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Session 1221

Assessment Techniques for Industry Desired Competencies in Construction Education

Scott J. Amos, Ph.D., PE, AIC Weber State University

Abstract

As the popularity and use of project oriented classes emphasizing hands-on education continues to grow, construction educators are faced with the challenge of evaluating student performance in this non-traditional setting. This article discusses and provides examples of proven authentic assessment techniques, including rubrics, and portfolios that could prove useful for construction educators attempting to validate the satisfaction of industry desired competencies.

Introduction

The past decade has been an extremely productive period of thinking about engineering education. The National Science Foundation has reported that among other factors, half of all U.S. students who start out in engineering disciplines switch to other majors in search of better teaching, more challenge and opportunities to work in teams on real-world problems. In response to this, there has been a quite revolution in education characterized by the tremendous growth in project or process oriented classes with an increased emphasis in hands-on education. One of the most important challenges with this approach to education has to do with how established performances and goals will be assessed. The new tools that have been developed are distinctly different from the factual testing-orientation of the past.

Current Trends In Education

Traditional education is based on the principal that students must have certain knowledge which is transmitted to the student through teaching, in a certain sequence, the content of an educational plan devised by educators. The mastery of content being more important than the development of skills. Traditional teaching methods cater to those who like converging quickly to a correct answer by recipe or cook-book solutions. This conventional content oriented educational environment has now become information-rich. Most education taking place in schools today is focussed on knowledge that is expanding and changing at such a rate that conventional approaches to transmitting it to students are destined to failure. There is too much information, located in too many places, covering too many concepts, changing too fast to be of any long term value to the student. These traditional methods have also failed those students who view situations from divergent perspectives and the risk-takers who like using trial and error problem solving techniques.

Process education refers to educational techniques focussing on development of process skills by the students. The main goal is empowerment of the students to become lifelong learners with the capability and motivation to learn new concepts on their own. Educators will become

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Amos, S. J. (1998, June), Assessment Techniques For Industry Desired Competencies In Construction Education Paper presented at 1998 Annual Conference, Seattle, Washington. 10.18260/1-2--6935