Integrating industry-crowdsourced projects in university capstone courses: A comparative study using parametric statistics and sentiment analysis.

This study examines the integration of industry-crowdsourced projects into the capstone course of a Bachelor of Science in Management program at an accredited American university, comparing it to the traditional textbook-based approach. Students in the industry-crowdsourced course engaged in 16-week real-world projects sourced from local business associations, aligning with academic goals and program learning outcomes. Results showed no significant difference in student grades between the two methods, but course opinion surveys and third-party sentiment analysis revealed significantly higher student satisfaction and more positive feedback for the industry-crowdsourced approach. The findings suggest that incorporating authentic industry challenges into capstone courses can enhance student engagement and better prepare graduates for professional careers without compromising academic performance.