Design and Evaluation of a Web Platform for Connecting Instructors and Practitioners – Instructors’ Perspective

ABSTRACT

Collaboration between instructors and practitioners is crucial for preparing the future workforce. By applying connectivism learning theory (CLT) and leveraging the affordances of information technology (IT) through Web 2.0, this paper introduces ConPEC, a web platform designed to bridge the gap between instructors and practitioners in the construction industry. This paper presents the design and user evaluation of ConPEC as guided by design principles and heuristics to ensure optimal usability and acceptance by end-users. Twenty (20) instructors in construction-related academic programs who are potential end-users were recruited for evaluation by interacting with ConPEC in a real-case scenario. Both objective and subjective measures were adopted to assess ConPEC’s usability, instructors’ perception, and their intention to use ConPEC. The results reveal the potential of ConPEC to enhance academic pedagogy by providing instructors with improved access to practitioners and fostering a blend of theory and practical knowledge required by the industry. The results also demonstrate the efficacy of the adopted method in developing information systems because users perceived ConPEC as useful, user-friendly, and likely to be adopted. This study highlights the application of CLT and IT to address skill disparities and align students with industry expectations, serving as a reference for similar initiatives.

KEYWORDS:

• Connectivism learning theory
• instructors
• practitioners
• student development
• web platform

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) via Grant No. 2201641. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of NSF.