Options to Bring Design and Construction Experience into the Classroom

The construction industry is experiencing an array of significant, rapid, and revolutionary changes driven by forces such as globalization, advances in engineering technologies and information systems, sustainability requirements, and the multidisciplinary and complex nature of the problems in the 21st century. These changes require the higher education system to follow and prepare the next generation of professionals for success in the variety of professions supporting the life cycle of the project. Integrating design and construction experience into the typical academic curricula is at the core of this requirement, which gives students the required vision to understand and appreciate the industry, its challenges, and its needs for innovation. This paper presents a number of practical options to bring design and construction experience into the undergraduate level construction engineering and management programs. Some of the options presented in this paper have been widely practiced in major universities or colleges. This study aims at reviewing and summarizing these practices and presenting them through separate guidelines for construction faculty, students, and practitioners. Although the major focus of this paper is on undergraduate education, the presented guidelines can also be adopted for graduate programs. A case study of a successful student engagement in industry practice is also presented, and additional remarks and suggestions are discussed.