The capstone approach in health sciences higher education serves to bridge the transition from classroom learning to professional practice. Capstone projects entail a multifaceted approach that functions as a culminating academic and intellectual experience for students (Chang, 2019). This integrative method encourages students to engage in critical thinking, evidence-based practice, and reflective learning (Howe & Goldberg, 2019). The approach aims to facilitate the development of real-world application, personal, philosophical, and critical reflection, knowledge integration, and quality improvement and/or innovation (Howe & Goldberg, 2019; Poulin et al., 2021; Chang, 2019; Thomas et al., 2014). In many cases, the capstone project includes the development of a physical product, in this case, a research portfolio, and the project simulates developmental processes required in the world of work (Hauhart & Grahe, 2015). When developing the capstone project design, I embraced the principles of Invitational Theory (Purkey & Stanley, 1991). Contextually, this theory is built upon democratic ethos (every student matters), self-concept theory (behaviour is a result of how we see ourselves) and perceptual tradition (each student’s view of the world is different and this affects behaviour). The goal of invitational theory is achieving balance between four dimensions: being personally inviting with oneself (caring for personal wellbeing), being personally inviting with others (caring for others and respecting differences), being professionally inviting with oneself (continuous professional development) and being professionally inviting with others (treating people as individuals, which informs better work practices) (Purkey & Novak, 2015). With invitational education, the 5 Powerful Ps safeguard success with a focus on People, Places, Policies, Programmes, and Processes. These five domains exist in almost every environment that contributes to the success or failure of human endeavour (see Table. 1). Table 1: The Five Powerful Ps (Purkey & Novak, 2015) and Capstone Approach People Places Policies Programmes Process Teachers and staff (both teaching and non-teaching). Supervisors, clinicians, and students engage in capstone projects and related activities. Physical attributes of the classroom and school. Conducive learning environment: complementary medicine research laboratory, clinical training facilities, library. Written and unwritten rules regarding procedures. This includes policies on grading and discipline. Capstone project requirements, assessment, procedures, related health regularity policies, and discipline-specific legislation. Curriculum and content for students. Capstone projects content and guidelines (for each individual activity) and learning guides. Examines how the other five Ps are conducted. Tasks of capstone projects. Capstone projects entail a multifaceted approach that functions as a culminating academic and intellectual experience for students (Chang, 2019). This integrative method encourages students to engage in critical thinking, evidence-based practice, and reflective learning (Howe & Goldberg, 2019). Teaching Innovation for the 21st Century | Showcasing UJ Teaching Innovation Projects 2024 101
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