Enhancing quality of teaching in the built environment higher education, UK

Abstract

Purpose The issues in the current Built Environment Higher Education (BEHE) curricula recognise a critical need for enhancing the quality of teaching. This paper aims to identify the need for a best practice in teaching within BEHE curricula and recommend a set of drivers to enhance the current teaching practices in the Built Environment (BE) education. The study focused on Section 1 of the National Student Survey (NSS) – Teaching on my course, with a core focus on improving student satisfaction, making the subject interesting, creating an intellectually stimulating environment and challenging learners. Design/methodology/approach The research method used in this study is the mixed method, a document analysis consisting of feedback from undergraduate students and a closed-ended questionnaire to the academics in the BEHE context. More than 375 student feedback were analysed to understand the teaching practices in BE and fed forward to developing the closed-ended questionnaire for 23 academics, including a Head of School, a Principal Lecturer, Subject Leads and Lecturers. The data was collected from Architecture, Construction Management, Civil Engineering, Quantity Surveying and Building surveying disciplines representing BE context. The data obtained from both instruments were analysed with content analysis to develop 24 drivers to enhance the quality of teaching. These drivers were then modelled using the interpretive structural modelling (ISM) method to identify their correlation and criticality to NSS Section 1 themes. Findings The study revealed 10 independent, 11 dependent and three autonomous drivers, facilitating the best teaching practices in BEHE. The study further recommends that the drivers be implemented as illustrated in the level partitioning diagrams under each NSS Section 1 to enhance the quality of teaching in BEHE. Practical implications The recommended set of drivers and the level partitioning can be set as a guideline for academics and other academic institutions to enhance the quality of teaching. This could be further used to improve student satisfaction and overall NSS results to increase the rankings of academic institutions. Originality/value New knowledge can be recognised with the ISM analysis and level partitioning diagrams of the recommended drivers to assist academics and academic institutions in developing the quality of teaching.

Defying tradition or maintaining the status quo? Moving towards a new hybrid architecture studio education to support blended learning post-COVID-19

“…In addition, to make the subject more fascinating, the autonomous cluster promoted collaboration, student engagement and a focus on student-centric initiatives. Promoting intellectual stimulation by improving the interaction between the student and the academic was regarded as critical in improving active learner stimulation (Gomis et al ., 2022).…”

“…Its reorganization with a new strategy would assist architecture students in learning more completely how to become professionals equipped to work in the Indian market as well as accept the global difficulties given by changing technology (Garg et al, 2022). Another intriguing finding from Gomis et al (2022) revealed that when the academic explains module content, critical emphasis should be placed on encouraging active learning and providing in-depth understanding. In addition, to make the subject more fascinating, the autonomous cluster promoted collaboration, student engagement and a focus on student-centric initiatives.…”

MILEs Multimedia Intentional Learning Ecosystems (MILEs)

“…According to Gomis et al, (2022) "The global COVID pandemic has exacerbated the challenges related to teaching and learning" (p. 2). "During the coronavirus pandemic of 2020, teachers and educators across the [globe] have been forced to move instruction online suddenly, confirming the need for progressive approaches to maintain the integrity of teacher preparation and to acknowledge the need for future educators' digital teaching competence" (Keefe, 2020, p. 223).…”

“…Recent developments in flexible learning and online teaching due to the global COVID-19 pandemic have sought to link the attributes of high-quality instruction with social constructivists' theories to provide an ethical compass for navigating sustainable Multimedia Intentional Learning Ecosystems (MILES). According to Gomis et al (2022) the findings from their study "set-up a significant room for improvement in teaching and pedagogy to enhance student performance in BEHE [Built Environment Higher Education]" (p. 12). Despite lingering anxiety, defined as a feeling of anxiousness when motivated to impress others but having self-doubt at the same time, belief in the perceived benefits motivates educators to persist (Myers, 2015).…”

Enhancing the organisation and the management of built environment higher education courses

“…ISM is seldom used as it is a systematic, well-established methodology providing inter-relationships that can be used for strategic decision making (Agrawal et al , 2020; Attri et al , 2013). It is further beneficial to this study as it broadly improved interdisciplinary and interpersonal communication in looking at the BE discipline (Gomis et al , 2022). Three academics, such as a head of school, an associate head of school and a BE departmental head, were used in the ISM analysis to eliminate any unconscious bias in modelling the data identified.…”