2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This study aims to position active learning as a potential approach for teaching equitable resilience of infrastructure projects through online courses within construction curricula. Exposure to active learning methods can significantly enhance the problem-solving abilities of construction management (CM) students, preparing them for complex technical challenges in their future careers. Additionally, such interactive teaching strategies can help students retain information about advanced and practical concepts. However, in online learning environments, keeping students engaged poses a unique challenge. Unlike in-person classes, online courses present a distinct challenge because the only means of social interaction between the instructor and the student is through the Internet. This paper explores active learning strategies that can be incorporated into the design of online learning courses to foster student engagement in teaching sustainable, equitable, and resilient infrastructure (SERI) concepts. The objective of this study is to assess the efficacy of the active learning approach in improving students’ knowledge and awareness in online settings. To achieve this objective, this study designed an active learning module that included various tasks for the participants. At first, students were instructed to watch a video that addressed current inequality in resilient infrastructure projects. Subsequently, open-ended questions were presented to the students along with instructions to respond via the Canvas online platform. Lastly, the students were requested to offer constructive feedback on a minimum of two classmates' responses that are available on Canvas. Pre- and post-activity surveys were conducted with 32 CM students for data collection. The findings highlighted that the active learning approach was effective in improving the participants’ knowledge in online class settings. Moreover, most of the participants shared positive feedback about the activity and supported utilizing such active learning techniques in online courses. This research underscores the potential of active learning methods in teaching concepts that are relevant to students’ future careers through online courses thus empowering future professionals in the future career.