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T his paper presents an assessment of suggestions in international research and media that the modern construction cadetship experience is exploitative and, on that basis, problematises the growing trend of work integrated learning (WIL) in the Australian construction industry. Field research, aligning with the methodologies of major studies in this field, was conducted to examine the experiences of some construction cadets enrolled in construction degrees in six Australian universities. The data related to student experience and remuneration were analysed within a Marxist-Polanyian dialectical framework. The results show there is limited consistency in construction students' experiences and education while participating in this WIL. This indicates that the construction industry lacks a regulated and collaboratively driven program for cadetships. The findings also identify causes and consequences of the high rates of burnout of this cohort that have already been established in the literature. From a neoclassical economics human capital theoretical perspective, this WIL can offer some benefits to construction students. However, given the widespread ad hoc and unstructured employment arrangements, construction cadets can be exploited in ways akin to undocumented and other precarious labour. The construction students whose experiences are the focus of this study have a limited knowledge of their rights and support networks and can be exposed to wage theft extracted under the guise of providing education and experience. While individualistic 'law and order' frameworks may help improve material conditions for particular WIL workers whose experiences can be brought to the attention of authorities, greater collectivisation of labour could be more effective in ensuring more propitious conditions for those in cadetships.

The discrepancy between competence and real work in engineering graduates can be resolved with cooperation by the construction industry. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the appropriate and required architectural engineering competencies with the current demands and conditions of the construction industry. So, this study aims to analyze the determinants of competence and test the competency development model for architectural engineering graduates according to the needs of the construction industry. The research sample method is non-probability sampling using purposive sampling. The research sample consisted of 240 practitioners and trainers from 40 construction industry companies. The PLS-SEM technique was used to test the measurement and structural models (3 dimensions, 8 elements, 47 constructs/indicators, and 9 hypotheses). The competence of architecture graduates is determined by the dominant factor, namely Utilities and Building Construction (UBC1 & UBC2, [lambda] = 89.90%), and Building Estimation and Costing (BEC7, [lambda] = 73.30%) is the lowest factor. The ability of the structural model to explain architectural competency measurements is 36.20% in the moderate category. The predictive relevance value (Q2) explains 47.5% to 56.0% of the phenomena predicted in the field and explains the level of strength of the observed value in the structural model. Furthermore, 9 hypotheses from 8 dimensions have a positive and significant effect. The results of this study can be a recommendation for schools in the competency implementation model, and efforts to improve graduates' abilities and skills so that they can be absorbed by the construction industry and reduce unemployment.

In a time when the construction industry shares the challenge of labour shortage, more attention should be paid to how attractive careers in the construction field are in the first place. The constantly evolving working environment is causing significant changes in careers and career management in the field, leading to the need to explore company practices that can contribute to the development of fulfilling careers. In this research, we investigated how supervisors in construction companies perceive career support for their employees. This was a phenomenographic study in which 23 supervisors of five construction companies in Finland were interviewed. The analysis showed that the supervisors' perceptions could be categorized into six support types varying between company, professionally, and individually oriented perspectives. Based on the analysis, needs for continuous learning in the construction field can be identified more broadly, highlighting also the various opportunities to advance careers in the field.

Vocational teachers in building and construction in upper secondary school deal with complex situations of an organisational, vocational, and social kind. Recent research has shown that the teacher is the single most important factor for students' learning in school. Teacher-student relationships and the teacher's repertoire of teaching practices can be more important for the student's learning than class size, the classroom environment, and the student's socio-economic background. Beyond passing the journeyman's test, we know little about the craft knowledge and working life experiences vocational teachers in the building and construction trades have acquired over many years in the construction industry, and thus, what knowledge and experiences they bring into the vocational teacher role. Learning in working life often takes place as an integrated part of work, and it is difficult to observe how learning happens. Craft knowledge is often tacit and personal. In this narrative, phenomenologically inspired study, learning is investigated as a bodily, internal process that simultaneously depends on the interaction with the material and social environment. Through narrative interviews with eleven vocational teachers in plumbing and carpentry, this study explores the teachers' backgrounds as vocational students and apprentices, and their extensive experience as craftsmen on different construction sites. The analysis shows that the building site drives craft-related actions and situations that generate a strong craft identity, professional working life experiences, and personal growth. Craftsmen at the construction site work under constant pressure in a social, physically, and mentally demanding work environment and consecutively solve problems. As professional craftsmen in the complex working environment, the teachers also acquired social and organisational expertise, which they intuitively transferred to their role as vocational teachers.

The architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) education communities are increasingly facing challenges caused by social, technological, economic, environmental, and political changes. Addressing these issues requires AEC educators and practitioners to systematically rethink and reform many of their current practices. Anecdotal evidence in AEC education already exists with respect to pedagogical improvements made by individual technologies such as immersive computing, artificial intelligence, robotics, big data, cyberinfrastructure, and photogrammetry. However, an effective learning-centered environment is more complex than what any single technology can accomplish. In addition, the relationship between technology-intensive learning and digital inequity in AEC education remains, to the most extent, unclear. We envision the next-generation learning-centered environment for AEC education to be technology-intensive, interdisciplinary, industry-linked, and equitable. This paper aims to present a shared vision of the next-generation learning-centered environment for AEC education. To achieve this goal, two interrelated workshops were organized with the participation of different stakeholders, including researchers, educators, and professionals from multiple disciplines of architecture, engineering, construction, computer science, learning science, education, and social sciences. This paper is based on the combined outcomes of the two workshops, organized in four themes: (1) AEC curricula and industry practice, (2) technology and learning, (3) interdisciplinary education, and (4) digital inequity. This paper contributes to the body of knowledge by creating a pathway to timely reflect on new learning strategies, new technologies, and future industry and societal needs in AEC curricula, thus producing a more adaptive AEC workforce for the 21st century. The findings of this work can be adopted by educators to develop a roadmap for creating the shared vision of the next-generation learning-centered environment for AEC education.

Background Study: Virtual reality (VR) is becoming a popular technology for safety training in construction. Several VR training prototypes have been designed and tested, which show they can perform better than traditional training tools. However, most of these existing tools are not underpinned by clear pedagogical theory, and studies assessing the impact of pedagogical theories on the effectiveness of VR prototypes are still rare in the literature. Objectives: This study aims to investigate if and how the productive failure theory and the directive instruction theory have an impact on the effectiveness of VR safety training for confined space workers. Methods: The study used a randomized controlled method involving 74 participants. The effectiveness of these two training methods was assessed in terms of knowledge acquisition and retention. Results and Conclusions: The results illustrate that the productive failure training design performed better in terms of knowledge acquisition and retention. This paper introduces the Productive Failure Theory and shows the great potential of this approach for self-service VR safety training in the field of construction.

This study reviewed educational, aesthetic, entertainment and deviant experiences which are elements of the metaverse experience set them as research variables and presented the results of the study through a survey. First, it was found that the educational experience was statistically significant for safety education satisfaction and had a positive effect. In order to provide practical education, educational experiences must feel like reality and fun content must be easily delivered. Second, it was found that deviant experiences were statistically significant for safety education satisfaction and had a positive effect. This can be said to increase the prevention of safety accidents only when the deviant experience service feels like reality and interesting contents related to safety education are easily delivered. Third, it was found that the aesthetic experience was statistically significant for safety education satisfaction and had a positive effect. This can be said to increase the prevention of safety accidents only when aesthetic experiences and services feel like reality and interesting contents related to safety education are easily delivered. Fourth, it was found that the recreational experience was statistically significant for safety education satisfaction and had a positive effect. This can be said to increase the prevention of safety accidents only when entertainment and deviant experience services feel like reality and interesting contents related to safety education are easily delivered.

Purpose: Many veterans struggle with the civilian world and the loss of identity associated with leaving the service. This research investigates the Building Heroes Charity's role in assisting service leavers transitioning to civil employment, in the United Kingdom (UK) and what can be learnt from the training and support. Design/methodology/approach: An exploratory case study design was chosen to investigate the transition from military to civilian employment. The case study consisted of 12 in-depth interviews consisting of nine veterans, who had attended the Building Heroes courses and three course tutors. Findings: The Building Heroes Charity does have an important role to fulfill in the transition of military personnel from the service to civilian work. There are positive outcomes that complement the work done by the Career Transition Partnership (CTP), but there still needs to be recognition that the needs of veterans do differ by age, transferability of competencies and the financial resources available. Research limitations/implications: The limitations of this research are the sample size is small and the majority of the veterans are from the Army. This is mostly because the Army is the largest of the services. Originality/value: Though there is limited research into the employment of veterans, there is evidence to demonstrate that veterans are more likely to suffer from depression and potential homelessness than nonservice personnel. This research is unique in investigating the role of a charity whose main purpose is to improve the employability of veterans by reducing the competency skills gap between the military and construction industry.

The construction sector faces the urgent need to prioritize energy efficiency due to an increasingly stringent regulatory landscape in response to the climate change agenda. Central to this transition is the pivotal role of education in equipping professionals with the necessary knowledge and skills. Educational solutions have emerged as powerful tools for promoting awareness and interventions to mitigate climate change. This article provides a case study that highlights the successful utilisation of computer technology in delivering digital solutions to advance energy education and promote more informed energy practices in the construction industry. The utilisation of digital technologies can enhance collaborative efforts in energy efficiency training, which is of critical significance in ensuring the security, sovereignty, transparency, immutability, and decentralisation of interventions related to energy education. This paper presents a framework that utilises Blockchain technology to facilitate training labelling and authenticity based on smart contracts and mobile passports to provide a secure and efficient solution for the delivery of training and education in the energy domain. Our research examines the challenges and opportunities related to energy efficiency training within the construction industry. By integrating industry-specific insights, exemplifications, and case studies, we provide an in-depth understanding of the interconnection between energy efficiency education and digital solutions with the unique context of the construction industry. We underscore the importance of leveraging digital platforms as educational tools to foster a deeper understanding and adoption of energy-efficient practices. We demonstrate that educational solutions play a pivotal role in driving awareness and interventions for mitigating climate change, greatly empowering individuals and organizations to adopt energy-efficient practices and to address sustainability objectives.

Purpose: The built environment is responsible for approximately 40% of the world's energy consumption, 30% of raw material use, 25% of solid waste, 25% of water use, 12% of land use and 33% of greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, environmental improvement and decarbonization are becoming increasingly critical objectives for the construction industry. Sustainable construction can be achieved through several practices, including: considering life-cycle assessment, circular construction, resource efficiency and waste management and providing eco-efficient materials, reducing energy demands and consumption and incorporating low-carbon technologies and renewable energy sources. To achieve sustainable construction goals, it is critical to educate the future workforce about decarbonization, circular construction and how to overcome the challenges involved in transitioning to sustainable construction. This study aims to understand the gap in student knowledge related to decarbonization and circular construction and the importance of incorporating these topics in civil engineering and construction management curricula. Design/methodology/approach: This study surveyed 120 undergraduate and graduate students at one of the largest minority-serving institutions in the USA to understand the gap in student knowledge related to decarbonization and circular construction as well as the importance of incorporating these topics in civil engineering and construction management curricula. The authors conducted several statistical measures to assess the consistency, reliability and adequacy of the sample size, including the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy, the normality test to evaluate the appropriateness of using an ordered probit regression analysis and a multicollinearity test to observe the correlation between independent variables. The data was analyzed using ordered probit regression analysis to investigate the need for a curriculum that serves in educating students about decarbonization and circular construction. Findings: The results of this research highlight the gaps in students' knowledge pertaining to sustainable practices and the importance of providing future construction workforce with such knowledge to tackle global inevitable challenges. Originality/value: The findings of this study contribute to sustainable construction bodies of knowledge by advocating for a reformed curriculum to prepare the future workforce and adopt less carbonized, more circular approaches within the engineering and construction industry.

Purpose: This study aims to explore the opinions of Built Environment Professionals (BEP) on the usage of fourth-generation digital technologies in the construction industry. Design/methodology/approach: This study adopts a qualitative research approach and conducts semi-structured interviews with Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) professionals to explore the adoption and utilisation of fourth-generation digital technologies in the construction industry. The semi-structured interviews allowed the participants to elaborate on their experiences, and thematic analysis was employed to identify and analyse significant themes related to the topic. Findings: Accounts from BAME construction professionals reveal that the increased popularity of fourth-generation digital technologies, also known as Industry 4.0 technologies, does not necessarily result in increased usage. This is because many of these new technologies have not been embraced and are unpopular in certain circles. A more significant revelation is the impact of BAME community settings on determining the career pathways of most individuals, which often do not support the construction or digital technology pathways within the construction industry. Research limitations/implications: Research targeting ethnic minorities may not necessarily yield a large response due to the sensitivity of the issues raised. However, conducting a nationwide research with a larger sample size drawn from various locations in the UK could achieve more robust findings and uncover additional issues. Meanwhile, the results of this research can serve as a framework for more extensive investigations. Practical implications: The research offers valuable recommendations to industry and academia regarding the need to address the specific challenges faced by the BAME community in terms of digital technology adoption. These issues are often overlooked in most discussions about digital technology. Originality/value: The study provides critical recommendations that are relevant to Further and Higher Education (HE) institutions, industries, construction organisations, government bodies, etc. Recommendations include a call for collaboration between educational institutions, industry partners and local communities to facilitate awareness and orientation programmes within the community.

Cooperative learning has positive effects on student motivation, participation, and performance. Following the methodology's principles, an intervention was designed to be implemented online during confinement in a university subject called Transport Infrastructure (n=40). The data collected shows that the operation of cooperative learning in online environments has the same benefits in improving satisfaction, learning pace, and performance. These findings have implications for future instructional designs in hybrid or online modalities. The cooperative work teaching and learning methodology, if effective, will involve the conscious and sustained effort of a small group of students toward a pre-established goal, where each of its components assumes roles and coordinates their actions to achieve said purpose. In addition, the articulation of their resources-capabilities, the interaction generated between the members during the process, and the preliminary results obtained, promote a greater commitment-responsibility for their work and interdependence and support among their peers, raising the threshold between individual and group. The article allows the effects of this didactic proposal on four elements: the participation rate, the improvement of the learning pace, the increase in academic performance, and the participants' satisfaction. The results are an increase of 0.5 points in qualifications, 17% in approval rate, and 85% in learning compared to the minimum required (80%). These results, together with the participation and satisfaction rates, lead to considering the extension of the proposal to other teaching modules and subjects.

This paper reflects on the work-integrated learning (WIL) program in an undergraduate Construction Engineering and Management (CEM) department in Indonesia. Given the industrial revolution that has transformed the construction industry into Construction 4.0, concrete steps are needed to bridge the needs of industry for professional workers who are aware of Construction 4.0 concepts. This study aims to develop a WIL model adjusting to Construction 4.0 concepts. A case study of the internship experience that has been conducted for four consecutive years was used to develop the model. This observation was reinforced by a questionnaire survey aimed at students, workplace supervisors and lecturers to evaluate the effectiveness of the internship program in achieving the learning outcomes. The results of this analysis coupled with the findings from the integrative literature review were used to develop a Construction 4.0 WIL model.

Social interaction between students is a crucial but under-researched part of the education realm. Understanding how connections form in university classes and their effects on learning outcomes may provide extraordinary knowledge for researchers, educators, and policy-makers. This paper collected data from the questionnaire survey and then processed them with Gephi software to produce visualization and measurement. Initial results seem to indicate a significant correlation between students' connectedness and academic performance in one class. However, in another class, the results show a contrasting situation as there is no evidence that social network attributes impact learning performance. Taken together, these results would seem to suggest that the characteristics of the network should be judged on a case-by-case basis, and large-scale SNA analyses have been rarely reported. This present study provides a springboard for a new way to shed some light on classmates' interconnection. Using a similar approach to this article, it is believed that there is ample opportunity to study the association between classmate connectedness and career success. Research techniques and approaches around Social Network Analysis are expected to evolve further in the foreseeable future.

The evolution of technology has changed the way how humans communicate in the current time. With the advancement of technology, instructions and messages could be delivered in a split second. Even though life is made easy with technology, some information and details should be delivered face-to-face in order to avoid communication breakdown. This study was carried out to determine the language needs by foreign workers working at construction sectors in Malaysia. The study created an overview on how communication affects productivity in completing tasks on time. The results from this study led to a development of language modules for foreign workers training. An online survey was carried out through social media on construction site supervisors around Malaysia in getting their feedback related to the origin of their co-workers and the importance of English language as medium of instruction for task fulfilment. Results indicated that language barriers had affected productivity in the sector of construction in Malaysia. Besides, results also noted that cross-cultural differences had put foreign workers at risk and caused wastage to time and manpower.

This article explores an intellectual disconnection in architectural education about the conception of wood as a building material. It explores initiatives to develop in future architects a deeper consciousness of the complex ecology of timber, promoting its sustainable use in the building industry. It explores six case studies drawn from architectural education to explore the ways in which the properties that make timber sustainable are explored through research and design, and how this deep understanding is transferred to students through hands-on applications.

Building information modeling (BIM) has been a disruptive development in the global architecture, engineering, construction and operations (AECO) industry. While architecture schools have sought to integrate BIM into their curricula, most current pedagogical approaches and lessons are derived from engineering and construction management perspectives. There is a scarcity of investigations to monitor outcomes, reveal difficulties and articulate strategies for this context. This research explores how to better incorporate BIM into the architectural design curriculum. It does so by gathering pedagogical strategies, redesigning the curriculum and taking action in one of Thailand's top architecture schools. The study reveals that treating BIM as a discrete topic in the architectural curriculum -- where BIM is not so much the main focus, is misunderstood and is alleged to jeopardize creativity -- is ineffective. Instead, infusing BIM learning modules throughout the existing curriculum structure, core design studio and supporting areas allows for the consistent and concurrent development of BIM skills and architectural knowledge. The concepts and practice examples developed in this research, along with feedback received and challenges met, constitute a valuable resource for further BIM-integrated architecture curriculum development. Future studies are recommended to improve BIM learning and advance the full potential of BIM in the education of next-generation architects.

The current safety education and training system has a number of problems, namely that the actual risks in the field are not reflected and that workers cannot be engaged in safety education. Therefore, we conducted a study to build a VR-based safety education system that reflects the problems actually occurring in the field. The risk points of the electrical construction sites were derived through in-depth interviews with various stakeholders such as field workers, safety managers, and management. A risk scenario was also constructed by analyzing the causes and effects of existing accident cases. A safety education system was constructed to which the established risk scenario was applied. In the virtual construction site, the site's own model, safety equipment, and members were implemented in a 3D model to form a virtual reality environment. This environment is intended to provide an educational environment wherein workers can immerse themselves in safety, specifically because this VR-based environment can induce active participation by providing safety information through various experiences. In addition, in this study, a VR-based safety education system that reflects the field conditions was designed to prepare basic data for the modernization and activation of safety education.

This research aims to find out the process of implementing field practices in Building Education Program of Faculty of Engineering at Medan State University. The implementation of field practice is one of the implementation of vocational education. Field practice activities for building education programs are conducted through observation and analysis of various problems in building and civil construction observation and analysis of various problems in building and civil construction work. The subjects of the study were students of Building Education Program of Faculty of Engineering at Medan State University who had conducted field practice as many as 34 people in 2019. Based on the results of research and discussion of the implementation of field practice in building education, it is necessary to improve, namely: (1) acceleration of completion, because the average length of field practice is 6.88 months; (2) acceleration of administration process such as correspondence; (3) implementation of field practice conducted during college holidays to be more efficient; (4) the focus of field practice report is quickly determined when guidance with each student; and (5) field practice exam materials around the student's written report. Overall, the results show that the implementation of field practice can improve competence and attitude towards the world of work especially in the field of construction. The implementation of field practice in Building Education Program still needs attention to prepare more competent graduates in the field of building and civil construction.

Education and training of Quantity Surveyors (QSs) has been a topical subject amongst academics, the industry, and professional institutions, often leading to a discussion about education versus training, in which case, the industry sometimes argues that QSs are often ill-prepared for work. The current study investigated strategies for improving QSs' education training in Uganda, with a focus on devising ways of engendering better graduates that are fit for the industry. A semi-structured online questionnaire was used to collect data. The research population included QSs practicing in the Ugandan Construction Industry. The majority of respondents agreed to a great extent that QSs, and thus their training, are still relevant in the current construction industry. Majority of respondents desired the teaching curriculum to include more practical aspects that expose students to real challenges in practice. It was suggested that early exposure of students to real field practice was paramount to students' training. Engagements such as industrial training and internship placements in Quantity Surveying firms were highly encouraged. The curriculum also needs to be responsive to recent advances in industry practices, such as Building Information Modelling (BIM). Meanwhile, the University should intensify action research with the industry, and forge collaborations with all the key players in the construction sector to streamline the training. The findings of this study, if implemented, could potentially improve the quality of Quantity Surveying programmes at institutions of higher learning in similar developing countries. This would hopefully produce graduates who are industrially relevant and with a sound academic background.

This pedagogical study aimed to demonstrate an updated Building Information Modelling (BIM) educational activity in CEM (i.e., construction engineering and management) students' final semester project. It investigated students' perceptions of BIM and the project. Student feedback provided insights for linking education to practice, for example, what caused differences between manual estimates and BIM-generated quantity take-off. Four different project deliverable options demonstrated how educational theories could be embedded in BIM education. The novelty of this study lies in two aspects: firstly, this pedagogical research views the CEM education at the curriculum level by linking earlier years' core CEM courses into the final project work; secondly, by designing four different options of BIM-related deliverables, subgroup analyses test how different factors, such as teamwork verse individual work, and BIM application level, could affect students' learning outcomes. The current study also led to more future explorations in research-informed teaching in the CEM curriculum.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present a comprehensive analysis of the carbon footprint of the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), including direct and indirect emissions from utilities, logistics and purchases, as well as a discussion about the commonly used method. Emissions are presented in three scopes (scope 1 reports direct process emissions, scope 2 reports emissions from purchased energy and scope 3 reports indirect emissions from the value chain) to identify carbon emission hotspots within the university's operations. Design/methodology/approach: The carbon footprint was calculated using physical and monetary activity data, applying a process and economic input-output analysis. Findings: TU Delft's total carbon footprint in 2018 is calculated at 106 ktCO[subscript 2]eq. About 80% are indirect (scope 3) emissions, which is in line with other studies. Emissions from Real estate and construction, Natural gas, Equipment, ICT and Facility services accounted for about 64% of the total footprint, whereas Electricity, Water and waste-related carbon emissions were negligible. These findings highlight the need to reduce universities' supply chain emissions. Originality/value: A better understanding of carbon footprint hotspots can facilitate strategies to reduce emissions and finally achieve carbon neutrality. In contrast to other work, it is argued that using economic input-output models to calculate universities' carbon footprints is a questionable practice, as they can provide only an initial estimation. Therefore, the development of better-suited methods is called for.

Purpose: Nigeria has one of the highest graduate unemployment rates in Africa, and there is no comprehensive policy framework to address it. Evidence shows that integrating craftsmanship into higher education academic programmes can enhance graduate employability. Therefore, there is a need to integrate it into the built environment programmes at institutions in Nigeria. The built environment craftmanship (BEC) in Nigeria's HEIs may have had some challenges, although studies about these challenges are scarce. In this regard, the study investigated BEC's perceived encumbrances and proffered measures to integrate craftsmanship skills in Nigerian HEIs built environment programmes. Design/methodology/approach: The research adopted a qualitative research design using a virtual interview approach to solicit data from 34 experts across Nigeria. An exploratory approach was used to engage selected HEIs in Nigeria and thematic analysis was adopted to analyse the collected data, and saturation was achieved. Findings: The study findings indicate that integrating BEC in built environment programmes will enhance graduate employment. However, possible encumbrances like institutional frameworks, funding, infrastructural development and pedagogical and social-cultural issues were found to be affecting BEC's integration into built environment programmes at higher education in Nigeria. Research limitations/implications: Future studies should explore more detailed large-scale investigations about integrating craftsmanship into higher education institution (HEI) programmes. Originality/value: Given the dearth of pragmatic studies on the built environment graduates' unemployment in Nigeria, this research contributes to the academic community debates on reducing graduates' unemployment via BEC in HEIs.

Entrepreneurship is crucial for economic growth and employment, but conventional didactical approaches appear ineffective. Effective approaches should include experiential learning from real problems. The serious game under study was developed in the context of entrepreneurship training for construction workers (at European Quality Framework levels 3 to 5). The game offers an immersive scenario with players carrying out authentic tasks in authentic construction business contexts. The article describes important instructional design guidelines applied to assure that tasks and game mechanisms support such more experiential learning. An empirical study (with complete datasets collected from 97 participants across six countries) compared the professional awareness about entrepreneurship before and after gameplay, and analysed computer logging data on game behaviour. We administered a questionnaire after gameplay to inquire about game appreciation. Effective learning from gameplay could indeed be achieved by applying instructional design guidelines. The awareness gain from gameplay was significant (with mean scores on a knowledge test increasing from 45% to 61% correct answers). The games were appreciated (mildly) positive on important game features (flow, authenticity, motivation, usability, learnability and attractiveness). We discuss limitations of the study and recommendations for future research into professional games for awareness raising.

Gender disparity is an enduring problem in engineering and construction (EC) areas. The main purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of female students in EC programs in the US toward factors impacting their situations and investigate barriers to their academic and professional paths. A quantitative research method was used to measure the perception of participants. In the first phase of this project 369 students participated in a paper-based survey. The results emphasized the effect of role models, by engineering students. The results also highlighted several similarities and differences between male and female students in regard to factors impacting the selection of major and career, such as career characteristics, familiarity with the industry, expected growth, and discrimination that facilitate or impede women's presence in educational and professional positions.

This paper focuses on a two-year program with a Norwegian public sector project-based construction company, where action learning groups and critical incident technique were combined to enhance organizational learning. Project-based organizations typically face difficulties of 'project amnesia', as they fail to integrate learning from experience into organizational memory. In drawing lessons from experience, employees often focus on solving short-term problems with individual projects rather than contributing to medium- and longer-term organizational learning. The program that is the focus of this paper engaged newly-appointed engineers in action learning groups and trained them to use critical incident technique to gather and analyze information about recent projects undertaken by the company. The groups reported back their findings to colleagues in the program and to managers and senior executives in the company. Originally designed as an alternative to the traditional induction training for new employees, the program generated useful practical learning across the whole organization about project success factors. This paper explains how action learning and critical incident technique combined in this program to enhance individual, team and organizational learning, and argues that the synergies between these three processes should be explored in other contexts.

Despite role transitions occurring frequently within organisations, career theories have often overlooked such transitions. Here we explore the role of personal agency and organisational attachment in shaping career capital enactment within intra-organisational role transitions. We propose a new career capital usage typology. Using an interpretivist approach, the research is based within a UK construction business and explores the role transition experiences of 36 business leaders. Through an analysis of workers' career capital use we identify a new typology and groups workers as follows: Passive Worker, Company Worker, Political Worker and Career Worker. We argue that type varies in accordance with levels of personal agency and organisational attachment and that this variation in type is particularly important during intra-organisational role transitions.

Workforce pipelines are essential to sustain a productive workforce in an increasingly competitive, high-tech environment. Advanced automation, sensors, materials and data analytics will increase the need for highly skilled workers in the manufacturing (and manufactured construction) sector. Attracting and developing the next-generation workforce is not without its challenges; however, students are often deficient in technical skills and generally have negative perceptions about manufacturing and construction. As a result, new education and training models have been developed to provide instruction at all levels of the educational system, with a focus on both traditional students and non-traditional students, including ethnic minorities, women, veterans, disabled persons and older adult learners. This study focused specifically on certain underrepresented students in STEM programs offered at community colleges in the Great Plains region of the U.S. An available online training program by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers was used as a contextualized online training tool. The Learning Management System embedded in this online training tool was used to gather student data. Conducting multiple regression analyses on the test outcomes, completion rates, and improvement between post-test and pre-test scores showed that female participants achieved greater improvement between pre- and post-test scores than males, and achieved higher rates of credentialing compared to all other demographic groups. African American participants achieved greatest improvement between pre- and post-test scores than all other ethnic groups while Hispanics achieved higher rates of module completion. Additionally, this study also examines the background related to contextualized teaching and learning, as well as the effectiveness of this delivery method for these underrepresented populations.

Context: The topic of this paper is how mass emigration of skilled workers affects national policies, and employers' willingness to invest in Vocational Education and Training (VET) in Poland. In the wake of EU enlargement in 2004, Poland became one of the biggest sending countries for skilled labour to Western European countries. These massive outflows of skilled labour, not compensated by adequate inflows of equally skilled workers, have led to serious skills shortages, especially in the construction sector. The paper investigates whether emigration and immigration constitute a driving force for institutional change of the Polish VET system, by analysing policy development and the attitudes of VET stakeholders towards contributing to VET. Approach: The paper focuses on the emigration of skilled construction workers in Poland. Drawing on Hirschman's (1970) framework, when faced with massive skills deficits construction companies are confronted with different options: i) withdraw from the VET system and find other training and recruitment options (exit), ii) attempt to improve conditions by turning to policy makers (voice), and/or iii) remain loyal to the VET system. The analysis is based on an interview study of decision makers responsible for VET policies, employers, chamber of Craft and trade unions, principals of vocational schools, teachers and representatives of regional examination boards. Findings: After years of inattention, VET has been regaining a strong position in national policies. We find that construction companies are mostly more willing now, compared to 5 years ago, to take on learners for practical training and to contribute to improving school equipment. The study showed that one of the most significant obstacles to employers investing in the training of VET learners is the fear of losing a young skilled employee through emigration. Yet, dependent on skilled labour, employers of big construction companies saw no other option than to continue investing in training young learners. However, smaller companies seeking the short-term benefits of employing low-cost labour are less interested in investing in VET. Conclusion: Despite a range of recent policy actions and legislative efforts, several major challenges in the Polish VET system remain unresolved. Continued effort to institutionalise and enhance dialogue between the education system and the labour market appears as the most pressing need. It is currently too early to determine the degree of "institutional stickiness" of the activities observed on the policy level and among employers regarding their increased interest in VET as a response to mass skilled emigration.

Worldwide, construction site accidents cause many casualties among construction workers every year. Although many safety guidelines that construction workers are urged to read and keep in mind have been formulated, it is still difficult for the traditional construction safety education mode to quickly and accurately improve the hazard recognition ability of construction workers. Taking appropriate intervention measures in construction safety education helps improve the learning effectiveness of construction workers. Cue design is a teaching design included in digital learning resource design. Therefore, this study combines information processing learning theory with the expertise reversal effect. Eye movements of two groups, inclusive of experienced and novice workers, were monitored during a safety education mode using two different cues (i.e., visual and question cues). Average pupil diameter, time to first fixation, and recognition accuracy were used as indicators to measure the cognitive load and adaptation level and to test the outcome of all workers receiving safety education. The study results showed that (1) compared with question cues only, visual cues are more intuitive and more accessible for construction workers to understand; (2) experienced workers performed better than novice workers in all aspects of the safety education mode using two cues, and the work experience of the learning group plays an essential role in the cognitive load, adaptation level, and test outcome of workers in safety education; and (3) compared with the two cues, novice workers' ability improved more obviously after receiving the safety education mode with visual cues. In contrast, experienced workers' ability improved more obviously after receiving the safety education mode that uses question cues only, and this phenomenon is associated with expertise reversal effect in the field of education. This provides a meaningful suggestion for personalized intervention measures in safety education in the construction safety field in the future.

In construction technology education (CTE), construction site tours play an essential role for undergraduate students to obtain familiarity with construction environments, combine content knowledge with practice, and develop their competencies to embrace construction innovations before entering the industry. Implementing real construction site visits for education purposes faces challenges in getting access to proper construction sites and ensuring the safety of visiting students. This study combined the application of Project-based learning (PBL), game-based learning (GBL), and deeper learning theories to develop TheProjectLive ePlatform for students to experience virtual site tours. In this platform, 360-degree panoramas were utilized to present the approximate complexity of construction sites and provide an immersive learning environment. The study evaluated the effects of the proposed virtual site tour approach through two years of implementation in a tertiary course: Introductory Construction Technology and Materials. The students' knowledge acquisition and learning experience when applying the ePlatform were well measured through in-class quizzes and questionnaire surveys, respectively. Based on the descriptive and statistical sources of evidence, the developed ePlatform for conducting the virtual construction site tour demonstrated its potential to effectively improve students' transferable knowledge acquisition. The results of two in-class quizzes designed to assess students' comprehension of content knowledge and their competency to solve practical problems showed that the average scores of students who experienced the virtual site tour were higher than students who learned via lecture notes. Specifically, the average scores of the former were 13.3% and 17.8% higher than the latter in the two quizzes, respectively. According to students' feedback, this case study research also provided suggestions to further improve the proposed virtual site tour approach in tertiary CTE, emphasizing the importance of clear content presentation as well as indicating the benefits of perceived helpfulness and well-designed game elements.

Construction, one of the largest industries in the world, consistently underperforms and faces barriers in leveraging the full potential of applying analytics to sensor data due to a lack of a skilled workforce. The prospects for data-driven solutions to address emerging construction challenges and enhance performance across project life cycles are therefore constrained. Through mixed-method research utilizing a survey and focus group, this study investigates the knowledge and skills required for graduating construction engineering and management students to implement sensor data analytics in the construction sector. The findings revealed that sensor data analytics knowledge and skills are required to systemically process and analyze data from sensing technologies and present them in formats for effective decision-making. The presented key knowledge areas, specific skills, and their significance can aid the construction industry and academics to streamline professional development efforts to match the actual demands, allowing for more efficacy in workforce training. The future construction workforce is expected to gain a competitive edge with sensor data analytics knowledge and skills as the ubiquitous integration of sensing technologies continues to drive the tremendous growth of sensor data.

This research describes a case study of an integrated human-computer interaction (HCI) course for construction engineering students using project-based learning and experiential learning cycle methods. To help engineering students keep pace with the increasing use of information technology (IT) in the construction industry, educational institutions have started to add IT-related courses to their civil engineering curriculum. However, these courses usually focus more on fundamental knowledge and technical skills such as programming and system development, and the design of HCI, which plays one of the most critical roles in the IT field, has been rarely discussed in current training programs. Therefore, this research developed a HCI course that focuses on helping students cultivate nontechnical skills, such as communication and teamwork. The developed course was implemented as a graduate-level course at the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology. Based on the feedback collected from students, the HCI course did help them identify real problems through interacting with potential users and developing corresponding solutions using IT. Students also felt that such a learning package did help them gain tangible experience identifying real problems by interacting with potential users, brainstorming possible solutions with their peers, and developing corresponding solutions by using new technologies.

The cave automatic virtual environment (CAVE) can provide a large-scale immersive and interactive virtual reality (VR) learning environment, which is suitable for the navigation of visualized learning objects and communication among teachers and students. Its applications have gained attention in the field of architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC). This empirical study aimed to examine the effects of the CAVE-VR learning environment on enhancing students' perception of essential building elements compared with the traditional learning environment and explore the factors influencing students' technology acceptance of this teaching innovation. Initially, the study developed teaching materials related to essential building elements on the CAVE-VR system and implemented the teaching innovation in an undergraduate course, Introductory Construction Technology and Materials. A two-round comparison was adopted in this study to evaluate the effects of the innovative learning environment created by the CAVE-VR system and the traditional learning environment using slides projected on the whiteboard. Two in-class quizzes were designed to test students' comprehension of essential building elements; a questionnaire survey, which was devised based on the cognitive load theory and technology acceptance model, was utilized to evaluate students' attitudes toward the learning experience. According to the descriptive and statistical analysis of the quiz results and questionnaire survey responses, the findings of this empirical study are as follows: (1) for the first-round implementation, it was found that students learning through the proposed CAVE-VR environment attained an enhanced perception of the building elements compared with students learning through the slides; for the second-round implementation, it was detected that the perception of building elements of students learning through the CAVE-VR environment for a second time was significantly enhanced compared with students learning through the CAVE-VR environment for the first time; (2) based on the descriptive analysis of students' responses to the questionnaire survey, most students held a positive technology acceptance attitude toward the immersive CAVE-VR learning environment and experienced a moderate level of cognitive workload to complete their learning tasks, facing few difficulties in interactive operations; and (3) according to the statistical analysis of the feedback of students from different learning programs, Higher Diploma students experienced a significantly lower degree of time pressure, effort demand, and sense of accomplishment than Bachelor students in the CAVE-VR learning environment; at the same time, students from both learning programs considered that the perceived usefulness had a direct impact on their intention to use the CAVE-VR learning environment.