Investigation Of Developing And Delivering On Line Courses In Construction Management

Abstract

While the Internet classes can open up an opportunity for faculty to use a new medium for delivery of education, the benefits are primarily for the students. It allows non-traditional students to take classes at their convenience. It not only allows them to retain their full-time jobs but also gives them the flexibility to maintain their commitments to family and community. In a time when many of the students are not able to attend classes physically, they have the opportunity to take the on-line courses from anywhere in the world. In the area of construction management the faculty should re-evaluate how they teach and present class materials and how they incorporate on-line teaching methodologies in their coursework to enhance student learning. This paper reports the results of an investigation of offering an on-line construction management course. The major components of this paper include courses that are suitable to be offered online, the computer hardware and software programs required to develop an on-line course, the method of delivery, course content, and communications between the instructor and students. A sample of the on-line construction management course homepage is also included in the paper.

Challenge of Delivering Construction Courses in an Online Environment Based on Faculty Experiences

“…Alungbe et al (2008) examined online teaching of Engineering Economy to construction management students, finding that online teaching is much more time-consuming because of an increase in demand from students for online courses. Although most students seemed satisfied in an online environment, several students expressed concerns related to student-to-teacher interaction and student-to-student interaction (Gao et al 2009). While many lab exercises are intended to be performed in a face-to-face environment, some areas of innovation are needed.…”

“…Certain types of courses and their associated lab exercises or homework may be more appropriate for flipped classrooms or online delivery. Courses focused on software, such as Computer-Aided Drafting (CAD) may be more easily translated to an online format (Gao et al 2009). Xie et al (2006) suggest that teachers can share the view of their virtual classroom experiences with others by using Augmented Reality (AR) processes in virtual study groups.…”

“…The teachers engaged in the AR program will have the opportunity to post questions relevant to the subject, and students can seek ways of understanding and improving learning. Gao et al (2009) suggested that to be successful at online construction education, the key factors are a) the requirements for computer hardware and software, b) the method of delivery, c) course content and d) communications between the instructor and students. The faculty should re-evaluate educational delivery frequently so that it will help to enhance student learning (Gao et al 2006).…”

“…Gao et al (2009) suggested that to be successful at online construction education, the key factors are a) the requirements for computer hardware and software, b) the method of delivery, c) course content and d) communications between the instructor and students. The faculty should re-evaluate educational delivery frequently so that it will help to enhance student learning (Gao et al 2006). Ahmed et al (2016) addressed the key success factors for online classes and based on their study, students praised online construction courses for their convenience and portability, and their ability to provide a broader world of industry view and technical depth.…”

“…In addition to peer support, administrative support and teaching resources strongly correlate with selfefficacy (Han et al 2018). Although few studies exist that depict the challenges with online education (Kelting et al 2016;Schmidt et al 2013;Gao et al 2009;Xie et al 2006), at the time of such studies, limited faculty participation with the online learning environment was observed. The study presents the faculty perceptions post-pandemic, especially when almost all educators have had the experience with the online learning environment.…”