Farrow, C B and Reyes, M D (2022) Land-grant university strategic plans: Are university-level service-learning goals aligned with construction programs’ goals? International Journal of Construction Education and Research, 18(4), pp. 333-351. ISSN 1557-8771
Abstract
Community engagement within the construction classroom has the potential to enhance student learning while also fostering strong community relationships and meeting some of society’s most pressing needs. These activities afford students the opportunity to directly apply concepts learned in the classroom. Other outcomes include improved communication, teamwork, and the development of civic responsibility. Civic engagement through service learning qualifies as a high impact educational practice (HIP), and construction students have many options available through their applied discipline. Because of the complementary benefits to both students and the community, many universities include civic engagement as a goal in strategic plans. However, to realize successful implementation, goals at the university level need to follow through to the strategic plan goals of individual units. Starting with 106 land-grant institutions, 36 are identified as housing construction programs. Online research was conducted regarding strategic and unit-level plans, and follow-up interviews were held with 12 of the 36 schools. Results confirm and expand on the gap identified in previous research between university strategic plans and unit-level plans. With relatively small shifts, construction programs have the potential to improve student learning, the academic experience, meet community needs, and align with university strategic plans.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | community engagement; construction education; high-impact practices; service learning; strategic plans |
| Index terms: | land, classroom, program, society, implementation, teamwork, option, service learning, residential construction, community engagement, construction education, interview |
| Subjects: | decision analysis, construction type, learning methods, communities and social development, software systems, community and social dimensions, professional education, contractual arrangements, management, real estate economics, construction integration, data collection methods |
| Topics: | Education, Digital Applications, Business Strategy, Organizational Design, Research Practice, Urban Studies, Stakeholder Management, Procurement, Risk Management, Construction Technology |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCE |
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