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Recently, the School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science (CEES) at the University of Oklahoma instituted a "Programs Outcomes Assessment Plan" as mandated by the state regents for higher education. The assessment plan is designed to determine whether the existing CEES curriculum, teaching methods, and resources are achieving prescribed departmental goals. Within the plan, the senior level design course or capstone experience is to be used as one tool for assessing students. Development of the assessment plan coincided with a departmental decision to revamp and update the existing senior design course to more effectively convey the concept of design and to expose the students to professional practice. The restructured capstone course is now co-taught by a local industrial entity (i.e., consulting firm) and the CEES faculty. This industry driven capstone course has provided invaluable feedback regarding curricular content and capabilities of departmental graduates. The capstone course serves as a microcosm of the four year curriculum. Experiences and outputs from the course can be used to provide immediate assessment information regarding outcomes of the curriculum and at the same time provide insights into curricular changes necessary to improve the educational experience of our students.