Engagement capstone projects: A collaborative approach to a case study in psychoacoustics

Abstract

Undergraduates in Spanish universities conclude their science degrees with a capstone project (CP) where they must apply the knowledge gained during their studies. In recent years, students in technical degrees often postponed this last step due to a fast entry into the labour market or disappointment about the development of their capstone projects. This article presents an approach that tries to overcome these challenges and avoid delays in project submission called Engagement capstone projects. The authors, supported by the French Company EOMYS, manage this educational project in which students become responsible for their contribution to a free and open software project called MOSQITO, which provides sound quality metrics based on psychoacoustics. A framework is provided to ensure involvement in the project by both students and academic/industrial supervisors to help avoid student discouragement. The proposed methodology is compared with the current program and the learning proposal, and the expected outcomes are extensively explained. The experience gathered to date is limited, but the results obtained show the potential application of the proposed Engagement capstone projects as a solution to late CP submission.