The papers that are included in the second issue of the Journal for Education in the Built Environment (JEBE) arose initially from the Building Education and Research (BEAR) conference that was held in Hong Kong in April 2006. These six papers were chosen from a large number of well-written and informative papers that indicated that research had not only been proposed or was in progress but that aspects of it had already been completed and results analysed.
The six papers provide different insights for those involved in delivering education programmes to students. Whilst some of the papers have a greater application to a single discipline under the banner of the Centre for Education in the Built Environment, there is potential to use the authors’ findings more widely by lecturers working within built environment education. However, there are the twin dangers of either reading or ignoring these findings, and then failing to apply the principles and ideas into practice. We are all aware that knowledge is expanding and the ideas available today are greater than at any time in our history. The challenge to all of us is to use the knowledge, rather than to experiment with changes in practice in their absence.
Agapiou’s paper is about a simulation game that could be usefully used for students studying architecture. The focus of the game under discussion in this paper is centred on the delivery of some aspects of the ARB/RIBA Part II Management, Practice and Law curriculum. It presents an evaluation of the efficacy of the web-based simulation game from the students’ perspective. A benefit from using the game was that students found it fun and practical. These are always good measures that encourage not only students, but all of us, to learn more effectively. Whilst it is a simulation game for architecture students, the principles have a wider appeal to other students amongst the built environment disciplines.
Ellis, Dickinson, Gorse and Riley write about the ability of information technology in providing many exciting educational opportunities. These include the potential not only to remove perceived barriers to learning traditionally associated with off-site study, but also to enhance the quality of educational experience for all students. Off-campus learning presents many challenges for students and tutors alike. The former require discipline, enthusiasm and commitment to complete their studies, whilst the latter are charged with the development of learning resources that intrinsically motivate students. Virtualsite is a three-year project funded by the National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS). This makes extensive use of QuickTimeVR technology, developed by Apple Computer Inc., to create 360 degree panoramas which viewers are able to explore.
Fong and Yip set their paper in the context of project management in Hong Kong. The idea of learning from experience is an important issue for all of us. The formalized systems for capturing and disseminating lessons within organisations and across projects have received increased attention in recent years. Interest in such lessons learned systems has grown through popular concepts such as the learning organisation and through developments in knowledge management. Construction professionals sometimes record good and bad practices during the running of projects, but the frequency of recording bad practices or failures is much lower than that of recording good ones. Also, most of the recorded good and bad practices are often for individual consumption only and not for the team or organisation. Experience usually resides in the minds of professionals and this is all but lost when these leave or retire.
Tucker and Reynolds tell us that the two hundred years of apprentice/master tradition that underpins the atelier studio system, whilst it is still at the core of much present day architectural design education, is under pressure due to changes in the funding of education. With reductions in one-to-one staff-student contact time, many educators are now finding it difficult to maintain this model. This paper provides an analysis of different approaches that might be adopted and its findings should interest other disciplines delivering built environment programmes.
Wall, Ahmed and Smit’s paper is about the issues surrounding life-long learning and experiences of blended learning. Continuing Professional Development (CPD), now a requirement of most of our professional bodies, is used for people in the work place as a vehicle for life-long learning. These authors comment that the Internet will radically change the way such learning will be delivered, suggesting that the application of the Internet for education is going to be so big that it is going to make the use of email look like a rounding error. Many of us are aware of the positive benefits of distance learning to students who are unable to attend college or university and to others who prefer to work at their own pace. However, maintaining a high level of motivation and commitment, avoiding the sense of isolation, and meeting the requirements of course programmes can be difficult, especially for those who are returning to education after a number of years in industry.
Yip and Rowlinson focused their paper specifically on the problems of stress in Hong Kong, although many of the factors that they describe are mirrored elsewhere in other parts of the world. They suggest that the research relating to managing job burnout is concentrated mainly on identifying job-related factors that are prone to burnout. Their paper states that coping is among the most widely studied topics in contemporary psychology. Coping affects the cognitive and behavioural efforts an individual exerts on stressful encounters and is considered to be a moderator of burnout. They state that research has found burnout to be related to coping styles. Current academic experiences can easily relate to many of the outcomes that are suggested in this paper.
I hope that you enjoy reading these papers and that they not only add to your own knowledge and experience but that you consider how you might make the best use of them in your own institutions.
Guest Editor