Get reliable rangeland science

A primary objective of the currently funded USDA Higher Education Challenge Grant “Building a Better Capstone for Multidisciplinary Education” is to inventory and characterize senior capstones. This presentation will provide an overview of at least a dozen range education senior capstone courses offered in the US. Faculty responsible for teaching these capstones were contacted and asked a series of questions concerning their specific course. These questions were designed to inventory the student body make-up of the courses (e.g. student from multiple disciplines), use of on-line technology, and participation of multiple institutions in the class. Challenges faced in offering meaningful capstone experiences, how the instructor and the students would like to see the capstone improved for a more meaningful experience, and the ability of the course to influence the student's transition into the workforce was also assessed. Additionally, while there are several very good case studies of capstones in a broad array of disciplines, also inventoried and characterized were capstones in the following disciplinary areas: forestry, soil science, wildlife, fisheries, geosciences, natural resources conservation, water science, and agricultural social sciences. These inventories will be completed during the fall 2014 semester and results will be presented during this symposium.