Effects of construction industry support for PhD projects: The case of a Swedish scheme

Bröchner, Jan; Sezer, Ahmet Anıl

doi:10.1177/0950422220904932

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Compared to traditional science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines, construction management is a comparatively immature ‘technical-based’ discipline that developed out of the advancements of the post-war era, driven by the need to rebuild infrastructure to aid economic recovery (Charted Institute of Building, 2021; Howell et al, 2011). As with most technical-based programmes, in the content taught an equilibrium must be achieved between contemporary industrial relevance and academic rigour, couched within an ever-changing construction and academic topologies (Borg and Scott-Young, 2020; Brochner and Sezer, 2020). Just as a project plan and schedule are essential tools for the successful construction of a building, so too is curriculum development for a construction management programme.…”

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confidence: 99%

Curriculum development in the higher education literature: A synthesis focusing on construction management programmes

Posillico

Edwards

Roberts

et al. 2021

Industry and Higher Education

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This research first contextualises curriculum development in higher education institutions (HEIs) before focusing specifically on construction management programmes in order to engender wider polemic discourse and new insights into current provisions. The overarching epistemology adopts both interpretivist and pragmatist philosophical stances, couched within inductive reasoning, to critically analyse extant literature as a secondary data source, with each publication representing a unit of analysis. Thematic groupings of research activity are then clustered and interconnections between researchers and research themes are identified using bibliometrics. The findings illustrate that while curriculum development in HEIs has received increasing scrutiny and attention, there is a notable lack of connectivity among the studies conducted. This lack of a cohesive body of knowledge is exacerbated by the prevailing academic notion of ‘individualism and self’ vis-a-vis the ‘collective team’. This leads to an emergent working hypothesis, namely, that bespoke curriculum development occurs within an ‘every person for themselves’ mentality. Cumulatively, these issues reported upon serve to illustrate a fundamental absence of a clear agenda for curriculum development in construction management programmes. In turn, this finding underscores the urgent need for a more prominent collaborative and global community of practice to optimise future educational provisions.

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

Curriculum development in the higher education literature: A synthesis focusing on construction management programmes

Posillico

Edwards

Roberts

et al. 2021

Industry and Higher Education

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“…It is independent research about a specific research area with the guidance of a set of supervisors and most often, explores about real-world issues. A lot of postgraduate research is industry related and based on case studies; thus, have most of project-based learning characteristics (Bröchner and Sezer, 2020).…”

Section: Project-based Learningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Project-based learning for proactive skills development of postgraduate students in solar energy building design digitalisation

Gunarathna

Yang

Mudiyanselage

et al. 2023

SASBE

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PurposeProject-based learning is one of the most effective methods of transferring academic knowledge and skills to real-world situations in higher education. However, its effectiveness is not much investigated focusing on the students' narrative. This study aims at evaluating the students' experience and perspective on adopting project-based learning in master by research and doctoral programmes for proactive skills development.Design/methodology/approachThis study evaluates the self-reflection of 10 postgraduate students and their supervisor who have participated in developing a software tool for solar photovoltaics (PV) integrated building envelope design, management and the related education.FindingsFindings reveal that the students have effectively improved their knowledge on the subject via collaborating with the industry, self-learning/observation, peer learning, problem-solving and teamwork. Dividing the project into student-led tasks has improved the decision-making and leadership skills, risks identification, planning and time management skills. The overall experience has (1) built up confidence in students, (2) enhanced their creativity and critical thinking and (3) improved their proactive skills and context knowledge.Originality/valueA clear research gap can be seen in exploring the effectiveness of project-based learning for master by research and doctoral programmes, which mainly focus on extensive research. These programmes do not necessarily focus on developing students' proactive skills, which is the main requirement if they intend to work in the construction industry. This paper addresses the above research gap by demonstrating the effectiveness of project-based learning for developing the proactive skills in a research-intensive learning environment.

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“…Subscales of general scientific competencies (Grab-Kroll et al, 2019), and universal skills (Luo et al, 2018) were identified. Two other studies (Walker and Yoon, 2017;Bröchner and Sezer, 2020) provided nominal information on the scales utilized, with insufficient detail to identify what domains were covered. The scales were either adapted from other studies (Allgood et al, 2018;Shih et al, 2019;Bröchner and Sezer, 2020), or self-developed for the study (Walker and Yoon, 2017;Luo et al, 2018;Grab-Kroll et al, 2019).…”

Section: Study Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Two other studies (Walker and Yoon, 2017;Bröchner and Sezer, 2020) provided nominal information on the scales utilized, with insufficient detail to identify what domains were covered. The scales were either adapted from other studies (Allgood et al, 2018;Shih et al, 2019;Bröchner and Sezer, 2020), or self-developed for the study (Walker and Yoon, 2017;Luo et al, 2018;Grab-Kroll et al, 2019). Shih et al (2019) was the only study to report on psychometric properties.…”

Section: Study Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A systematic review of doctoral graduate attributes: Domains and definitions

Senekal

Munnik²,

Frantz³

2022

Front. Educ.

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Doctoral graduate attributes are the qualities, skills, and competencies that graduates possess, having completed their doctorate degree. Graduate attributes, in general, lack conceptual clarity, making the investigation into and quality assurance processes attached to doctoral outcomes challenging. As many graduate attributes are “unseen” or implicit, the full range of attributes that doctoral graduate actually possess needs to be synthesized, so that they may be recognized and utilized by educational stakeholders. The aim of this study was to establish and describe what attributes graduates from doctoral degrees possess. A systematic review of peer-reviewed, primary literature published between January 2016 and June 2021 was conducted, identifying 1668 articles. PRISMA reporting was followed, and after screening and full text critical appraisal, 35 articles remained for summation through thematic synthesis. The doctoral graduate attribute domains identified included knowledge, research skills, communication skills, organizational skills, interpersonal skills, reputation, scholarship, higher order thinking skills, personal resourcefulness, and active citizenship. Many of the domains were conceptualized as transferable or interdisciplinary, highlighting the relevance of the attributes doctoral graduates possess. The review findings align with existing frameworks yet extend those that tend to focus on generic “seen” attributes, and include a range of “unseen”, intrinsic qualities as outcomes of the doctoral degree. The review contributes to the conceptual development of doctoral graduate attributes, by synthesizing actual outcomes, as opposed to prospective attributes or attributes-in-process. Doctoral graduate attributes should be conceptualized to integrate both generic attributes alongside intrinsic qualities that are important for employability. Increased awareness as to the scope of doctoral graduate attributes among stakeholders, such as doctoral supervisors, students, graduates and employers, may facilitate improved educational outcomes and employability. Future research into the contextual relevance of the domains identified and how they are developed may be beneficial. Future research could involve the development of context-relevant scales to empirically measure doctoral graduate attributes among alumni populations, as a quality assurance outcome indicator. Such findings could inform program reform, improving the relevance of doctoral education and the employability of doctoral graduates.

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Effects of construction industry support for PhD projects: The case of a Swedish scheme

Cited by 7 publications

References 40 publications

Curriculum development in the higher education literature: A synthesis focusing on construction management programmes

Curriculum development in the higher education literature: A synthesis focusing on construction management programmes

Project-based learning for proactive skills development of postgraduate students in solar energy building design digitalisation

A systematic review of doctoral graduate attributes: Domains and definitions

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