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Construction education is seeing an increased emphasis in demonstrating student achievement of learning outcomes. The recent move to outcomes-based accreditation by the American Council for Construction Education (ACCE) requires programs to utilize assessments to demonstrate student achievement of specific student learning outcomes. The standard dictates that at least one of these must be a direct assessment. This has caused many construction programs to consider different types of assessments to meet accreditation requirements. Arguably, the most difficult outcome to assess from the ACCE requirements falls under SLO #9: Apply construction management skills as a member of multi-disciplinary team. The outcome's vague nature and individual student assessment requirement has led many schools to approach the execution of this SLO in a multitude of different directions. This paper presents research that investigates the method in which ACCE schools are attempting to address teamwork and construction related accreditation requirements. Additionally, the research looked at schools that have both an ACCE program and an architecture program accredited by the National Architectural Accreditation Board (NAAB) to investigate the nature in which CM programs are using this connection in addressing SLO #9.

Research indicates that retention and performance of undergraduate students increases when they perceive a cooperative and supportive educational community. The course syllabus is one of the first opportunities to influence student perception on their educational experience. Literature on syllabi suggests that learner-centered syllabi yield more positive student perceptions of teachers and the course as compared to traditional teacher-centered syllabi. Current research on the impacts of different syllabi constructs within construction education is lacking, and no studies could be found on whether these perceptions translate to student grades. This study used action research to better understand the impact of a learner-centered syllabus vs. a teacher-centered syllabus in an undergraduate construction management program. Student perception, faculty perception and student grades were measured between the learner-centered class and the teacher-centered class. The data was collected from four different classes, split among two courses, and taught by two faculty over the spring 2020 semester. Results suggested that the learner-centered syllabi appeared to motivate student engagement as well as impact both, the first impressions of the instructor and teacher-student relationship. However, it showed no difference in student grades.

As Universities attempt to elevate the student experience, one approach has been the formalization of a series of effective educational practices, termed High Impact Educational Practices (HIEPs). This study considers one university in the Southeastern U.S. that measures the quantity and quality of HIEPs based on the experiences of graduating undergraduate construction management (CM) students. The study addresses four different types of HIEPS: study abroad, internships and co-ops, undergraduate research, and e-portfolios. 145 graduating students were surveyed based on their self-selected HIEPs for the 2019-20 academic year. Results indicate that internships and co-ops are the most selected HIEP while undergraduate research is seldom student selected. Students note few opportunities to make formal presentations of their experiences in HIEPs. Data points toward the second and third internship or co-op as providing a deeper educational experience than the first internship or co-op. Finally, study abroad seems to provide the greatest opportunity for students to have deep impactful engagement with others.