Educating Students for the Collaborative Workplace: Facilitating Interdisciplinary Learning in Construction Courses

Abstract

This paper addresses the provision of interdisciplinary learning opportunities for students enrolled on accredited Built Environment, Design and Construction courses in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the UK. The paper cites published literature from across disciplinary boundaries, demonstrating a need for, and an interest in, interprofessional collaborative learning. Case studies of seven projects from four UK HEIs are reviewed and strategies compared. The studies demonstrate the value of such teaching; the context within which the teaching is provided; some examples of good practice; of disincentives and of barriers; and student feedback. Key shared characteristics begin to suggest a taxonomy of collaborative projects. The paper concludes with suggested actions and/or strategies that could be employed by Schools, HEIs and/or Institutions to further incentivise such teaching. The genesis for this paper was the proceedings of a highly valuable cross-institutional seminar, held at Heriot-Watt University in August 2015, generously funded by the CHOBE Small Grants Scheme.

Transcending disciplines in architecture, structural and building services engineering: a new multidisciplinary educational approach

“…The historically siloed discipline-based structure of many built environment curricula, such as building services/civil/structural/environmental engineering or architecture are not meeting current or future industry needs (Borrego and Newswander 2008;Sunthonkanokpong 2011). In the UK, recent reports from construction think tanks such as the EDGE as well as professional bodies and institutions including the RIBA and the Royal Academy of Engineering highlight the need for collaborative multidisciplinary innovative education as critical for UK built environment professionals (Jones and Gloster 2018;MacLaren et al 2017;Morell 2015;MacLaren et al 2017). Similarly, in an international context, a recent report in the USA, Educating engineers: Preparing 21st Century Leaders in the Context of New Modes of Learning (National Academy of Engineering 2013), also advocate preparing building designers who can work in creative, interdisciplinary environments.…”

Sustainable Design Experience: The Race to Zero Competition

“…The role of education in the training of students who will became whole professionals was briefly discussed in this study, and, based on the participant's responses, it is possible to identify that most AEC university programs fail to promote interdisciplinary teamwork, which is currently one of the topics most valued by the AEC industry [21], [24], [25], [26]. In addition to finding some gaps in formal university education, the participants of this study recognize the importance of extracurricular activities in the preparation of students for the professional life.…”

“…Educational institutions seek to create educational programs that teach students skills such as team working, collaborative decision-making and communication. However, research demonstrates that the current approach is not sufficient to develop student's skills for industry practice [26]. "Effective learning can only take place in larger, multidisciplinary team scenarios" [26].…”

“…However, research demonstrates that the current approach is not sufficient to develop student's skills for industry practice [26]. "Effective learning can only take place in larger, multidisciplinary team scenarios" [26]. The best way for AEC education institutions to promote students' professional identity is disseminating crossdisciplinary collaborative courses, projects, assignments and even competitions that simulates real-word experiences [25], [26].…”

Faculty Experience in Team Teaching in Construction Management Higher Education

“…The rise in use of more collaborative delivery methods, such as Design-Build, Construction Management at Risk, Integrated Project Delivery, as well as previous research [3], [4] indicates the need for improving collaboration from an industry perspective. Additionally, construction programs are aware of the need to train our students to be effective collaborators and seek to integrate teamwork in their curriculum [5].…”