Teaching and Learning Building Design and Construction

David Dowdle

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781134036219
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Architecture
• Subtopic: Architecture General

Innovation in building design and construction depends on innovative strategies being developed by teachers and practitioners, made available to students and then professionally adopted. Successful transfer of this knowledge relies on appropriate support for both students and academics to ensure the new knowledge is translated into a format appropriate to the learner's current state of understanding, often using a constructivist, student-centred learning approach.

This special issue of the journal Architectural Engineering and Design Management examines new strategies to manage effectively a growing number of students and a changing student profile in the built environment sector. Written by international experts in the field, core themes covered include student-centred learning, practice-based learning, good practice and evaluation, and instructional systems design. Several papers are devoted to virtual learning, focusing on e-pedagogy, standardisation, bridging the gap between academia and industry, and virtual learning environments.

This peer-reviewed publication will be invaluable reading for lecturers and students on architecture and civil engineering courses, professional architects and engineers, and all interested in T&L, continuing professional development and distance learning in the built environment sector.

Engaging Learners

The Development of Effective E-learning Applications for Students of the Built Environment

David L. Dowdle

Abstract

e-learning does not appear to have been as widely adopted by academics within the built environment discipline as one might have expected. The literature review and research presented in this paper put forward an argument for the introduction of e-learning within built environment programmes taught both in the UK and internationally. This paper presents findings from a comprehensive literature review to revisit exactly what learning means and examines the activities required to achieve effective learning via disparate delivery mechanisms. The benefits of multimedia rich e-learning are highlighted and a guidance and audit tool for achieving 'effective' e-learning is presented for use by built environment lecturers and learning technologists. The tool has been designed to encourage and enable academics to develop/introduce e-learning to their teaching. A small research project is presented in which an e-learning application was presented to students for evaluation and reflection. The results suggest that students are very keen to be exposed to e-learning in a blended learning' environment.

■ Keywords - e-leaming; effective learning; ADDIE; motivation; feedback; multimedia; design guidance; blended learning

Introduction

With e-learning now high on the agenda of the UK Government and of all educational sectors, it is dear that e-learning is here to stay. (HEA, 2004)

Though live, instructor-facilitated, face-to-face classroom instruction will not likely be replaced by e-learning, rest assured e-learning is here to stay. (Troha, 2002)

There has been a great deal of hype surrounding the introduction of e-learning tools and applications into higher education. Although e-learning has come a long way in recent years, it has still yet to gain a firm foothold in many areas of education. Those institutions with a strong association with distance-learning programmes have led the way by developing what was then termed 'online learning' and these have now been further developed under the all-inclusive umbrella of 'e-learning'. Other institutions appear to have paid little attention to e-learning and have stuck with traditional face-to-face lecture/tutorial delivery methods or investigated other methods of learning such as 'problem based' or 'student centred'. However, even these institutions have often adopted an Internet- or intranet-based student interface if only to upload the school handbook, timetables and lecture notes. Nevertheless, examples of good e-learning initiatives do exist although they are hard to find in the architectural, engineering and construction disciplines.

This paper is in three parts. The first part examines what is needed in order to create an effective learning environment. It does this by carrying out a detailed literature review in an attempt to identify those activities and environments that promote effective learning via disparate delivery mechanisms. The second part examines the benefits of e-learning and provides details of a guidance and audit tool developed as part of the deliverables agreed for a special interest group (SIG) funded by the Centre for Education in the Built Environment (CEBE)-a centre within the UK Higher Education Academy. The tool has been developed to encourage good practice in the design and development of effective e-learning applications in the built environment.

The third part presents a report on the initial findings from a small two-stage project within the School of Construction and Property Management at Salford University in which students have been evaluating an e-learning application designed prior to the good practice guidelines now developed. The second stage will involve the redesign of the application using the guidance and audit tool for guidance followed by a re-evaluation. Note that the terms 'student' and 'learner' are synonymous in the context of this paper.

The Effective Learner

A great deal of research has been carried out investigating those criteria that contribute towards effective learning. Wilkinson (2002) suggests that optimal learning occurs when 'simulation of real world, problem-based activities' takes place. These activities need to occur within a 'safe' learning environment where students can become immersed within, and interact with, learning events in the knowledge that mistakes are not only expected but will deepen their learning experiences.

Wilkinson goes on to suggest several key criteria for effective learning, including:

• learners being 'scaffolded' (a metaphor for the clues, reminders, coaching and other aids used by tutors to support students in mastering a task or concept) as they develop 'self-efficacy' in enabling technologies
• providing continuous feedback
• cognitive loading is eased until basic or 'foundation' understanding is established, cognitive dissonance and challenge being then increased until the complexity mirrors the real world
• pace of learning being controlled by the learner
• allowing peers to collaborate and learn from each other as they learn to work towards common goals
• providing mentors to coach individuals or groups to help remove barriers to understanding, provide guidance and facilitate them in the construction and validation of their learning
• ensuring learning is fun. (adapted from Wilkinson, 2002)

Although the above criteria were developed from an e-learning perspective, they can equally well be applied to any type of learning situation with very little alteration. Furthermore, Biggs (2003) suggests there are four factors that can help create 'good teaching/learning environments', namely:

• a well-structured knowledge base
• an appropriate motivational context
• learner activity, including interaction with others, and
• self-monitoring.

Hence fun, motivation and feedback are seen as key factors within an effective learning environment, as enjoyment often leads to motivation and a motivated learner will almost always find a way to circumnavigate the shortcomings of any learning delivery system (be it face-to-face or any other approach). Regular feedback within the learning environment can ensure learners are aware of how they are performing, in which areas they are excelling and those areas where extra effort is required (McKeachie, 2002).

Motivation is usually a prerequisite for most human activity and there are a number of theories that attempt to define it. One such theory is termed 'expectancy theory' (Vroom, 1964) and offers the following equation:

If a learner does not believe they can be successful at a task, if they do not see a connection between their activity and success or if they do not value the results of success, then there is a strong probability that the learner will not engage in the required learning activity. These three variables must be present and the learner must apply high weightings to them in order for motivation and the resulting behaviour to be positive and effective.

Learners can be either self-motivated (internal) or be motivated by others or by circumstances outside their direct control (external). Internal motivation is the preferred kind of motivation since learners are doing something because they want to, not merely because they are obliged to. If this can be achieved within a particular learning environment, the remaining factors for effective learning become far easier to achieve.

A literature review carried out by de la Harpe et al (1999) identified eight key criteria to help ensure effective learning - effective learners:

• have clear learning goals (outcomes)
• have a wide repertoire of learning strategies and know when to use them
• use available resources effectively
• know about their own strengths and weaknesses
• understand the learning process
• deal appropriately with their feelings
• take responsibility for their own learning, and
• plan, monitor, evaluate and adapt their learning process.

The need for clear learning outcomes is not a new idea. Gagne (1985) outlined research that investigated the foundations of effective instruction or conditions of learning. This research led to the classification of types of learning outcome. These were defined by asking 'How can learning be demonstrated?' Gagne favoured avoidance of the use of verbs such as 'know', 'understand' and 'appreciate' and instead preferred the use of straightforward action verbs such as 'state', 'describe' and 'explain' (Bostock, 1996).

Recently, however, educational theorists have cast doubt on the prescriptive, systematic, lecturer-driven approach to learning, i.e. instructivism offered by Gagne, and have championed a constructivist approach instead. In this approach, the lecturer is there to facilitate student learning by helping them to associate new information and skills with prior knowledge and experience and thus construct their own understanding. Learning should therefore be student-driven rather than instructor or lecturer-driven.

Universities often adopt both approaches, instructivism for year-one students, new to the topic and university life, with constructivist approaches being progressively introduced as students become more familiar with the subject material and are more able to make intelligent decisions within their learning environment (Mergel, 1998). However, any approach to instruction or learning should include learning outcomes that are clear and demonstrable by the learner.

'Learning strategies' refers to methods that students use to learn. These strategies are numerous and range from techniques to improve memory to better studying or exam-taking strategies. For example, a strategy for reading that is frequently expounded in study skills texts is the SQ3R strategy (Rowntree, 1998). SQ3R stands for the initial letters of five aspects of studying any printed media, namely 'survey, question, read, recall and review'. Mind mapping, effective note-taking techniques, essay-writing techniques, active listening skills, research skills, effective literature searches, public speaking and presentation skills are just a few of the many strategies that, if employed on a regular basis, allow students to become more effective learners.

To be an effective learner, a student needs to be fully aware of the learning resources available within their learning environment. The learning environment in this context is not just that offered within the confines of the university campus, but also covers the home and workplace environments available to the learner. These resources tend to include library facilities, standard and specialist software and hardware tools, communication tools, survey instrumentation and, often overlooked by learners, fellow students, family, work ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Editorial
• Demystifying Construction. Technology in Architectural Education
• Teaching and Learning in Collaborative Group Design Projects
• Engaging Learners. The Development of Effective E-learning Applications for Students of the Built Environment
• Supervised Work Experience. The Learning Climate of Construction Companies and the Factors that Influence Student Experience
• Investigating the Synergy between Teaching and Research in a Teaching-led University. The Case of an Architectural Technology Undergraduate Programme
• The Effectiveness of E-learning
• An Ontology of Construction Education for E-learning via the Semantic Web
• Learning to be Real Engineers. The Dam Game Simulation
• Using Video in the Construction Technology Classroom, Encouraging Active Learning
• Developing Web-based Tools for Teaching, Training, Learning and Development. The Role of Academic Institutions
• Retrofitting E-learning to an Existing Distance Learning Course. A Case Study
• Developing a Knowledge Centric Approach to Construction Education