2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This ongoing study examines the integration of NACE Career Readiness Competencies within a senior-level Capstone course in Construction Management and its potential to foster students’ professional and interdisciplinary growth. A total of 43 participants are contributing to this longitudinal evaluation, which explores changes in students’ self-assessed proficiency across eight NACE competencies over the duration of the course. Building upon earlier competency-based education research conducted by the authors, this study employs a Bayesian hierarchical modeling approach to estimate expected growth trajectories and account for individual variability in learning outcomes. Preliminary analysis focuses on modeling the probability of improvement across multiple competencies rather than relying solely on traditional pre- and post-assessment comparisons. The expected findings are anticipated to demonstrate meaningful development in students’ critical thinking, teamwork, and communication skills, while highlighting areas such as Global Fluency and Career Development as opportunities for further curricular enhancement. Upon completion, this research aims to provide a statistically robust and pedagogically grounded framework for assessing competency integration in construction education and to inform future curriculum design strategies that better align with evolving industry expectations.