Enhancing Virtual Site Visits via Bi-Directional Coordination between Construction Sites and Classrooms

Several studies have provided empirical evidence that providing learners with field experiences can enhance the contextual understanding of the relationships between theory and practice. Site visits have the potential of stimulating students’ interest in the domain knowledge and skills, while also enhancing their professional development. For students pursuing careers in the construction industry, one way of gaining field experience has been by physically observing the construction process and engaging with the site personnel. Such experiences are particularly beneficial as industry practitioners are constantly devising innovative methods and practices of delivering safer, quicker, and more sustainable projects, which students can learn from. However, it is usually difficult to provide these experiences due to cost, safety, weather, and schedule constraints, and the inability of the project sites to accommodate large class sizes. Even when access to construction sites is granted, the following concerns still exist: the educational quality of the site visit is highly dependent on the activities that are occurring on the day of the visit; students with disabilities have difficulty navigating the job sites; and there are limited opportunities for students to engage with field personnel. This paper describes a specific effort that seeks to facilitate real-time bi-directional communication/interaction between field personnel on the construction site, and students and instructors in the classroom. It argues for the effective integration of computational resources, such as unmanned aerial systems, mixed reality, and eye-tracking, with construction engineering education, and outlines how bi-directional coordination can be maintained between the construction site and the classroom. The opportunity offered by the adoption of these computational resources to make the construction field experience more accessible is discussed and the key benefits highlighted.