iBEE 2015

The Annual Conference of

The Council of Heads of the Built Environment (CHOBE)

University of Bath

2nd – 4th September 2015

Abstracts

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© For all authors in the proceedings All rights reserved. Any views or opinions expressed in any of the papers in this collection are those of their respective

authors. They do not represent the view or opinions of CHOBE, the University of Bath, the editors and reviewers, nor of the conference sponsors.

Any products or services that are referred to in this book may be either trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The

publishers, editor and authors make no claim to those trademarks.

Editors:

Professors Sarah Sayce

Jane Kettle

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Foreword Dear Delegates

We extend a warm welcome to you here at the University of Bath for this year’s Annual iBEE Conference.

We are extremely grateful to the Alex Copping and the Team at the University of Bath for acting as hosts and providing such wonderful facilities in this truly stunning setting on the edge of one of the world’s great heritage cites. Whether you have joined us from across waters or just up the road, we are pleased to greet you and look forward to some lively debates about the experiences of all our learners in the field of the built environment as they progress from that first day of induction through to finding their place in practice and perhaps supporting the next generation of students as alumni.

This year Higher Education in the UK is still going through the throes of adjusting to a new funding landscape in England which has many ramifications and has perhaps also focused minds more sharply on both internationalisation and on other models of education – such as distance learning and of course workplace learning in the shape of new government and industry-led apprenticeships. These are all matters with which our presenters will address and we hope you will enter into dialogue and debate with them.

But iBEE is very much about what goes on throughout the ‘learner journey’ and many of the presentations address both what is taught and how it is both delivered and reviewed in the light of the student experience. So, as in previous years, there will be a range of workshops and discussion groups as well as presentations and keynote addresses.

The abstracts set out overleaf stand testament we think to the range of interests and innovations for which built environment educators are noted.

This year is perhaps our most ambitious conference to date and we are grateful for the support of the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), the Construction Industry Council (CIC), Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) and the International Building Council for Research and Innovation (CIB).

Thank you for coming.

The CHOBE Organising Committee

David Proverbs (CHOBE Chair), Alex Copping, Aled Williams, Paul Collins, Nick Morton, Jane Wright, Jane Kettle and Sarah Sayce

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CONTENTSNURULAINI HAFIZAH MOHD HAFIR, TIM LEES AND CHRIS HARTY (UNIVERSITY OF READING), SUSTAINABILITY EDUCATION IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT: A STRUCTURED LITERATURE REVIEW 6ELENA MARCO, SONJA OLIVEIRA AND BILL GETHING (UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST OF ENGLAND): DEVELOPING ENERGY LITERACY ATTRIBUTES FOR BUILT ENVIRONMENT EDUCATION 6JULIE FLECK (DEPARTMENT OF WORK AND PENSIONS): THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION PROJECT

7CHRISTINA DUCKETT (UNIVERSITY OF READING): BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS: EMBEDDING INCLUSIVE DESIGN INTO THE CURRICULUM 8BHZAD SIDAWI (UNIVERSITY OF DAMMAN, UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST OF ENGLAND): INNOVATION IN DESIGN STUDIOS: INITIATORS AND OBSTACLES 9SONYA MEEKEL AND ANGELA KIRBY (DUBLIN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY) CONSTRUCTION EDUCATION: STUDENTS LEARNING THROUGH THE COMPETITION EXPERIENCE 9DRAGANA NIKOLIC (UNIVERSITY OF READING) IMPLEMENTING EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING USING SIMULATION GAMES – BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES 10ALEX MACLAREN AND MOHAMAD ABDEL-WAHAB (HERIOT WATT UNIVERSITY): INITIATIVES FOR STUDENT-INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT 11BECKY THOMSON (NORTHUMBRIA): EXPLORING THE BARRIERS TO INTERNATIONALISING THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE ON BUILT ENVIRONMENT DEGREE PROGRAMMES 11RICHARD JORDAN (BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY): THE GROWING ROLE OF INTERNATIONALISATION IN BE EDUCATION

12HONG XIAO (BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY): ENGAGING OVERSEAS ALUMNI IN INTERNATIONALISATION OF CURRICULUM THROUGH PROJECT CASE STUDY COLLECTION 13KEVIN ELLIOTT (NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY): ECOEPEXPERIENTIAL LEARNING - WHERE IS THE CLASSROOM? 14AUDREY MARTIN (DUBLIN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY) DEVELOPING APPROPRIATE EDUCATIONAL MODULES AIMED AT INDUSTRY: A DIT CASE STUDY 14TIM MCLERNON (UNIVERSITY OF ULSTER) CONSIDERATIONS FOR A REVISED LEARNING, TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT REGIME FOR UNDERGRADUATE BUILT ENVIRONMENT EDUCATION 15YVONNE SIMPSON (GREENWICH): ELITE EDUCATION ON THE RISE: IT’S LIFE BUT NOT AS YOU KNEW IT JIM! INVESTIGATING THE IMPACT OF GOVERNMENT POLICY 16ROBBY SOETANTO (LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY): BIM HUB: EDUCATING BE STUDENTS TO WORK IN A BIM ENVIRONMENT 16MARIE VAGANAY (UNIVERSITY OF ULSTER): FOSTERING INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP 17DEREK BRUCE, SARAH SAYCE AND JANE KETTLE (KINGSTON UNIVERSITY AND CHOBE): ETHICS: UNDERVALUED IN THE CURRICULUM? 17SABINE COADY SCHAEBITZ (NORTHAMPTON UNIVERSITY): EXTENDING ‘TRADITIONAL’ BUILT ENVIRONMENT EDUCATION WITH OTHER DISCIPLINES FROM WITHIN AND OUTSIDE THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT PROFESSIONS 18RUCHIT PUROCHIT, PURVA TAVRI AND SARAH SAYCE (OPEN UNIVERSITY/KINGSTON UNIVERSITY /CHOBE: CONTENT ANALYSIS AS A SUCCESSFUL BUILT ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 19BEKITHEMBA MPOFU (COLLEGE OF ESTATE MANAGEMENT): E-LEARNING EXPERIENCES 20TIM BENNETT (COLLEGE OF ESTATE MANAGEMENT): CONTROLLING THE E-LEARNING CLIMATE 20TONI FISHER AND DAVID MOORE (ROBERT GORDON UNIVERSITY): INNOVATION OWNERSHIP IN TEACHING & LEARNING PRACTICE 21BEN FARROW AND RICHARD BURT (AUBURN UNIVERSITY): CONNECTING LEARNING WITH AN INNOVATIVE FIELD LAB AT AUBURN 22

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JAMES CHARLTON, DAVID MORTON, DANILO DI MASCIO (NORTHUMBRIA): MAPPING THE USE OF DIGITAL TOOLS WITHIN LEARNING IN THE ARCHITECTURAL STUDIO 22ALEX MACLAREN , NICKY THOMSON AND ANNE MCCANN (HERIOT WATT UNIVERSITY): TEAMBUILD: THE CONSTRUCTION CHALLENGE 23TONY BURKE (UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER): PROMOTION OF STAFF ENGAGEMENT THROUGH COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE 24SIMON MCCLEAN (SALFORD) USE OF INDUSTRIAL SIMULATION TO DELIVER ACADEMIC KNOWLEDGE CORE SKILL AND VOCATIONAL SKILL OUTCOMES FOR BUILDING SURVEYING LEARNERS IN HIGHER EDUCATION 24MICHAELA KEENAN (UNIVERSITY OF ULSTER) IT’S ALL ABOUT COMMUNICATION: TACKLING RETENTION 25NICK MORTON AND WIL VINCENT (BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY): 'THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO UNDERSTAND’: LESSONS FROM THE SHARP END OF MAKING INTERVENTIONS IN THE STUDENT LEARNING EXPERIENCE AT BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY 26AUDREY MARTIN (DUBLIN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY): GRAVITY AND HEIGHT FOR NATIONAL MAPPING AND GEODETIC SURVEYING 27MATTHEW TUCKER (LIVERPOOL JOHN MOORES UNIVERSITY): NEW TECHNOLOGIES FOR BUILDING SURVEYORS 27ALEX MACLAREN (HERIOT WATT UNIVERSITY: EDUCATING STUDENTS FOR THE COLLABORATIVE WORKPLACE: FACILITATING INTERDISCIPLINARY LEARNING ON ACCREDITED CONSTRUCTION COURSES 28PHIL PYATT (INSPIRING THE FUTURE TASKFORCE): INSPIRING THE FUTURE – WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT 28MATTHEW TUCKER (LIVERPOOL JOHN MOORES UNIVERSITY): RESEARCH PREPAREDNESS IN UNDERGRADUATE CURRICULUM: THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE 29KEVIN THOMAS AND SIMON ROBSON (NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY): RESEARCH RICH LEARNING; STUDENTS AS PARTICIPANTS – A NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY CASE STUDY 29MIKE RILEY AND ALISON COTGRAVE: RESEARCH INFORMED TEACHING IN THE FACULTY OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY LJMU 30NICKI SCHIESSEL HARVEY (BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY): AMBASSADOR-LED APPLICANT DAYS 31LOUISE KIRSTEN (SHEFFIELD HALLAM UNIVERSITY): SMOOTHING THE STUDENT TRANSITION PROCESS IS NOT JUST ABOUT INDUCTION, IT SHOULD BE APPLIED AT ALL LEVELS IN A DEGREE PROGRAMME. 31NICKI SCHIESSEL HARVEY AND WIL VINCENT (BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY): MAKING FIRST IMPRESSIONS COUNT: CREATING AN INSPIRING INDUCTION FOR BE STUDENTS 32ADAM SHEPPARD AND OLIVER HASLAM (UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST OF ENGLAND): TRANSFORMATION OF A DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMME: FROM PASSIVE TO ACTIVE LEARNING 33EMMA MULLINER (LIVERPOOL JOHN MOORES UNIVERSITY) FEEDBACK ON FEEDBACK: A COMPARISON OF BE STUDENT AND STAFF PERCEPTIONS OF FEEDBACK PRACTICE 34SIMON LEE AND CATHERINE HIGGS (UNIVERSITY OF WEST OF ENGLAND) EVALUATING STUDENTS’ EXPERIENCES STUDYING ON A CREDIT BEARING WBL MODULE 34KELLY MCKINNON (NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY): COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND LIVE PROJECTS WITHIN ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION 35ANDREA YUNYAN JIA (CURTIN UNIVERSITY, AUSTRALIA): ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN STUDIO AS A PROTOCOL FOR CONSTRUCTION SAFETY MANAGEMENT EDUCATION 36ALEX COPPING (UNIVERSITY OF BATH): UTILISING E-PORTFOLIOS FOR REFLECTIVE LEARNING IN CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT POSTGRADUATE EDUCATION 36VENKATESH VIJAY, MEL LEES, PARMJIT CHIMA AND CRAIG CHAPMAN (BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY) KNOWLEDGE BASED EDUCATIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR CAPTURING, MAPPING AND AUTOMATING ON-CAMPUS LABORATORY INSTRUCTOR KNOWLEDGE FOR ENHANCING PRACTICAL SKILLS IN ENGINEERING DISTANCE LEARNERS 37

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MARIA CHRISTINA GEORGIADOU (UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER): A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR ASSESSING INDIVIDUAL'S CONTRIBUTION TO GROUP WORK IN HIGHER EDUCATION 38TIM LEES AND ADRIAN TAGG (UNIVERSITY OF READING): EMBEDDING PROJECT EXPERIENCE IN THE CURRICULUM 39

Thursday 13.45 – 15.15

Session 1[A]

Nurulaini Hafizah Mohd Hafir, Tim Lees and Chris Harty (University of Reading), Sustainability Education in the Built Environment: A structured Literature Review

Sustainability is a complex and evolving concept with multiple interpretations. In an educational system, there are varieties of response to sustainability and these responses modelled by Sterling (2001) in three forms. These are education about sustainability, education for sustainability and education as sustainability; learning stages that progress from accommodation, through reformation to transformation. How principles of sustainability are being translated and integrated into education are different in each of these levels of engagement. The question address in this paper is twofold. First, how evident are these forms of response in built environment education? Second, to what degree do they affect curriculum and pedagogy orientation? This paper reports on a review of the literature relating to sustainability in education specifically in a built environment context. The review focuses on key phrases from literature published in built environment and higher education journals and conference proceedings including ARCOM Construction Management Abstracts, Journal for Education in the Built Environment and International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education. Using this structured literature review approach, the research first focuses on understanding the complex concept of sustainability in education so that it can be appropriately related to the built environment area of study. This is followed by analysis of the selected literature to evaluate existing pedagogical and curriculum approaches. The systematic analysis will seek to identify which methods or approaches suit the multidisciplinary areas of the built environment. Finally, the presentation of the key strategies to incorporate sustainability concepts within built environment programmes. This study can contribute in developing strategies that can promote and improve the adequacy of knowledge, skills and attitudes relating to sustainability. This will help produce a sustainability literate graduate with capabilities that are adaptable and better meet the need of the complex and rapidly changing natural and built environment.

Elena Marco, Sonja Oliveira and Bill Gething (University of the West of England): Developing energy literacy attributes for Built Environment Education 

This study explores the pedagogical and professional shaping of energy literacy in architecture in the UK. Insights from an analysis of multiple data sources including an industry discussion debate, 18 semi structured interviews, 2 focus groups and observations are utilised to examine the shaping of energy literacy dimensions. Recent pedagogical

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scholarship and industry reports show the importance of fully integrating energy related content into architecture curricula. However, the pace of industry developments does not tend to be reflected early enough in educational curricula despite the practical focus of architecture design studio briefs. In addition few educational studies examine the ways energy related content is accounted for by diverse user groups including students and practitioners.

The study synthesises industry, student and educator insights as a way of co-developing an integrated approach to energy literacy in architecture education. The findings discuss three key contributions of the study. First, the study presents the opportunities for an integrated approach where the dialogue between academia and industry on emerging topics such as energy literacy is fostered and documented. Second, the study presents some of the ways students can engage with industry debates on topics such as energy literacy through discussion contributing to the emerging agenda of energy education in the built environment. Third, the findings enable the provision of recommendations that will help define graduate competencies required of future building professionals in a fast developing international energy agenda. The work is in progress and due for completion in December 2015

Julie Fleck (Department of Work and Pensions): The Built Environment Professional Education Project

BEPE, a 5 year government Paralympic Legacy project initiated in 2013 (see BEPE https://www.gov.uk/government/news/support-for-the-built-environment-professional-education-project-on-its-first-anniversary , aims to stimulate a change in the way that built environment professionals – including architects, planners, surveyors, engineers and facility managers - are taught and learn about inclusive design, so that inclusion becomes second nature for all. BEPE is supported by the key built environment professional institutions (see BEPE supporters - https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/creating-a-lasting-legacy-from-the-2012-olympic-and-paralympic-games/supporting-pages/paralympic-legacy ).

BEPE was inspired by the success of the inclusive design process used to build the Olympic park and venues (see http://queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk/our-story/transforming-east-london/accessibility ). The inclusive experience delivered by the London 2012 Games is still almost unique - disabled and older people with a range of impairments can find the built environment challenging and unresponsive to their access needs. Changing demographics make achieving an inclusive environment even more important.

Yet the standard of teaching and learning on access and inclusive design is highly variable. Students often spend very little time studying the principles and processes of how to achieve an inclusive environment, it is rarely seen as an essential element of HE programmes.

Education can change attitudes, challenge perceptions and deliver behaviour change. The project is helping to develop exemplary approaches to inclusive design education across built environment programmes. This presentation is part of a joint submission with Reading University’s Breaking Down Barriers Project, which demonstrates how the BEPE project is being implemented.

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You can help to embed inclusive design teaching and learning into your course programmes by:

Inspiring innovation and change to teaching and learning programmes Helping to build the capacity in built environment schools Developing new models

of teaching inclusive design that are flexible and appropriate Supporting and preparing for changes to accreditation criteria Using Design Council CABE’s Inclusive Design Hub and CPD training as an

introduction to inclusive design (see http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/projects/inclusive-environments )

Assessing and rewarding students on their inclusive design skills and knowledge Giving students the confidence to challenge poor and deliver excellent accessibility Engaging with disabled people – they are the experts Helping students and teachers make access and inclusion second nature.

Christina Duckett (University of Reading): Breaking down Barriers: embedding inclusive design into the curriculum

The University of Reading is committed to developing an exemplary approach to inclusive design education in built environment professional education and beyond.

Building on its already extensive and highly regarded experience in research and teaching in inclusive design, and on its involvement with the British Paralympic Legacy Team’s Built Environment Professional Education Project, the University has recently embarked on a new project. The Breaking down Barriers project embeds inclusive design across existing and new programmes, including the new undergraduate architecture course, which launches in 2016.

A growing body of literature addresses the subject of inclusive design (e.g. Imrie and Hall, 2003; Boys,2014; Nawrate, 2015). Inclusive design refers to a design approach, which reflects real understanding and empathy with a wide range of user groups including older and disabled people (Newall, Greogro et al. 2011).

The project explores the idea of developing an innovative, cross-disciplinary and collaborative approach to curriculum design. This approach challenges normal working practices and makes use of the skills and expertise of staff and others outside the school responsible for individual programmes, in order to embed inclusive design in an exemplary way. The project team therefore includes staff pivotal in the development of curricula within each of three Schools: the School of the Built Environment, the Henley Business School, and the School of Art and Communication Design.

We are developing exemplary teaching approaches, which take into account the needs of a variety of people with a range of disabilities. As well as physical disabilities such as those related to mobility, and visual and hearing impairments, we are also considering cognitive impairments such as autism and dyslexia. We are developing programme descriptions, module description forms, and teaching and learning materials in which the theme of inclusive design is embedded. Topics include: inclusive design basics; inclusive wayfinding; inclusive buildings; and inclusive public spaces. Our emphasis is on experiential learning with a strong user focus.

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We are building on the work of academics such as those who use old age and bariatric simulation suits in nursing education (Rawlings-Anderson, Hunter et al. 2015). Additionally we will be working with external partners to engage students with the challenges experienced by disabled people in everyday life. Reading graduates will have expert knowledge that will bring real benefits to professional practices and to the lives of disabled people. This project will enable our students to have an impact that will extend far beyond the University boundaries.

Session 1[B]

Bhzad Sidawi (University of Damman, University of the West of England): Innovation in Design Studios: initiators and obstacles 

Design studios are the incubators of innovation. Through these studios students learn innovative skills and how to use them to produce innovative solutions. These skills would also help students in finding innovative solutions to architectural problems during their professional practice. This paper discusses the outcomes of trends study conducted in 2009 and 2012 in the department of Architecture, College of Architecture at University of Dammam and a benchmarking study conducted on 2012 on two departments of Architecture. The target of these investigations is to find out the relationship between the social environment of design studios and the innovative design outcome. The field surveys included interviews and questionnaires in each department of Architecture. The study found a number of significant factors that affect negatively students’ ability to produce innovative projects. These include; the teaching style that aim at imposing tutor’s ideas on students; tutors and students have ambiguous understanding of innovative design precedents and how to utilize these examples in design projects and how these would be linked to the course’s objectives and methodology, and the lack of utilization of design studio’s discussions and negotiations in developing design projects. Finally, tutors are insensitive to the indications of students’ needs and there is a lack of awareness to students’ creative abilities.

Sonya Meekel and Angela Kirby (Dublin Institute of Technology and Birmingham City University) Construction education: students learning through the competition experience

Engaging students and encouraging active participation is an ongoing challenge in higher education. This research is in progress (with future research also underway), the initial research is a reflective analysis based on a case study experience of past students whom have gone through the ASC Region 8 competition experience. The selection process and the personal perspectives and attitudes of the participants are intentional and of course may influence the research results and therefore the responses received are intended not to be entirely reflective of the construction industry as a whole. Also, the intention of this research was to reflect upon the initial role out of the process. It was intended to do further research which is underway for and more detailed statistical analysis for future papers.

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The second phase of this research will be based on the next upcoming student competition where structured interviews will be done on all participating students and also accompanying student coaches. This research will involve up to 40 students and 10 coaches with a very diverse international reach with students participating from USA and Europe.

The research is looking into what are the added benefits and unique attributes that can be gained from partaking in such an environment.

Do pressured induced environment and recreation of pressured deadline driven environments of the real world benefit the student for the “real world “experience. The research will probe into the question: can learning and interaction can be accelerated through the introduction of an additional incentive (for example prizes for best entries and peer recognition) It is also proposed that non-academic (that is, non-grade related) incentives such as initial introduction to potential employers can prove invaluable for future career development.

“Education is an admirable thing but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.” Oscar Wilde

Dragana Nikolic (University of Reading) Implementing experiential learning using simulation games – benefits and challenges

Building construction processes are dynamic, complex, and subject to constant and unanticipated changes and delays. Learning to manage inherent construction process variability and its associated risks is challenging, especially at the undergraduate level when students typically have only limited practical construction management experience. The ongoing research focuses on addressing several recognized challenges in teaching construction students dynamic and ill-defined problems such as planning and managing project construction. The Virtual Construction Simulator (VCS) game, (free at www.engr.psu.edu/vcs) was developed to provide a holistic learning experience that teaches students how their decisions and varying labour productivity affect the construction progress. The pre- and post-test data on the VCS3 effectiveness was collected in an introductory course to building construction of one hundred students and the advanced level project management course of nine students between 2010 and 2012. Findings indicate the value and the potential of the VCS3 simulation game to motivate and help students learn about construction processes, cost and time trade-offs, and inherent management challenges. The data and the post-simulation discussion with the students revealed that students were able to better identify and understand specific challenges in efficiently planning the construction and managing resources to respond to changes. Students also rated the simulation experience as realistic, relevant, engaging and fun, while providing feedback on how the functionality of the game can be further improved. Implementing simulation games in the classroom and construction curricula however, continue to be challenging. Given that the learning process differs from the traditional assessment on content retention, assessing experiential learning necessitates innovative approaches. This research will discuss the results to date, current development and iterations of the game and the assessment approaches, as well as ongoing research efforts to support broader adoption of innovative teaching approaches.

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Alex MaClaren and Mohamad Abdel-Wahab (Heriot Watt University): Initiatives for student-industry engagement

Student-industry engagement is paramount for experiential learning in built environment-related degree programmes. Initiatives such as CONSTRUCTIONARIUM, TEAMBUILD, CEMENT, MERIT, etc. provide students with an opportunity to build-up their experience in the construction industry. Employers are concerned about student’s readiness for employment and therefore universities are keen to demonstrate effective preparedness of their graduates for work in the modern construction industry. An increasing number of initiatives attempt to support student’s readiness for the workplace, but there is no current synthesis of the landscape of student-industry engagement for sharing good practice.

The recent publication on ‘the future of professionalism’ by Paul Morrell for the Edge Commission, highlights the importance of Industry engagement, and ‘Collaboration for Change’. In addition, the Lambert Review of ‘Business-University collaboration’ pointed out the employer’s concern of the mismatch between the courses offered at universities and skills required. Therefore, the aim of this discussion session is to provoke a critical analysis of existing initiatives, highlighting the scope, discipline covered, professional/industry endorsements, integration within the curriculum,...etc.

The session will commence with an overview of some existing initiatives [as noted above], highlighting distinctive qualities and similarities/differences along with some of the lessons learned.

The subsequent discussion will be guided by the following questions: 1) How can the cyclical, fast-paced timetable of academic semesters effectively engage

meaningfully with industry? What is the best form and optimum length of a student-industry engagement experience?

2) At what stage are student-industry engagement projects most appropriate, and most beneficial i/ to the students ii/ to industry

3) How do universities’ administrative and qualification systems (e.g. multi-mode/multi-campus - internationalisation) affect/constrain student-industry interaction?

4) How can professional bodies benefit from the existing initiatives for student-industry engagement?

5) How is industry incentivised to engage with university students? (e.g. INSPIRE scholarships)?

Session 1[C]

Becky Thomson (Northumbria): Exploring the barriers to internationalising the student experience on Built Environment degree programmes

In order to globalise, UK higher education institutions need to present viable and attractive international options for students over the duration of their studies.

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The joint declaration of the European Ministers of Education convened in Bologna, 19 June 1999 (the Bologna declaration) agreed that EU universities should adopt “a system of easily readable and comparable degrees" at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, thus allowing students to obtain credits at partner universities in the EU and internationalise their degree (Erasmus Plus, 2015).

Since then, the vast majority of the states within the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) have been consistent in championing the internationalisation of higher education as part of the Bologna Process. Although compliance is voluntary, 44 of the 47 states have participated in the implementation of a common credits system (ECTS) and a consistent degree programme structure, making studying in another country an attractive prospect for their students.

The UK has not engaged with the Bologna Process to anywhere near the same extent, and we now find ourselves trailing behind the rest of the EU (we are one of only 3 countries in the EHEA who have not participated in the implementation of a credits system which is compatible with ECTS).

Additionally, those students undertaking degree programmes which are designed for a specific profession (and therefore accredited by a professional body) have the added complication of satisfying the competencies required for professional qualifications too.

Will it be possible for professional courses to embed study abroad into their curriculum in the UK, and what are the current barriers preventing this?

Richard Jordan (Birmingham City University): The growing role of internationalisation in BE education

As graduates of built-environment programmes are increasingly required to practise in a global market, it is essential that higher education responds accordingly. This is emphasised by our respective professional bodies’ drive towards globalisation and the need to align themselves and compete with professional institutions in other disciplines. For example, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ (RICS) introduction of international measurement standards was designed to ensure that the profession has a more authentic and reliable cross-border comparison and regulation, and in the interests of a truly global industry.

If education is, therefore, going to successfully respond to this challenge, UK universities need to become internationalised institutions, and many now include ‘internationalisation’ in their respective missions. There is no accepted definition of ‘internationalisation’ in this context but, when applied to a university, there are certain features which inevitably apply. These include an increase in work-placement opportunities, a growing input to the curricula to include global perspectives, a common understanding of internationalisation amongst staff and students across a university, an increase in the recruitment of overseas students, and the development of strategic overseas partnerships and investment in transnational education (TNE).

The area which will form the principal focus of this paper is international partnerships. If the aspirations of our professional bodies and the needs of industry are to be realised, universities need to form high-value, sustainable partnerships with overseas institutions so

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that built-environment students receive an education which is consistent, relevant and of value to those who aim to become practising professionals in the global property and construction markets.

This paper will examine the different types of collaboration in this context and, more specifically, the rise of transnational education (TNE). The author has been personally involved in identifying, creating and managing international relationships and partnerships for the past 13 years and, over the past three years, has developed new TNE partnerships in India, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Sri Lanka.

Research is expected to show that some models are more successful than others although this is likely to vary across countries and regions, emphasising the importance of finding the right type of collaboration for a specific market. There will also be a focus on the importance of quality assurance and the extent to which local academic and regulatory infrastructure has a bearing on the robustness and success of TNE partnerships. The paper is likely to conclude that, whilst the recent growth in TNE is arguably in response to universities’ need to diversify income sources; it can also play a key role in helping to meet the aspirations of professional bodies and other key players in global built-environment markets.

Hong Xiao (Birmingham City University): Engaging overseas alumni in internationalisation of curriculum through project case study collection

The UK Higher Education is changing fast, and one of the evident signs is its internationalization. On one hand, more and more overseas students are coming to the UK to study. On the other hand, more and more UK students are seeking employment opportunities overseas. But at the moment, the teaching and learning is still mainly from a UK perspective. This requires our curriculum to address this internationalization trend in the higher education.

One of the untapped resources in this regard is our overseas alumni. Most of them have returned to their home countries after successfully completing their study and are working in the construction sector in different roles. They not only know the academic rigor and requirements of their course very well, but also are involved in different aspects of construction projects on a daily basis.

Through a close partnership between academic staff, participating students and overseas alumni, this project aims to collect international case studies on construction management practices such as health and safety management, sustainable design and construction, contract management, and BIM in practice, which can be incorporated into the curriculum. This will not only further engage overseas students and enhance their learning experience, but also expose the home students to more international perspectives of construction management. The knowledge and skills developed from this will greatly improve the students’ employability in a globalized construction job market. This exercise also provides a good opportunity to continuously engage alumni and develop a long-lasting learning community with a shared common identity.

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This project is under progress and will complete by September 2015. This project needs academic staff, participating students and overseas alumni to work closely in its design and delivery. It is anticipated that a dozen or so construction project cases will be collected in the format of documents, drawings and / or videos which can be used flexibly in teaching and learning.

Kevin Elliott (Northumbria University): Ecoepexperiential Learning - where is the classroom?

his interim paper during the course of a large scale research project is intended to draw comment and suggestion at a peer and institutional level on the consideration and determination of learning spaces and the balances between theoretical, experiential and situated learning. Beginning with a review of some established models of learning theory from behaviourism to andragogy, and drawing on the work of Vgotsky, Dewey, Freire, Kolb and Knowles, this paper identifies those strands of learning theory which are particularly pertinent to education in Architectural Technology. Consideration is given to curriculum design and the learning environment to gauge the extent and use of the live building site and practical arena, together with discussion on learning by design or situation. A methodology is proposed to enable a qualitative measure of a sample of HE institutions in the UK regarding their approaches.

Discussion points:

Learning and Teaching approaches Theoretical underpinning Learning or teaching Traditional classroom or construction site Immersive approaches Student experience Student performance

Session 1[D]

Audrey Martin (Dublin Institute of Technology) Developing appropriate educational modules aimed at industry: A DIT case study

This paper describes the process from inception to completion of developing academic modules appropriate for upgrading survey professionals engaged in the public sector. In 2014 the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) Spatial Information Sciences Group received a

Curriculum

Academic Staff

Overseas

Alumni

Participating studen

ts

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request from the national mapping agency, Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSi), to provide a CPD (Continuing Professional Development) module in Geodesy, with particular emphasis on Gravity and Height, appropriate for Ordnance Survey staff and, possibly, staff from other similar organisations.

An advanced module in Gravity and Height intended for those wishing to develop deep knowledge and competencies in the provision, management and delivery of national levelling networks and the generation of the gravimetric surface that underpins them was designed. The module was accredited by DIT at the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI) level 9 (MSc equivalence) and delivered to an international audience of 23 participants in February 2015 during 5 days.

The module syllabus was extremely specialised and included theoretical and practical elements relating to strategies and mechanisms for accurate national height models. Due to its specialist nature the module delivery was enabled through international cooperation between scientists and researchers at the Geodesy Department, Lantmäteriet, Sweden, The Dublin Institute for Advance Studies, The Ordnance Survey offices of Ireland and Northern Ireland, and the Dublin Institute of Technology. In addition, significant administrative support was provided by EuroSDR (European Spatial Data Research Organisation) and financial aid from a CHOBE grant.

In developing the module a number of considerations were addressed including: academic level, target audience, expertise required, economical aspects wrt delivery, academic and administrative partnerships. Each of these elements will be discussed in the presentation. The week long seminar was deemed a success by the participants and presents an academic model suitable for future up-skilling opportunities in the Spatial Information Sciences.

Tim McLernon (University of Ulster) Considerations for a revised learning, teaching and assessment regime for undergraduate built environment education

The requirements of employers, the benchmark statement of the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) for construction, property and surveying together with the outcomes of a university education, construct a solid array of skills and attributes that are to be embedded in built environment graduates. The generation of ideas, the ability to be creative and to innovate are key skills required of the built environment graduate in the twenty-first century. The underlying research question asked in this study is: “do our learning, teaching and assessment regimes for undergraduate built environment education lead to creativity or conformity?” The purpose of this study is to critically reflect and report on the author’s experiences of learning, teaching and assessment regimes used for undergraduate built environment education and, using this reflection, appropriate comparisons, and lessons learned from experiences of things that work and things that don’t work, to assemble and offer ideas on doing things more effectively in order to add value to the learning outcomes, skills and attributes of built environment graduates. The study is qualitative in nature but is less than scientific as it incorporates interpretations of a subjective nature to provoke argument and discussion. The data used in the study comprised interpretations from observant participation, data gleaned from formal and informal conversations with academic colleagues, from formal committee minutes and from observations and interpretations of student conduct. The discussion in the study addresses and

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explores assessment, the learning environment, the modular system, collaboration, the management of contact time and independent learning, students’ conceptions and experiences of independent learning, and opportunities for personal, social and professional development outside of the modules but within the course curriculum. This presentation will deal with elements of the overall study with a view to eventually assembling proposals for a revised learning, teaching and assessment regime for undergraduate built environment education.

Yvonne Simpson (Greenwich): Elite education on the rise: it’s life but not as you knew it Jim! Investigating the impact of Government Policy

The Research is in progress and based upon a recent EdD study. The White Paper on HE introduced in 2011, formally known as the Browne Report was implemented in 2013/4. At the heart of this four year long study the effect of the white paper 2011 would have on vocational HE provision was investigated. Presently the study is examining the underpinnings of the policy, in light of the rise of elite education expansion in the university sector. It will examine what is the new Government goal for HE provision? The policy, its history and drivers will be reviewed and discussion about the rise of elite education in the UK undertaken.

The main research used the paradigm of mixed methods and also applied the use of the Delphi technique to address the notion of Future studies. This study will draw upon the critical literature and analysis of the author’s EdD studies.

Robby Soetanto (Loughborough University): Bim Hub: educating BE students to work in a BIM environment 

Increasing international collaboration in the building industry means that more professionals will be required to work in virtual teams within an online BIM environment, and consequently Built Environment (BE) students will need to have opportunities to learn these skills. The implementation of BIM requires a new way of working which would inevitably redefine the future of construction education. The skills to work in BIM environment can offer students a competitive advantage in the job market. As an emerging area, little is known how BE educators can do this. The BIM-Hub initiative aims to implement an innovative approach to international collaboration in the BE education in a real-time BIM environment, in order to enhance the employability skills. The initiative captured the experience, identified the skills required to collaborate in this highly integrated environment, examined the impacts on the employability skills, and is currently sharing the findings in a way that encourages community of learning to develop. The initiative developed a guidance of effective practice for international BIM education for tutors wanting to implement BIM collaboration in their classes. The guidance and findings have been disseminated in the project website: http://bim-hub.lboro.ac.uk/. The BIM-Hub initiative has won the Premier Award of CIOB’s International Innovation and Research Awards 2014, http://iandrawards.ciob.org/node/69. The aim of this session is to share the

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guidance notes and empirical findings, and to obtain initial feedback and current practice from the BE educators (i.e. attendees).

Thursday 15.45 – 17.15

Session 2[A]

Marie Vaganay (University of Ulster): Fostering innovation and entrepreneurship

Ulster University Environmental Health students working collaboratively in mixed-cohort (typically 2 to 3 students from each year) groups, and in partnership with external professionals or charities, design and deliver various projects with an innovative and entrepreneurial approach. The teams are responsible for setting their own aims and objectives as well as identifying their chosen initiative and potential clients.

The conference showcase the innovative and entrepreneurial student projects to an audience of environmental health practitioners, partners involved in the projects, potential employers, prospective students and school career’s teachers. It also enables the students to disseminate their learning among their peers and learn from each other, and to develop their presentation and communication skills in a conference style environment. It provides opportunities for engagement with partners, practitioners and for cross fertilisation between practice and academia, while also allowing the student body to market the course to careers teachers to improve the sustainability of the programme.

The event fostered students ‘creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship. It provided professionals opportunity to learn from the projects, to engage with potential future projects and, more widely, with the course curriculum development and delivery. Finally it showcased the course and the innovative nature of its delivery to career’s teachers.

This project demonstrates that we can encourage innovation and creativity within the built environment curriculum. This mixed cohort approach to developing the innovation and entrepreneurial skills of students to improve their employability could be used as a template to develop similar modules across other courses in the Built Environment

Derek Bruce, Sarah Sayce and Jane Kettle (Kingston University and CHOBE): Ethics: undervalued in the curriculum?

One of the chief characteristics of the UK Built Environment curriculum has been the emphasis placed on dominant employment themes, as gleaned through interface with employers (the ultimate consumers of the graduate ‘product’ and their own requirements

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for graduates to meet professional body assessment standards). Consequently, Higher Education Institutions’ (HEIs) course teams have placed emphasis on producing graduates who are technically grounded and ‘business aware’, and who can ‘hit the deck running’ to produce profits in the hands of their private sector employers, for the public sector, graduates who are ‘politically aware’ and alert to value for money concepts.

So where has this led consideration of ethics and the role of the professional, where public interest is precedent over private gain, as distinct from that of the business person with no affiliation? Has such consideration either been side-lined or at worst never applied? The growth of ethical business as a concept has sparked debate within the professions and has led to the setting up of an international consortium aimed at producing high level ethical standards (http://ies-coalition.org/) . In time this will lead to a revision to the requirements placed on professionals in terms of the ethical understanding and practice. Currently, it is argued, the interpretation of what is meant by ethics is often viewed at a superficial or regulatory compliance level.

By examining the extent to which ethics is part of the built environment (BE) curriculum and part of competence assessment across the BE professions, the authors will argue that, to date, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have a challenge to engender within their students not just a baseline knowledge of ethical considerations – but what it means to be an ethical professional.

The work is timely considering the call by the Edge (2015) for the development and standardisation of a national BE code of conduct/ethics, the nascent work of the coalition and the work led by individual professions, such as the introduction of an Hippocratic oath and new ethical standards from 2015 by the Chartered Institute of Housing. The work, which comprises reviewing the requirements and interpretation of ethics at professional qualification stage, the integration of ethics in the curriculum and the perception of graduates, is at the pilot stage and the findings will feed into both a bigger Journal paper and into CHOBE’s State of the Nation report. The authors are well versed in both developing and delivering ethical curricula and in assessing it at both the professional entry and experienced/senior practitioner levels. Methodology includes reviews of published literature, informal interviews and a questionnaire.

Sabine Coady Schaebitz  (Northampton University): Extending ‘traditional’ Built Environment education with other disciplines from within and outside the Built Environment professions

Starting from the premise of the conference that higher education in the UK is continuing to change with much uncertainty for many BE subjects - especially planning and housing - while there is nevertheless an emerging skills shortage in those subjects; and considering the findings and recommendations of the Farrell Review, this session will discuss to what extent there is room for the ‘traditional’ built environment professions to include more perspectives from other Built Environment disciplines as well as from disciplines outside the professions.

A short presentation on my experiences in both German and UK Higher Education, most recently at the University of Northampton, will set the scene. We will then jointly explore the following questions:

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What industry need is there for inter-disciplinary BE courses combining different professions or involving extra-professional subjects, especially the social and health sciences?

To what extend do the professions support such enterprises or to what extend are they seen as unwelcome competition?

How can universities be encouraged to support such courses and see their potential for medium and long term relevance beyond immediate market benefits?

What would inspire A-level students, graduates or industry candidates to take up such courses?

To what extend does academe have to set the agenda for such courses which will then be picked up by industry?

Immediate outcomes will be a short summary which can be translated into action points. This will be followed up by a position paper for CHOBE with the aim for publication in the conference proceedings.

Ruchit Purochit, Purva Tavri and Sarah Sayce (Open University/Kingston University /CHOBE: Content analysis as a successful Built environment research methodology 

Within all levels of Built Environment education research methodology teaching normally places emphasis on the skills required for empirical work in the form of primary data collection and analysis, with the exception of writing a literature review. Little attention tends to be given to the use of secondary data research methodologies. The consequence has been that very many projects, particularly at bachelor/masters level, provide findings which are based on sub-optimal or simply too little and poorly conceived data as students have neither the time, nor the resources to enter into data collection at any meaningful scale.

This paper, which is based in part from the experiences of two very different built environment PhD theses, explores the use and applicability of content analysis, which may be combined with computer analysis, as a method which offers wider possibilities than, it suggests, are currently explored. It argues that it has content analysis has a wide and growing applicability within Built Environment, given in particular the shifting emphasis on behavioural and motivational issues throughout the sector from planning through to construction and asset management. For this reason it has seen an increase in use at advanced levels. However, with the exception of Bell (2014) it receives little attention in research textbooks, even those such as Knight (2012) which are aimed at more advanced methods.

The essence of content analysis is that it enables the researcher to collate and codify many different forms of published media and from qualitative outputs produce quantitative data; it therefore mediates between qualitative and quantitative methods in social research (Bauer and Gaskell, 2000) and may be viewed as an appropriate tool for practice. It is generally regarded as of particular benefit in fields where good reliable data may be difficult to access.

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The presentation considers the argument for the use of content analysis within build environment research generally and its efficacy within two specific projects before making some suggestions for future use.

Session 2[B]

Bekithemba Mpofu (College of Estate Management): E-learning Experiences

With the advent of the Internet in the 20th Century, traditional pedagogy and learning has undergone a paradigm shift that has seen eLearning becoming prominent and alternative theories for learning being developed. The e-Rollercoaster has also extended beyond the passive mode of traditional eLearning of the objectivist/behaviorist theories of knowledge acquisition to social constructivism that has resulted in the evolution of the instructor-student relationship. In particular, the role of the instructor is now a facilitator with learners and peers becoming active participants of the learning process. This developing social constructivism paradigm has made e-Participation an intrinsic part of learning and this has led to various ways of encouraging student engagement on eLearning programmes. Ideally, eLearning programmes use different types of activities to boost student participation as part of enhancing their learning experience. This paper analyses the effectiveness of different forms of student engagement on the virtual learning environment (VLE) discussion forums. The project looks at student engagement on the VLE of modules delivered by the College of Estate Management at masters’ level. Engagement, on this paper, is analyzed from different views including the number of times and messages posted by students, the time students spend on the VLE, the number of times the students access the VLE and the length of messages they post. The results of this research will assist understand the effectiveness of different participation approaches and enable implementation of an optimum student engagement strategy for built environment programmes based on quantitative analysis.

Tim Bennett (College of Estate Management): Controlling the e-learning climate

This work is posited as a work in progress. It describes various speculations concerning the effective strategies that need to be considered when endeavouring to create effective e- learning experience within large student cohorts studying online. The aim of the discussion is to develop the conceptual framework within which the online student experience can be improved.

There has been a tendency for e- learning and teaching strategies to be seen as an extension of past practice rather than the need to rethink and start afresh. A distinct difference needs to be identified at the outset between the use of technology, the science of teaching and the management of the student within a virtual environment. Each have a part to play but each must also be in balance. This symmetry may change and be different for each component part, being dependent on module content, the learning narrative, assessment and teaching strategies and the activities and use of the learning platform to name a few.

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Importantly, it must be understood that these components are linked and interdependent. The framework that fits within these parameters or analogy is presented as a model for discussion using the student experience as the hub around which key criterion are considered to enable the student experience to develop and learning outcomes of specific modules to be met. The key components are proposed within a model STEP (Strategies, Teaching, Environment, and Processes) that will be presented for discussion. The model further attempts to incorporate the organisational dependencies and strategies as any e-learning and teaching strategy has to be an integral element of central organisational aspirations rather than a standalone vision.

The discussion reflects early work in this area, and seeks to develop associations between the various factors mentioned. It does not purport to offer a definite solution, but to examine the context of effective e-learning and e-teaching strategies presented in a paradigm for further empirical study.

Toni Fisher and David Moore (Robert Gordon University): Innovation Ownership in Teaching & Learning Practice

Inspiring and motivating faculty to change their teaching practice and adopt new methods and processes for engaging and motivating students has become a focus due to new teaching environments, such as Distance Learning. There are a variety of impediments to change in any institution as well as a number of strategies and tactics to deal with the impediments. Within the context of education, change management literature frequently refers to issues of ‘ownership’, typically at various levels (organisation, regional, national, etc.), leading to the creation of a ‘shared vision’; practitioner perception of an innovation can influence its success. Many of the techniques needed for successful teaching and learning, inspired through an examination of practice due to the addition of Distance Learning to the scope of educational offerings, when adopted, can be used for undergrad and postgrad students, both in Face to Face and in Distance Learning teaching and learning. These include: participatory learning, flexibility of learning formats and times, inspiring learning materials and motivated learning facilitators. Literature evidences that a key objective in achieving a positive perception of innovation by staff is confidence; the expectation that lecturers can easily adopt technology-based innovations should be robustly interrogated in the context of individual dispositions and capabilities, and also the time available (capacity) for them to innovate. A further aspect of ‘confidence’ is the level to which staff ‘believes’ students will respond positively to innovation; pedagogy changes can cause anxiety in students, and a negative response from students can discourage lecturers’ innovation.

Barriers to Distance Learning and Virtual Learning Environments also include a lack of understanding of VLEs including a poor understanding of the roles needed to deliver and support online learning. This workshop will report on the on-going qualitative research into changes made in Post Grad and Undergrad, Face to Face and Distance Learning teaching and learning strategies. The participation of the audience in the workshop, sharing experiences, will be of benefit to the research as well as to attendees facing similar challenges in their institutions.

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Session 2[C]

Ben Farrow and Richard Burt (Auburn University): Connecting learning with an innovative field lab at Auburn

In 2012, an outdoor laboratory for construction management students was created at Auburn University. This lab initially responded to student demands following focus groups to include more hands-on learning in the curriculum. Used primarily for classes on steel, wood, and concrete construction, the field lab has evolved over approximately six semesters to provide a consistent enriching student experience. This experience fosters teamwork, application of classroom knowledge, integration of safety, self-confidence, and satisfaction of students. This research study examines the perceived learning of approximately 50 students who have had classes at the field laboratory to determine if the lab experience improves classroom learning. Results indicate that perceived learning in the classroom is enhanced by the field lab experience. Student perceptions connect the learning at the field lab with the classroom. Overall results indicated an enhanced learning experience of 4.4 on a scale of 1 to 5. The highest enhancement seems to occur in areas of “helping one apply course content to solve problems” and an overall perception that the field lab is an important part of the structures course.

James Charlton, David Morton, Danilo Di Mascio (Northumbria): Mapping the use of digital tools within learning in the architectural studio

Digital design exploration has made a considerable impact on architectural pedagogy and the way in which building designs can be accessed and interrogated. This impact is now being seen in architectural programmes in the UK. There is still a concern that the art of hand drawing is feared lost forever. The use of computers and digital methods in schools of architecture has become the norm, and the creative moving of a pen across paper has been replaced, to a degree, by the cursor across the CAD screen. Therefore, will the paradigm shift of BIM require the inevitable move to a new approach in the design of buildings?

In this paper we will present the results of an ongoing survey and a critical discussion of the collected results related to digital tools used by students in the development of their design and technical proposals in architectural programmes. We have chosen as case study our academic institution, the Northumbria University based in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. The main objective is to better understand the digital tools and theories used through the students' learning process during the architectural courses.

We can already mention some of the most interesting findings that are worth sharing with the academic community. The software packages and methods used in architectural programmes in Undergraduate Courses are significantly different compared to those used in

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Postgraduate Courses. At the end of the mapping process, after a critical evaluation and discussion of the results, we will be able to understand benefits and limitations in the learning process. Furthermore, we will also be able to address possible ways of improve it, also introducing other software, such as game engines, to help the real time evaluation of the spatial choices, as already stated by one of the author in a previous publication.

Alex MacLaren , Nicky Thomson and Anne McCann (Heriot Watt University): TEAMBUILD: the construction challenge

This workshop proposes to demonstrate, through firsthand experience, the potential benefits of cross-disciplinary pedagogy when planned, briefed and managed effectively. The organisers seek to ‘demystify’ the prospect of cross-disciplinary exercises, in an attempt to dispel prejudices about complexity, level of engagement, and application. Delegates will learn skills in authoring and providing such activities, and gain confidence in their abilities to control the process, and the value of these experiences to the student.

The intention is to engage staff in a brief interdisciplinary activity themselves, directly demonstrating the student experience, before asking delegates to review their experience, in disciplinary groups, and measure this against the various criteria for learning we seek to meet in Higher Education.

The Workshop will commence with a short ‘role-play’ exercise in which delegates are invited to form interdisciplinary teams and address a hypothetical design & construction challenge based on a real site (it would be helpful to have pre-registered delegates if at all possible, to enable best division of teams). The organisers will provide initial briefing, and then basic task information and resources for completing the task (site data, large format paper, coloured pens, scale rulers etc.). The task briefing will require each team to present their answers in different formats, to other delegates.

Organisers will reflect on the tasks carried out and the strategy behind setting the framework, information available, task content and presentation format in each case. Delegates will then be asked to reform into discipline-specific teams and review copies of their discipline/institutional criteria/guidelines for education (e.g. RICS, CIOB and Engineering Council Accreditation, RIBA/ARB criteria), discussing whether their experience was effective in delivering on the various requirements, and how that was facilitated by the exercise.

The workshop will conclude with feedback from each discipline group, including criticism of the process and suggestions for improvement.

The workshop will be filmed on a time-lapse camera (with delegates’ permission) and the output collected, recorded, collated and shared amongst participants.

The workshop will be provided by members of TEAMBUILD UK, a Construction Industry Charitable Body, offering training: the outcomes will be available open access from the TEAMBUILD website.

An ideal number of participants would be 30-40 delegates, but the planned format can expand or contract to suit as low as 15 or as many as 60 if required. See http://www.teambuilduk.com

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Session 2[D]

Tony Burke (University of Westminster): Promotion of Staff Engagement through communities of practice 

Communities of practice (CoPs) are defined as “groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly” (Wenger, nd). CoPs have been promoted as a means of improving performance in a variety of organisations and sectors, including businesses, public sector organisations and the voluntary sector. However, their adoption in higher education has been less widespread.

This discussion will focus on the potential of CoPs to engage staff in the development of learning and teaching practice through exchanging of ideas, and reflecting on and sharing best practice. At the University of Westminster an institution-wide change programme known as Learning Futures is currently underway. As part of the project we are proposing to introduce a framework for the establishment of CoPs. It is envisaged that these CoPs will operate across faculties as supportive communities set up to address learning and teaching issues identified by staff and students. The ultimate objective of the CoPs will be to improve the learning and teaching experience for both staff and students, and to encourage innovation.

The author is currently Academic Lead on the project, which is promoting CoPs (on secondment from his post in the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment at Westminster). The initial stages of the work to establish CoPs will be briefly described, and the views of delegates will be sought on the concept of CoPs. The possibility of establishing a CoP specifically aimed at the built environment academic community will also be floated, using an example from another discipline. Views will be sought from delegates as to whether such a community would be viable and sustainable.

Simon McClean (Salford) Use of Industrial Simulation to Deliver Academic Knowledge Core Skill and Vocational Skill Outcomes for Building Surveying Learners in Higher Education

This research is based upon a regime of action research and is an ongoing process, commenced as a PhD study, 5 years ago. Research is focused upon university education in Building Surveying. It starts from the need to satisfy four stakeholders, learners, university, professional body and employers. Three of these view vocational knowledge and competence in addition to academic ability as desirable in graduates. The author believes that academic knowledge, core skills and vocational skills can be successfully delivered together to satisfy all stakeholders. A well-crafted assessment brief, facilitating an industrial simulation with a submission of industry used documentation can deliver academic outcomes and evidence some degree of vocational competence for employers. Simulated industrial activity encourages students to learn in order to solve problems, allows

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them to practice core skills like working with others and allows them to perform vocational tasks.

The author creates industrial simulations, using an enquiry based learning approach supported by traditional teaching to create an assessment vehicle, develop core skills and practice vocational skills. This method of teaching provides the learner with challenges, requiring a bespoke regime of scaffolding to ensure success and avoid any learner disadvantage. The brief must require the learner to meet all learning outcomes whilst remaining realistic for the level being taught. Activities must be safe and adequately resourced. The role of the teacher in the simulation must be maintain control, and engage with learners, but not dominate the simulation. All these issues need to be designed in to the activity brief. The author will propose an action research approach of collecting data from each simulation to improve the next. Observation data, eExample learning material, academic outcome data, and learner satisfaction data from completed simulations will be used to illustrate the action research methodology essential in maximising effectiveness of future teaching.

Michaela Keenan (University of Ulster) It’s all about communication: tackling retention

This paper will explore how retention can be addressed and student success improved within the first year of higher education study through embedding a shared team ethos and innovative approaches to student support and communication.

The transition of first year students to higher education, their induction and retention are now widely recognised as being fundamentally intertwined (Crosling et al, 2009; HEA, 2013). Within this, the development of relationships and support between student-student and staff-student can significantly influence student futures in relation to remaining in and continuing their education. Indeed, a significant body of research now exists which argues that students are most likely to leave in the first year of entry (Yorke and Longden, 2007; Quinn et al 2005; Thomas, 2001). Retention and the first year experience has also been the focus of recent Higher Education Academy Research within the Student Retention and Success Project (2013) and also within work of Crosling et al (2008) for example.

Retention within Built Environment programmes such as Construction have traditionally been high and this research draws together evidence to build the argument that retention and student success within the first year of study can be improved through a shared staff team ethos and the implementation of effective communication and support measures with and for our students.

The School of the Built Environment has taken learning from it’s discipline team within the Higher Education Academy, Student Retention and Success Project, Phase Two to develop and embed new and innovative initiatives which have the common theme of enhancing communication. The School recognised at an early stage through the work of the discipline team that any intervention to tackle retention and to improve student success needed to be embedded across the School as our student body across courses often share modules, accommodation and meet during sporting activities, for example. These cross-discipline interactions necessitated a common shared approach across all undergraduate provision within the School.

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The School has embedded a range of measures and central to this has been the removal of a traditional studies advice/advisor system with the introduction of Academic Mentor model. The role of the Academic Mentor is to build contact and relations with students from pre-entry to the end of the first year thereby acting as a support through the often challenging first year of study. Mentors also come together to form a community or Student Experience Team (SET) to develop and share learning and experiences and to identify areas of further actions and development as the project develops. This change of support for the student has brought with it an enhanced shared staff team ethos which embeds staff from Head and Associate Head of School, Learning and Teaching Coordinator, Academic Mentors, Course Directors and all teaching staff.

This research draws together initial evidence from student questionnaires, student focus groups, qualitative staff data and institutional data on retention, module failure rates and success at the first attempt. This evidence demonstrates clear and significant improvements also across the institutional metrics.

Participants will be encouraged to discuss how this model could be enhanced and adopted across disciplines.

Nick Morton and Wil Vincent (Birmingham City University): 'Thanks for taking the time to understand’: lessons from the sharp end of making interventions in the student learning experience at Birmingham City University

In this session we reflect upon the first year of operation of brand new posts in Birmingham City University’s Faculty of Computing, Engineering, and the Built Environment, called Graduate Student Success Advisors (GSSAs). As part the What Works? HEA/Paul Hamlyn Foundation initiative, graduates of each of the schools have been appointed as part of a drive to enhance the student learning experience. The co-authors are, respectively, the Built Environment discipline lead for the What Works? project, and a double-graduate, now GSSA, of the Built Environment school.

We will begin by offering some thoughts based on our experiences. The team of three GSSAs have been leading a transformation of the student support system in our faculty, from investigating issues of non-attendance to individually preparing every student for resits. This has allowed for a much more targeted and systematic approach to interventions across the faculty and, in turn, provides the opportunity to instil a greater sense of community and identity; it has also highlighted where the shortcomings and challenges lie, both in ensuring robust systems and processes, and in the type and timing of effective interventions.

The central importance of student retention initiatives will be familiar to all in HE. In the course of the discussion session, we will invite participants to contribute their own perspectives and experiences, to reflect upon the common difficulties and opportunities presented:

What causes a student to become disengaged?

What are the key reasons for student withdrawal?

How can engagement (rather than simply attendance) best be measured and encouraged?

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At which point in time, and by what means, are interventions best made?

What tactics best encourage students to reflect and respond?

How can effective systems and processes help? What are the key data sources?

How can students aid in the creation and execution of engagement & motivation models?

Friday 10.30 – 11.30

Session 3[A]

Audrey Martin (Dublin Institute of Technology): Gravity and Height for National Mapping and Geodetic surveying

This is a feedback session reporting on the grant to DIT to run a research seminar on the emerging use of GIS techniques within the surveying discipline

Matthew Tucker (Liverpool John Moores University): New Technologies for Building Surveyors

This presentation is based on the small grant scheme project to coordinate a seminar on emerging technologies in the building surveying discipline, held at Liverpool John Moores University on 6th May 2015. The presentation will provide a reflection of the key outcomes of the seminar.

Historically the Building Surveying discipline has been conservative in its approach to professional developments and has been very traditional in its approach to practice. In some senses this gives it strength and a degree of resilience. A reticence to embrace new technological opportunities such as BIM and mobile surveying technologies, such as Kykloud, drone-enabled surveys, 3D laser scanning etc., present opportunities for HEIs to be at the forefront of developing practice. Such technologies offer potential for interface with a broad spectrum of BS work, ranging from the application of non-contact measurement and recording for conservation and detailed surveys of historic fabric to the use of wireless sensor technologies for real-time building condition monitoring.

The subjects covered were:

BIM and the Building Surveyor: BS & FM applications: Mobile surveying applications and whole life costing: Kykloud Scanning, RFM and non-contact analytic techniques Drones and their applications Lazer Surveys & Historic Building recording

Learning Outcomes from the seminar included:

Awareness and understanding of specialist and emerging technologies available to BS practitioners and academics.

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Appreciation of potential linkages to existing BS curriculum and opportunities for embedding emerging technologies in to new and existing modules.

Awareness of potential future directions for BS curriculum, competencies and technologies

The day also featured a ‘Technology Tapas’ session showcasing some emerging technologies over lunch. These included Google glass; RFID: and others technologies.

Alex MacLaren (Heriot Watt University: Educating students for the Collaborative Workplace: Facilitating Interdisciplinary Learning on Accredited Construction Courses

This will be a ‘report back’ from a Seminar funded by CHOBE’s “Small Grants Scheme”, awarded 16th February 2015. The Seminar was conducted in August 2015. This Seminar addressed the (relatively recently introduced) requirement to provide interdisciplinary teaching and learning to students, on those HE Built Environment/Construction courses that are subject to professional accreditation. RIBA, CEng and RICS criteria now all (among others) require accredited programmes to deliver skills in collaborative decision-making, communication, and knowledge of co-professionals.

This can be difficult to deliver for academics, who tend by nature to be specialist and discipline-specific. These skills are considered ‘essential’ to the future of the construction industry by the recently published “Collaboration for Change’ Edge Commission Report, the Gov’t Construction Strategy 2011, the CIC BIM2050 task force, and other industry organisations.

The Seminar gathered those with experience of offering programmes that seek to meet these criteria, and to share best practice. There was a short presentation of two case study projects that deliver on these points, but the specific aim was the collection of data from all attendees: with the aim of first identifying the difficulties of teaching and assessing these qualities within HE curricula, and secondly, providing insight into the effectiveness of systems through direct comparison in practice.

Pecha-Kucha has been chosen as the most engaging way to report back on the activities of the seminar and potential outputs, as due to clashes with timing the seminar will take place relatively close to the conference itself. It is anticipated that a paper will follow in due course

Friday 13.30 – 15.15

Session 4[A]

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Phil Pyatt (Inspiring the Future Taskforce): Inspiring the Future – working in partnership with the built environment

Inspiring the Future is a practical programme using technology to connect over 8,000 teachers from state schools and colleges with more than 21,000 volunteers from Apprentices to CEOs from all sectors and professions.

Volunteers pledge an hour a year to talk about their job, career and the educational route that they have taken, and since July 2012 more than 80,000 individual invites between teachers and volunteers have been sent asking them to attend an activity

Inspiring the Future has been working closely with the construction industry to recruit volunteers working across employers and professional bodies, and has recently been highly commended at the CIOB International Innovation & Research (I&R) Award 2014

This presentation illustrates how Inspiring the Future works, and using our current research both in usage and stakeholder surveys, highlights the impact of this scheme.

Matthew Tucker (Liverpool John Moores University): Research preparedness in undergraduate curriculum: the student experience

For most built environment programmes, the pinnacle research activity that undergraduate students undertake during their degree programme is the completion of a Dissertation. This takes place in their final year of study. However, there is often a misconception from final year students about the intended purpose and benefits such research activities have, often creating anxiety and scepticism about completing them. In particular, students often do not see the tangible benefit of developing research skills in order to help them succeed once they make their transition from education into employment.

This raises critical questions concerning how prepared students are to embark on research activities and assessments throughout the transition of their degree programme from level 4 to 6. In particular, students tend to associate extrinsic values to the Dissertation, rather than intrinsic values. In other words, they focus on outputs such as word length, duration and topic areas, rather than the actual skills and processes developed in carrying out research.

Research activities/projects during student’s degrees enable them to develop a critical mind-set through the appraisal, collection, analysis and interpretation of complex information. This study investigates the student experience of undertaking research projects/activities throughout their undergraduate degree programme in order to develop a “research preparedness framework” for students that can effectively be applied to the development/revalidation of built environment undergraduate curriculum design.

Kevin Thomas and Simon Robson (Northumbria University): Research rich learning; students as participants – a Northumbria University case study

This paper will consider the approaches to research rich learning (RRL) that can be adopted and look at a case study of practice at Department of Architecture and Built Environment, Northumbria University. The difference between more traditional transmission and research rich learning will be examined to show how the more constructivist approach can create

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significant benefits to the student experience. It will also highlight the importance of context and a strong link to the development of employability skills.

The four main methods of delivering RRL as proposed by Healey and Jenkins will be considered and discussed alongside how this might best be achieved in UG curriculum.

A case study of the Building Advice Centre module will then be examined in detail, looking at how this operates and how RRL takes place within the students learning. This will show the very positive impact it has on both students’ performance and the development of relevant employability skills.

Mike Riley and Alison Cotgrave: Research Informed Teaching in the Faculty of Engineering & Technology LJMU

One of the targets of the LJMU Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategy 2012-17 is that LJMU will be: ‘A University that supports the development of a vibrant and sustainable research and scholarship environment, firmly linked to learning and teaching’

One of the indicators to determine whether this is the case is evidence of research-informed curriculum development and teaching.

The focus of this paper is how the Faculty approached achieving this involving evidence from a series of focus groups, which aimed to:

Assist academic colleagues develop an understanding of the different definitions of RIT. Identify where, how and to what level RIT is truly embedded in the curriculum Provide hard evidence of this activity rather than hearsay.

In order to assess whether the relative strength of research activity undertaken by the different subject groups, each group was asked to describe their collective research outputs based on four variables.

These variables were then utilised within the data analysis.

The initial discussion focussed on developing a shared understanding of the four types of RIT that are generally acknowledged:

Research-led Research-oriented Research-based Research-informed

The second part focussed on identifying where the four types of RIT are currently embedded in the curricula facilitated by the completion of a matrix for each programme.

The results of the project will be discussed in depth in the paper, however the biggest indicator of success is the redesign of one MEng programme. During the design of the curriculum, the principles gleaned from the focus group activity were used as design drivers. The programme was then reviewed by the IMechE who accredited it without any conditions or recommendations, commenting on:

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The exemplary “top-down” design of the curriculum to meet the learning outcomes of UKSpec

The thread of design providing an integrating activity throughout the programmes

The level of industrial input to the programmes, particularly during activity weeks and as part of the MEng Group Project

The amount of research based and led teaching within the programmes

Session 4[B]

Nicki Schiessel Harvey (Birmingham City University): Ambassador-led Applicant Days

Birmingham School of the Built Environment moved to an interview-based offer system for 2015 entry; those who attend Applicant Visit Days (AVDs) tend to convert and to be more engaged with the School from the outset. Additionally, open discussion about applicants’ ambitions and expectations can help guide course decisions, resulting in more engaged and focused cohorts.

Building on the success of a peer mentor-led Welcome Week approach trialled over the previous 2 years, which had built a real sense of belonging and engagement among new students, we employed ambassadors to lead AVDs; the rationale for the pilot was to start ‘community-building’ as early as possible.

Student ambassadors ran informal discussion sessions ahead of a formal school welcome and overview which stresses the school focus on partnership and mentoring. Ambassadors also co-delivered course-specific sessions with course staff; follow-up emails after interview put applicants in touch with the ambassadors they met, encouraging further questions away from the pressure of an interview day.

Initial figures show acceptances up 50% on the same period in 2014, ahead of other schools in the faculty who used ambassadors in the traditional way as guides rather than leaders. Anecdotal feedback from follow-ups with applicants indicates the personal approach and inspiration of ambassadors has swayed decisions. Specific questions on ambassadors/AVDs as reasons for choice will be in our annual survey of new students in Oct 2015; this will inform our approach for 2016.

Continued ambassador engagement through to beyond Welcome Week links recruitment activity to our growing student engagement initiatives. Ambassadors report that their work has helped their course understanding, pride in their school and leadership/teaching skills. Co-working between staff and students has built stronger relationships and is demonstrating our school partnership approach to student learning and experience.

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Louise Kirsten (Sheffield Hallam University): Smoothing the student transition process is not just about induction, it should be applied at all levels in a degree programme.

This is a presentation on the importance of effective transitional provisions for students at all levels within undergraduate degree programmes. It examines the need for cross level transition strategies and provides a discussion of prospective techniques that can be applied by academic staff to assist with successful student movement between levels, thus promoting better progression and retention between years.

Transition provisions are not just for new students entering higher education but should be employed throughout the degree process. Academic staff need to engage with students at all levels to ensure that they are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills that will assist them as they move forward in their degree. We should be providing our students with academic support that will assist students to move to the next level of learning and allow them to make informed decisions about their learning strategies. Academic staff could review curriculum content and engagement strategies; we could consider how to introduce signposts to the next level of the degree programme. Students are constantly seeking value for money in their programme and improving transition between levels and not just at the start of their higher education career can help to enhance their student engagement with the programme. The presentation will identify why there is a need for such transitional provisions and it will examine approaches and techniques to introduce or improve transitional provisions between programme levels. Areas such as Assessment and Feedback, mentoring, curriculum design and management styles will be discussed as strategy options to be used for the development of a transitional project at Sheffield Hallam University

Smoothing the transition process for students has been recognised by educational researchers for many years as identified by Tinto in 1999 when researching educational transition he stated "Educational Transition has a significant impact on student persistence and success rate". Mary Stuart Hunter et al in 2010 went further by discussing the role of transition and the importance of it to student perception. There is a need for strong course level management that takes transition between levels seriously in order to improve the quality and standards that are required to inspire student engagement, motivation and student expectations. Students should be recognised as stakeholders and at each level they should be set clear benchmarks for transition between programme levels. There should be synergy between each level to allow for academic crossover. The students should be provided with clear information about the next stage of their programme whether that is subject specific or academic challenges. Greater transparency between levels enables the students to make more informed choices about their study skills. Students should be capitalising and building on the skills that they have already developed at each level and transition strategies can help them achieve this. Smoother transition processes at each level can potentially improve progression and retention; a student who is more fully informed about their future choices and expectations will hopefully be more engaged and eager to learn thus resulting in the successful completion of their degree.

Nicki Schiessel Harvey and Wil Vincent (Birmingham City University): Making first impressions count: creating an inspiring induction for BE students

Since the 2013/14 academic year Birmingham School of the Built Environment (BSBE) have

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been at the forefront of designing and adapting pre-arrival and welcome activities within BCU, drawing on new students’ inspiration to get to know them, create a sense of belonging and embedding their learning in a professional context. Collaborative staff / student research within the school identified difficulties in creating a sense of community and belonging within the school, as well as students feeling that there was an academic expectation of them (outside of UCAS points) upon entering HE which may not be accurate.

This project was driven by NUS and HEA (What Works) research highlighting that the early experiences students have in HE directly impact overall, lasting experiences and performance, often directly tying into final degree classification, league table performance, and student satisfaction. Recruitment in built environment has been challenging, so it is imperative that the students who enrol not only succeed, but also achieve the ‘added value’, which is now an additional requirement of HE, study.

This initiative addressed identified reasons for disengagement including academic struggles and feelings of isolation or irrelevance of studies through three ‘prongs’ – peer mentoring, personal tutoring and integrating transition activities with the PDP curriculum in the School:

Student mentors for each course, engaging throughout the various stages of induction Pre-arrival tasks designed to become the focus of a first group tutor meeting in

Welcome Week, as well as offering the ability to highlight any academic deficiencies. Providing early feedback to summative assessment, to ensure continued interaction,

engagement & support.

The main points for discussion are:

Models of pre-arrival support Integrating multiple support mechanisms in transition Embedding course relevance and ‘belonging’ among new students – community-building How to follow on – maintaining momentum

Session 4[C]

Adam Sheppard and Oliver Haslam (University of the West of England): Transformation of a distance learning programme: from passive to active learning

Studying remotely can be challenging from the perspective of student isolation and the passive learning experience. The MSc Urban and Rural Planning programme is inherently innovative; a partnership Award delivered by 5 universities it has been running for over 20 years and has evolved from a paper based programme with residential sessions into a pure online distance learning programme. From the perspective of the remote study experience however, the programme has remained rooted in passive learning.

In 2014 the programme began a comprehensive reinvention with the express aim of creating a programme that was based upon an active learning experience within a responsive and engaging online environment. The programme is now being rolled out with a Blackboard based content delivery framework to support embedded media and a diverse range of teaching, learning and management tools. More significantly, the Blackboard

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environment is linked into Piazza. The use of Piazza has created a ‘classroom to coffee shop’ environment for students to interactive with.

The ‘classroom to coffee shop’ concept works on the basis of removing the students from the rigid and centrally controlled Blackboard space, where much content is delivered passively and in a directed fashion, into a shared space for interaction and learning. The Piazza software is used by academic staff to enable formative learning tasks that can be group activities or individual exercises presented in a shared space. Further to this, it is a space for staff to share useful materials, additional reading, and to pose questions for informal discussion. Crucially, the students are also able to influence the space by posting their own questions and comments privately or within a group space. They can also share materials themselves. It is therefore a shared space, and one which encourages interaction, and one which encourages interaction, engagement and learning wherever the students are in the world.

Emma Mulliner (Liverpool John Moores University) Feedback on Feedback:  a comparison of BE student and staff perceptions of feedback practice

Research provides compelling evidence that high quality feedback is the most powerful single influence on student achievement (Hattie, 1987; Brown and Knight, 1994) and is also a fundamental requirement in meeting students’ expectations (Higgins et al., 2001). However, feedback quality within the National Student Survey (NSS) is consistently perceived to be the least satisfactory aspect of HE in England (HEA, 2013; Robinson et al., 2011). Data from the 2014 NSS for Built Environment students at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) is in conformity with this finding, demonstrating that feedback received by students is a particular area that requires improvement. The reasoning behind this dissatisfaction is frequently unclear and, on the contrary to student survey results, academic staff often consider the feedback they provide to be timely and informative. Research suggests that there is a considerable gap in knowledge and expectations as to what constitutes effective feedback between academics and students (Bailey, 2010; Higgins, 2010; Nicol, 2010; van der Pol, 2008; and Yorke, 2003). It is apparent that a mismatch in perceptions of effective feedback exists and it is felt that a better understanding of students’ perceptions regarding feedback is required in order to tackle student dissatisfaction.

This research aims to explore and compare staff and student perceptions of feedback practice within the School of the Built Environment, LJMU. Examining potential gaps in perceptions can help identify where emphasis should be placed in order to improve feedback practice and the student experience. The research is currently in progress; however an initial quantitative stage, involving complementary questionnaires conducted with 26 staff and 194 students from the School of the Built Environment, has been completed. The initial findings from this stage indicate that a significant divergence in perception exists between staff and students regarding certain feedback practice, such as students’ interest and engagement with feedback. However, similarities between such groups were also found, for instance, in terms of their opinions on the effectiveness of different forms feedback and what quality feedback should entail.

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Simon Lee and Catherine Higgs (University of West of England) Evaluating students’ experiences studying on a credit bearing WBL module

The University of West of England’s academic requirement is that all students on placement should study a minimum of 15 credits at level 3 contributing towards their classification. This presentation will provide an evaluation of the first run of a workbased research project module, from both the tutors and students perspective.

The workbased research project module was developed as an alternative to the Dissertation module and thus needed to achieve similar learning outcomes, in order to satisfy various accrediting bodies. The concept behind the module was to encourage a partnership between employers and students to undertake purposeful research that would provide benefits to both parties.

The module was delivered via the university’s VLE; and utilised live and recorded webinars to provide remote lectures to the students. Learner progression was encouraged by the deployment of formative and summative assessment tasks throughout the module. As part of the summative assessment, students were required to deliver a short presentation about their research study. In normal circumstances, this would be done under exam conditions, which would mean that the students would need to return to the university. Since this would create a number of difficulties, on this module students were asked to video their presentation and submit it electronically.

In particular, the presentation will:

identify the challenges of delivering learning materials during students working hours

consider the difficulties of supporting placement students in the workplace review use of electronic methods for formative and summative assessments appraise the differences between placement students learning journey on this

module and that of part-time students on previous workbased learning modules. outline further developments follow stakeholder consultations

The presentation will incorporate data obtained from student interviews, module evaluation returns, and employer feedback.

Kelly McKinnon (Northumbria University): Community engagement and live projects within architectural education 

Live Projects are used on the Architecture Programme at Northumbria University to create authentic learning experiences; encouraging social interaction and community engagement to the design process from the early years of undergraduate through to final year post graduate Masters students.

Design projects set on the architecture programmes at Northumbria University are grounded in specific contexts which can be visited and revisited by the students. Architectural solutions are developed through appropriate narratives which address real and current socio-political situations for the site and the community. The proposed presentation discusses the impact of live projects and community engagement in architectural education; based upon the authors research and first-hand experience.

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Through a series of illustrated case studies, this presentation describes how studio project briefs have evolved in collaboration with The National Trust and Northumberland Park across a number of cohorts. This has created an implicit resource for the programmes, with a deeper understanding of the client, other stakeholders and the wider communities developed over a number of years. This benefits both the quality of the students’ experience; creating a special type of pedagogical learning experience and contributes to evolving projects and engagement for the client organisations.

The students’ projects have shadowed live design competitions and, subsequently, schemes being developed by architectural practices, who have presented their work-in-progress and participated in reviews of the students’ work. This has enhanced the students’ understanding of the design process in relation to practice experience and enabled them to develop an awareness of the social skills necessary in professional practice.

The presentation will conclude with a reflection on how ‘people focussed architecture’, regional engagement and the nature in which problem based learning reflects the way people learn in real life.

Andrea Yunyan Jia (Curtin University, Australia): Architectural Design Studio as a Protocol for Construction Safety Management Education

This abstract serves as a proposal for a 30-minute discussion session in the iBEE 2015 conference. The paper reports a curriculum design and testing out of a 12-week course unit Project Safety Management in the Construction Management BSc programme.

The philosophy of professional education, i.e., “teaching the reflective practitioner” as articulated by Donald Schön, interpreted through architectural design studio, underpins the curriculum design. The curriculum was designed to start from an ill-defined management problem characterised by “ambiguity, uncertainty and uniqueness” in order to simulate the problems in reality. Two public debates as major activities bring students through a process of learning by doing which engages them in the cognitive phases of problem framing, conflict management and problem solving. The following questions will be discussed during the proposed session:

What is the best method to engage students of a class of large size? Should the teaching process be treated as a personal conversation between the

students and the lecturer or, should it be an ‘objective’ transference between the students and an ‘objective’ body of knowledge?

Should the lecturer ‘exist’ in the teaching? Should she bring her values into the content of teaching? Or, should she just assume to be an agent of an institution?

In group work, should conflicts be treated as something to avoid or should it be treated as an opportunity for double-loop learning?

What is the function of group assignment? Should the group work be well defined in such a way to make it easy for students to complete?

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Session 4[D]

Alex Copping (University of Bath): Utilising E-Portfolios for Reflective Learning in Construction Management Postgraduate Education

Kolb (1984) recognises reflection as an essential element of learning. This is shown through an experiential learning cycle which starts from experience, this is followed by the process of recording or documenting the experience. Reflecting on the experience can then take place. The outcome of which may be a new idea or a way of approaching the same situation on the next occasion.

This presentation will focus on the case study of an established Masters programme taught by distance learning at the University of Bath in the UK. Over the past five years it has evolved the teaching philosophy of the programme to adopt an overtly reflective learning approach whereby students are continuously challenged to critically engage existing theory with their own practice, in essence becoming reflective practitioners.

To date it has been found that employing a reflective approach to learning fulfils several key functions: it allows for analysis of an individual’s experiences, it encourages deep and critical thinking, a questioning attitude, greater learner autonomy and it promotes professional competence by encouraging the recognition of mistakes and weaknesses.

This presentation will outline the educational model adopted. It will explain the pedagogical principles behind the development and will discuss the feedback from the students to this style of learning. Particular focus will be given to illustrating how this novel approach to utilising e-portfolios is being used as a vehicle to enable students to retain and utilise their materials beyond the end of the post-graduate programme and further into their learning journey.

Venkatesh Vijay, Mel Lees, Parmjit Chima and Craig Chapman (Birmingham City University) Knowledge Based Educational Framework for capturing, mapping and automating on-campus laboratory instructor knowledge for enhancing practical skills in engineering distance learners

The concept of distance learning in engineering science subjects involving hands-on practical work is still in its infant stage. As laboratory and fieldwork activities performed by the students are taught and monitored face-to-face by subject expert. Practical skills play a vital role in engineering curriculum, delivering these programs and evaluating them have been the two major challenges for universities offering engineering courses in a distance-learning mode. This research presents a concept of knowledge-based educational (KBEd) framework and method in capturing and modelling the knowledge of on-campus engineering instructors in automating the teaching and assessment process in engineering distance learners. Further, the study explains how the modelled knowledge feeds the artificial

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intelligences (AI) in monitoring and providing feedback on the practical skills developed by the engineering distance learners.

The presentation will encapsulate a detail explanation on how the knowledge based engineering (KBE) principles that are been used in design and manufacturing industries were adapted to an educational environment in capturing and automating the knowledge of the laboratory instructor. This study uses ontology in structuring and mapping the captured knowledge through classes, subclasses, individuals and rules. This mapped knowledge feeds the AI in teaching and monitoring the practical skills of a distance learner performing laboratory activities through an augmented reality (AR) environment.

The proposed AR environment incorporates state of art technology in providing an immersive hands-on learning experience. Further, the execution of AI in an AR environment in teaching and assessing the learners’ practical skill will be demonstrated.

This research is currently in progress, the proposed framework is yet to be tested with students in evaluating the enhancement that it could provide for engineering distance learners in acquiring practical skill through a virtual environment.

Maria Christina Georgiadou (University of Westminster): A Practical Guide for Assessing Individual's Contribution to Group Work in Higher Education

This research explores the issue of evaluating and assessing an individual’s contribution to a group project or assignment. The use of group assessment is now widespread amongst UK higher education literature and practice. Group work provides students with valuable learning opportunities, as it encourages them to see from different points of view and learn from their peers. In addition, well-organised and supported group work may build confidence in undergraduate students, particularly those with little work experience. However, group work brings with it the difficulty of dealing with free loaders and social loafers and dissatisfaction with marks for group assignments, which is an important source of student complaint.

Problem-based learning modules in Property and Construction curricula have traditionally used group work. This presentation intends to offer practical guidelines linked to the assessment of group work in Higher Education Property and Construction curricula, addressing the following objectives:

What are the benefits and challenges of assessing group work? What can be a good practice approach to overcome the barrier of adjusting

individual contributions to grades? What are the assumptions and limitations that lecturers and tutors need to consider

during group work assessment? What is the way forward?

An example of what is considered as "good practice" will be presented, established by the Department of Property and Construction, Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, University of Westminster. In September 2014, the module team developed a novel approach for redesigning the assessment of three construction modules by individualising group work assessment; i.e., marking students separately for their contribution to group work. The three selected modules had traditionally focused on group work, in which groups were allocated the same mark including also an element of peer

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assessment. The aim of this radical change was to overcome the challenges associated with group work assessment, as the module team realised the difficulties with validity, accuracy and reliability in peer assessment.

The findings suggest that students associate group work process with group assessment. They favour individual assessment of group work and claim that this approach increases learning and understanding of the subject taught. Finally, the majority states that individual assessment of group work improves the ability to work as part of a group. The recommendations provided will be of direct use from lecturers and/or students involved in the design and delivery of group work assessment and members of staff who need guidance or are switching their assessment design towards group project-based learning.

Tim Lees and Adrian Tagg (University of Reading): Embedding project experience in the curriculum

Vocational higher education disciplines provide an excellent opportunity for the embedding of project experience into the curriculum. Projects are typically practical in nature. They can require learners to apply existing knowledge or seek solutions to problems. In doing so they encourage learners to make sense of new knowledge. Project experience provides an opportunity to bring the ‘subject to life’ generating an important learning opportunity and an enhanced learning experience.

However, effective project experiences can be challenging to generate. Challenges range from pedagogical to pragmatic. The assessment of project experience is none trivial. The advent of digital technologies provides opportunities but requires specialist knowledge. Project environments do not necessarily lend themselves easily to large class teaching.

This discussion will be informed by a review underway in the Authors’ School. This review will be complemented by experiences drawn from three modules. The first is a relatively traditional ‘simulated project’ in which students are asked to imagine they are responsible for an aspect of construction, write a report and give a presentation to a client. In the second, students undertake a ‘mini-project’ in which they survey a property and prepare a report. The third project is a ‘construction live project’. The students are presented with a set of drawings and have one week to plan the build. Following this planning, the students move to site and over 5 days construct a scale replica of a well know build.

The discussion will explore some of the working challenges of delivering project-based curricula. Contributions from the participants sharing their current leading edge practice to address these challenges will be captured and disseminated. The discussion will be guided by participants experience but will focus on two key questions:

What support do we need to provide for our students to enable them to succeed in a project-based environment? And

How do we assess effectively project-based activities?

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