2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Implementing Live Knowledge Transfer Based Pedagogy in CM Education through Faculty Externship

Presented at Construction Engineering Division (CONST) Technical Session 3

Consistent knowledge transfer of cutting-edge, industry best practices related to digital construction methods and virtual construction tools, within the confines of traditional construction management (CM) curricula, is often constrained by faculty resource expertise and the ability to engage professional development to broaden knowledge base. Additionally, traditional course preparation and development procedures, as well as standard curriculum review processes, can result in delayed deployment of coursework containing training modules related to current industry trends and workflows for readily available software and hardware packages. This paper introduces a framework to allow for more flexibility with course development and a more expedited way to interject dynamic curricular content into construction management program learning environments. Through a sponsored partnership, or faculty externship, with a construction management industry member and a faculty member’s home academic institution, a course was created in which current industry project work was leveraged as curricular content and deployed, in real time, within a combined lecture and lab classroom environment. The focus of the course was virtual design and construction tools, workflows, processes and information technology for construction. In this model, a full-time faculty member was embedded in industry to leverage a live knowledge transfer learning environment that draws from real-time industry experiences and trainings to bring direct career readiness and preparation into the classroom. Engaging this type of pedagogical model allowed for the faculty member to introduce more focused student learning outcomes into the course while still meeting requirements of the program and its related accreditation. Additionally, the student learning outcomes were flexible enough to be tied to real-time case study projects that were being conducted by the faculty member within the context of the industry partnership. This robust model of leveraging faculty professional development, industry partnerships and dynamic course development and delivery methods sets a foundation for staying current with the fast-paced, digital construction environment without jeopardizing basic curricular requirements and faculty resource requirements within the context of traditional higher education construction management programs.

Authors

Dr. John Cribbs http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8416-3020 Wentworth Institute of Technology [biography]

Dr. John Cribbs is currently the Associate Dean of the School of Management and an Assistant Professor of Construction Management. Dr. Cribbs earned his MArch degree from the Herberger Institute of Design and the Arts and his Ph.D. in Construction Management from the Del E. Webb School of Construction, both located within Arizona State University’s flagship campus located in Tempe, AZ. His research focuses on modular design and construction techniques, sustainability of the built environment and more specifically, Building Information Modeling (BIM) workflows for enhanced quality control and labor time utilization for coordinated MEP and specialty trade equipment, from design-to-install, in retrofit environments. Before joining Wentworth, Dr. Cribbs served as a Principal at Green Ideas Building Science Consultants, based in Phoenix where he regularly engaged in BIM workflows for design/constructability/operations analysis, reporting and review with the full spectrum of project stakeholders. He has also taught both undergraduate and graduate level courses in design, construction management and Building Information Modeling at Arizona State University and the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture (Taliesin West). Outside of the classroom, he is engaged with the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), Massachusetts Chapter’s, Virtual Design and Construction Group. Dr. Cribbs has presented on both the national and international stages discussing topics related to modular and offsite construction techniques, BIM and other data-centric design/construction workflows, pedagogical models for training the future of the construction industry and research specific findings that are scalable to the industry at large. He is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professional (AP) in the Building Design and Construction (BD+C), Interior Design and Construction (ID+C) and Operations and Maintenance (O+M) specialties. Additionally, he holds an accreditation with the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI), as a Construction Documents Technologist (CDT).
Dr. Hariharan Naganathan http://orcid.org/https://0000-0002-0435-8347 Wentworth Institute of Technology [biography]

Dr. Hariharan Naganathan, an Assistant Professor of Construction Management at Wentworth Institute of Technology, has made significant contributions to sustainable construction practices through research on energy analytics of buildings and the integration of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) in construction education. As a passionate educator, Dr. Naganathan develops a curriculum that combines theoretical knowledge with hands-on AR/VR experiences, preparing students to design and analyze construction projects. Currently, Dr. Naganathan is working on research projects aimed at improving energy efficiency in existing buildings and exploring the potential of AR/VR in construction education. His dedication to fostering innovation in sustainable construction inspires the next generation of construction managers to create a more energy-efficient built environment.

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