Program Affiliation Impact on Educator Perspective of Online Learning Environments
Publication: Journal of Architectural Engineering
Volume 30, Issue 4
Abstract
Within the built environment, different types of disciplines, such as architects, civil engineers, and construction (AEC), overlap in professional services. A similar overlap also happens at the university, with architects and civil engineers teaching in construction management-type programs. Academic unit affiliation (i.e., architecture, engineering, or construction management) marks a difference in the requirements for educator terminal degrees, teaching load, and research requirements. Further, there are differences in the discipline-specific coursework (lectures, laboratories, and/or studios) of the different disciplines. These differences may impact educators' perspectives about the online learning environment (OLE). Thus, this paper summarizes the findings of a research project focused on determining how program discipline affiliation differences affect educator perspectives for OLE. A survey methodology was utilized where an online Qualtrics survey was disseminated to AEC educators to determine their concerns about delivering online courses, lectures, design studios, and laboratory-type courses. Since the data collected were qualitative, the framework for analysis of qualitative data for construction and engineering disciplines was used. This research determined that department or program affiliation impacted perceptions of educators and identified a significant difference in perceptions between the two educator groups. This includes differences between educators' concerns and perceptions about which courses cannot be taught online.
Practical Applications
There is a distinct difference in coursework delivery between architecture/architectural engineering/architectural engineering technology disciplines and civil engineering/construction management. As higher education identifies how it will adjust in the future to unforeseen events mandating transitions to online learning, the distinct differences between teaching the closely related disciplines of architectural engineering and civil engineering should be addressed. Recommendations include identifying alternate student engagement for exogenous circumstances that result in school closures. These results further identify differences intrinsic to different engineering faculty based on their accreditation types: ABET-EAC, ABET-ETAC, ABET-ANSAC, ACCE, or other.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or codes that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
The research team acknowledges the support of AEC educators with their time and insights.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Architectural Engineering
Volume 30 • Issue 4 • December 2024
Copyright
© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 9, 2024
Accepted: Jun 27, 2024
Published online: Sep 5, 2024
Published in print: Dec 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Feb 5, 2025
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