Current Practices of Experiential Learning in Construction and Technology Programs

Abstract

Construction education is dynamic and practice oriented. As such, effective construction programs require significant collaboration with the construction industry. This collaboration, in the form of internship or cooperative programs, increase the student readiness for the job market by providing valuable field experience. Construction programs in the United States (US) established several internship requirements that range from being optional to multiple required internships. This study focuses on scanning the current internship requirements set by construction and engineering technology programs in the US by gathering information including; 1) Number and length of required internships, 2) Internship prerequisites, 3) Internship deliverables, 4) assessment method. The outcome of this study is expected to help construction programs improve their internship or cooperative requirements by considering the prevailing practices developed by other schools. Additionally, the study provides recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of internship for positive experiential learning.

The Impact of Internships on Civil Engineering Students’ Exploration of Learning Styles

“…Student internship experience provides various learning opportunities for students to cross the boundaries of classroom and industry [1]. For example, internships leverage student learning outcomes by encouraging continuous learning opportunities outside the classroom, enhancing students' application of knowledge gained in the academic program [1]. The bi-directional learning opportunities between class and internship help student to apply knowledge they learned in class to their job, and knowledge they learned in the job to their class [5].…”

“…Through an internship experience, students gain an opportunity to apply their skills learned in class and draw abstract knowledge to develop their performance during an internship. By applying skills and knowledge in an internship, students better understand the concepts and ideas through hands-on experience [1]. Internship experience provides student with valuable field experience and the students use internship opportunities to blend the class materials with work practices.…”

“…Civil and construction engineering is a dynamic, complex, and practice-oriented profession [1]. To meet the high expectations of the industry, students must learn and apply different knowledge and skills in college.…”