Outhred, G (2007) Learning for undergraduate built environment students: Project based activities, problem solving and role: Playing for a complete experiential education. In: Boyd, D (ed.) Proceedings of 23rd Annual ARCOM Conference, 3-5 September 2007, Belfast, UK.
Abstract
Most students enrolled in the Construction Management and Property programmes come to the university with little or no knowledge of the responsibilities and activities undertaken by architects, project managers, facilities managers, quantity surveyors and construction managers. They also vary greatly in their appreciation of sustainability issues for the built environment. This research presents a longitudinal study of a subject in the curriculum, designed for first year students in their second semester, which involves them in undertaking a series of activities, from design through to construction of the scale model of a house. These activities simulate the real world activities of the construction industry professionals mentioned above. The students also carry out a variety of role-playing and problem solving activities that develop their professional knowledge, awareness and expertise. Some other activities relate to the application of technology that the students have covered in previous and concurrent subjects. The research carried out shows that the undergraduate students in various construction industry disciplines responded very well to this style of teaching, and the beneficial outcomes of this experiential learning project are presented. The difficulties encountered are also presented, when projects of this type, with intense activities, are undertaken for large student groups.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | experiential learning; model building; problem solving; project; role playing |
| Index terms: | professional knowledge, programme, quantity surveying, experiential learning, project manager, construction industry, undergraduate, first-year student, architect, construction manager, built environment, facilities manager, problem solving |
| Subjects: | project controls, industry analysis, infrastructure and transport systems, decision-making and reasoning, professional development, curriculum design, curriculum development, profession, learning methods, practitioner |
| Topics: | Urban Studies, Education, Time Control, Research Practice, Information Management, Roles and Professions |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCT |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here