2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This study investigates the integration of NACE Career Readiness Competencies into a construction management curriculum and its effectiveness in fostering students' professional growth. Using a survey-based approach, changes in students' self-perceived competencies were assessed across nine Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) and eight NACE competencies before and after completing a junior-level course. The results revealed significant improvements in all CLOs, as demonstrated by the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test, with Critical Thinking exhibiting the highest perceived growth and large effect sizes across all outcomes. A Friedman test indicated significant variability in perceived growth among the NACE competencies, with Critical Thinking ranked highest, while Global Fluency and Career Development ranked lowest. Post-hoc analysis further highlighted substantial differences in growth across competencies, reflecting the uneven emphasis within the course curriculum. These findings underscore the effectiveness of competency-based education in enhancing technical and cognitive skills while identifying gaps in global and career-oriented competencies. This result highlighted the importance of incorporating global studies, cross-cultural collaboration projects, and structured career readiness programs within the course curriculum. This study contributes to the growing body of research on competency-based education by providing evidence of its effectiveness in fostering critical professional skills and offering actionable insights for enhancing curriculum design to prepare students for a dynamic and interconnected workforce.