Book chapter
Enhancing Construction Education with Contextual Learning
Construction Research Congress 2009: Building a Sustainable Future
01 Apr 2009
Abstract
Recent calls to reform engineering education emphasis on applied math and science within the context of globalization, economics, the and society. To solve these complex problems, approaches are required and demand additional skills of new graduates. While this vision for future is well documented in The Engineer of 2020 the ABET engineering accreditation criteria, many faculty are at a loss for how to cultivate and these skills in students, particularly when the is viewed as adding new content to already packed programs. The Center for Leadership in in the Myers-Lawson School of Construction at Tech provides an educational program that classroom learning with authentic field The program responds to the demands for technical and social domains in a globally sensitive paradigm. The course that the efforts of the program is .Sustainable in the Global Village.. The course focuses upon health infrastructures in resource poor countries engages students to engineer in context by in highly complex socio-technical systems that on humans for operations and maintenance. Student develop iterative design and construction for community identified needs and then build projects in country. For the course, hygiene and were the themes for projects. These included a and distribution system, a hand washing station, trash receptacles and school grounds pathways. considerations included the use of local ease of use and sustainability, as well as and maintenance. The students developed designs construction plans that detailed the materials quantity and cost estimates, a project schedule, resource utilization plan and a daily safety This paper provides a background on service describes the course development and highlights the impact this experience had on the presents qualitative assessment data from the and illustrates how other programs can in such learning experiences.
Metrics
4 Record Views
4 citations in Scopus
Details
- Title
- Enhancing Construction Education with Contextual Learning
- Creators
- Christine Fiori - Virginia TechAnthony Songer - Virginia Tech
- Contributors
- Samuel T Ariaratnam (Editor)Eddy M Rojas (Editor)
- Publication Details
- Construction Research Congress 2009: Building a Sustainable Future
- Publisher
- ACSE
- Resource Type
- Book chapter
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Engineering Leadership and Society/Engineering Technology; Engineering Management [Historical]
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-69949084618
- Other Identifier
- 9780784410202; 0784410208; 991021886943704721