Service-Learning Assessment: Sustainability Competencies in Construction Education
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 139, Issue 12
Abstract
Under the umbrella of a departmental initiative termed CM Cares, faculty from Colorado State University have developed a service-learning course to teach and implement concepts related to sustainability in construction education. The course has met with significant success and received recognition from community partners, elementary to graduate students, faculty members, and department and university administration. Beyond the positive response to experiential learning and community action, this paper uses data from the second course offering to assess the course’s effectiveness for teaching sustainability competencies. The writers implemented multiple techniques to collect data and assess perceived learning with regard to sustainability competencies. Techniques included surveys, reflection essays, and concept maps. Overall findings were mixed but suggest that significant learning about sustainability can occur using service-learning as a teaching technique in construction education despite (and perhaps because) students question the value of what they have learned and how to implement it. Specifically, students report increased appreciation of the challenges as well as benefits related to sustainability. The contribution of this paper is the successful application of community-based research constructs to a service-learning course case study to assess its effectiveness at developing key sustainability competencies. By documenting a successful case study, this paper supports future efforts to integrate sustainability into construction education, encourages further and similar course development, and provides a model for future service-learning assessment research.
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Acknowledgments
The writers thank Centennial High School and Bennett Elementary, an International Baccalaureate World School, for participation and support of this project. In addition, the writers thank the student participants at both Colorado State University and Centennial High School building trades shop class for making this project possible. The writers are grateful for financial and resource support from the Institute of Learning and Teaching (TILT), the Bohemian Foundation, and Campus Compact.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 139 • Issue 12 • December 2013
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 15, 2012
Accepted: Jun 25, 2013
Published online: Sep 9, 2013
Published in print: Dec 1, 2013
Discussion open until: Feb 9, 2014
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