Assuring Quality of Continuing Architectural Education: Learners' Perceptions

Kuo Hung Huang

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Conference: 2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Publication Date: June 10, 2012
Start Date: June 10, 2012
End Date: June 13, 2012
ISSN: 2153-5965
Conference Session: Innovative Teaching in Architectural Engineering
Tagged Division: Architectural
Page Count: 21
Page Numbers: 25.235.1 - 25.235.21
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--20995
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/20995
Download Count: 546

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Kuo Hung Huang National Taipei University of Technology

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Abstract

Assuring Quality of Continuing Architectural Education: Learners' PerceptionsAbstract As globalization has been popularized day by day, the living standard and theknowledge standard are getting higher. The concept of lifelong learning is drawingpeople’s attention. The learning activity that emphasizes on continuous learningdespite the age of the learner has gained its respect from international organizationsaround the world. It has also become the principle for national reformation and socialdevelopment in most countries. During the last few years, as the number of highereducation organizations have increased rapidly and as the learning demands of adultlearners have also increased, all the university operators began to value the function ofextension education. In 1991, there were fifty colleges and universities in Taiwan. Butup until now, the number of colleges and universities is as high as one hundred andforty-five. The growth rate is three times. All of the one hundred and forty-fivecolleges and universities have established extension education centers. Moreover, thenumber of extension education institutions that have relative Architecture Departmentis nineteen (2008, Ministry of Education). Hence, as the number of colleges anduniversities in Taiwan is outsized and as the schools would generally establishextension education centers, the education service targets and the education chancesare increased. The supply is constantly increasing to create survival and competitivepressures for extension education centers. As for the extension education of architecture related colleges and universities,many schools have established in-service classes to recruit students from differentbackgrounds. However, the Perception of architecture education and the teachers’backgrounds and specialties of each school are different; the programs are differentfor each school. As all the colleges and universities are aggressively promotingextension education and opening different programs, they neglect whether theprogram design and the teaching method applied meet the learners’ needs. They alsoneglect to notice whether the software and hardware equipments, teachers andservices meet the goal of extension education and whether or not the professionalprograms are of good quality. Therefore, schools should understand whether theprogram planning and the teaching content meet the learners’ degree of Perceptionand degree of satisfactory. That way the appropriateness of the program planning andthe teaching content is known. They can be used as the reference for draftingdevelopment strategies in the future. The extension educations of the universities arein different directions and have different styles. Extension education should focus onlearners’ needs and should be non-standard education that is practical applicationorientated. In addition, the nature of extension education is different from standarduniversity education. The forms of extension education activity should be diversifiedto meet the demands of adult learners. Extension education should provide diversifiedprograms to satisfy multiple learning for adult learners in knowledge economy times.Many students believed service quality is the main determinate in deciding whether ornot the university extension education is successful. Service quality affects students’degree of satisfactory and the extension education’s profitability. Questionnaire andstatistical analysis will be performed to understand students’ learning outcome andstudents’ Perception toward the program and the teaching of the extension education.The research questions will be designed to explore and describe perceptions ofstudents at a leading technological university in Taiwan. Specifically, the researchaddressed what are perceptions of students regarding extension education ofarchitecture? And, what primary factors affect successful learning in the extensioneducation context? The study explored and discovered perceptions of extensioneducation students of architecture major regarding their (a) architecture teachingcontent, (b) service quality, and (c) self-learning evaluation. The result is to providereference for architecture departments of colleges and universities in planning theprogram and curriculum.

Citation
Format

Huang, K. H. (2012, June), Assuring Quality of Continuing Architectural Education: Learners' Perceptions Paper presented at 2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, San Antonio, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--20995

TY - CPAPER
AB - Assuring Quality of Continuing Architectural Education: Learners&#39; PerceptionsAbstract As globalization has been popularized day by day, the living standard and theknowledge standard are getting higher. The concept of lifelong learning is drawingpeople’s attention. The learning activity that emphasizes on continuous learningdespite the age of the learner has gained its respect from international organizationsaround the world. It has also become the principle for national reformation and socialdevelopment in most countries. During the last few years, as the number of highereducation organizations have increased rapidly and as the learning demands of adultlearners have also increased, all the university operators began to value the function ofextension education. In 1991, there were fifty colleges and universities in Taiwan. Butup until now, the number of colleges and universities is as high as one hundred andforty-five. The growth rate is three times. All of the one hundred and forty-fivecolleges and universities have established extension education centers. Moreover, thenumber of extension education institutions that have relative Architecture Departmentis nineteen (2008, Ministry of Education). Hence, as the number of colleges anduniversities in Taiwan is outsized and as the schools would generally establishextension education centers, the education service targets and the education chancesare increased. The supply is constantly increasing to create survival and competitivepressures for extension education centers. As for the extension education of architecture related colleges and universities,many schools have established in-service classes to recruit students from differentbackgrounds. However, the Perception of architecture education and the teachers’backgrounds and specialties of each school are different; the programs are differentfor each school. As all the colleges and universities are aggressively promotingextension education and opening different programs, they neglect whether theprogram design and the teaching method applied meet the learners’ needs. They alsoneglect to notice whether the software and hardware equipments, teachers andservices meet the goal of extension education and whether or not the professionalprograms are of good quality. Therefore, schools should understand whether theprogram planning and the teaching content meet the learners’ degree of Perceptionand degree of satisfactory. That way the appropriateness of the program planning andthe teaching content is known. They can be used as the reference for draftingdevelopment strategies in the future. The extension educations of the universities arein different directions and have different styles. Extension education should focus onlearners’ needs and should be non-standard education that is practical applicationorientated. In addition, the nature of extension education is different from standarduniversity education. The forms of extension education activity should be diversifiedto meet the demands of adult learners. Extension education should provide diversifiedprograms to satisfy multiple learning for adult learners in knowledge economy times.Many students believed service quality is the main determinate in deciding whether ornot the university extension education is successful. Service quality affects students’degree of satisfactory and the extension education’s profitability. Questionnaire andstatistical analysis will be performed to understand students’ learning outcome andstudents’ Perception toward the program and the teaching of the extension education.The research questions will be designed to explore and describe perceptions ofstudents at a leading technological university in Taiwan. Specifically, the researchaddressed what are perceptions of students regarding extension education ofarchitecture? And, what primary factors affect successful learning in the extensioneducation context? The study explored and discovered perceptions of extensioneducation students of architecture major regarding their (a) architecture teachingcontent, (b) service quality, and (c) self-learning evaluation. The result is to providereference for architecture departments of colleges and universities in planning theprogram and curriculum.
AU - Kuo Hung Huang
CY - San Antonio, Texas
DA - 2012/06/10
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Assuring Quality of Continuing Architectural Education: Learners' Perceptions
UR - https://peer.asee.org/20995
DO - 10.18260/1-2--20995
ER -