality assurance of undergraduate education. This is because overlapping goals between final projects and DPs should imply a commonality in the “quality” required for final projects and undergraduate education as a whole. If “quality” encompasses both “content” and “level,” what specific competencies, and at what level, are expected to be achieved in terms of learning outcomes? Answering this question requires taking a qualitative approach, using answers to related questions in the national survey as initial clues.