Crascall, L M (2021) Re-imagining built environment education: investigating the pracademic through autoethnography. DProf thesis, Anglia Ruskin University, UK.
Abstract
This research seeks to mobilise the researchers own vocational, academic and professional experiences of built environment education, creatively challenging a personal belief it needs to be re-imagined. Through critique of historical and current practices, personal insights are offered from multiple perspectives that could benefit a range of influential stakeholders; whilst questioning their collective impact on the learning experience at different levels. Autoethnography is underpinned by a range of scientific fields, particularly design science, to explore artefacts relating to built environment education. Design of this qualitative inquiry emerges from the unfolding story, showcasing the flexibility autoethnography offers. Both qualitative and quantitative data are utilised through personal memory, self-observational/ reflective and external data interchangeably to re-tell a story covering a 30-year period to deliver meaningful personal insights. Analysis of comparable undergraduate built environment courses challenges the merits of sector-wide benchmarking, modularisation reflects siloed and fragmented practices; all impinge on the realisation of learning gain. In turn this raises questions of assessment practices in evaluating the success of both students and programmes; that academic education and professional training offers a confused learning environment at many levels currently. Anaylsis of experiential models raises questions regarding the relationship between theory and practice, that embedded knowledge reveals gaps between theoretical thinking and experiential reality. This research challenges stakeholders at all levels, raises questions of current practices and their impact. Through using autoethnography, an authentic account extends knowledge and professional practice in this area of educational research. Pragmatic recommendations are offered for all stakeholders influencing built environment education, informed by critique of existing humanist experiential models and other artefacts to offer a new lifelong learning model and consider re-imagination of current practices.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | benchmarking; built environment; data interchange; education; flexibility; learning; graduate; professional; stakeholders; vocation; ethnography |
| Index terms: | benchmarking, professional practice, artefact, built environment education, programme, science, learning experience, built environment, vocation, undergraduate, modularization, critique, ethnography, data interchange, lifelong learning |
| Subjects: | learning methods, infrastructure and transport systems, information systems, project controls, sociology, qualitative and interpretive research, professional development, performance measurement, curriculum development, specialized education, evaluation and assessment methods, building construction |
| Topics: | Urban Studies, Digital Applications, Time Control, Information Management, Research Practice, Construction Technology, Quality Management, Education |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
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