A Collaborative Initiative to Deploy Blended Learning Continuing Professional Development in the Construction Industry

The need for continued access and provision to continuing professional development (CPD) has been recognised by the construction sector. However accessing formal CPD opportunities while working fulltime in the industry is a challenging undertaking. It is recognised that learning is a complex set of interrelated cognitive processes. In higher education changes that can be identified are the need to become more flexible in the delivery of lifelong learning opportunities to meet the needs of construction professionals and integrating e-learning technology in the delivery of these programmes. A collaborative partnership of educational institutions in Europe has come together to develop a framework focused on the lifelong learning needs of professionals in the construction industry while participants remain in employment. The main objective of this network is to establish a platform where different instructional strategies to accommodate different learning styles and cognitive processes will be developed. Other target groupings include other higher-level institutes outside of the partner institutes and professional and industrial representative bodies in the construction industry who may integrate the lessons learned into their programmes. The major anticipated outputs as a result of this initiative are a database of learning resources that may be integrated into CPD learning programmes delivered in a blended learning format. A methodology to formulate this framework is outlined. Some initial findings are outlined. ing programmes aimed at people in the workplace must be suited to their particular needs. Thomas (1995) suggested that CPD is well supported and regarded by members of a profession when: Active and enthusiastic collaboration takes place between the providers, professional bodies, individual professionals and their employers The providers act in a professional way There is an environment that encourages and facilitates access to CPD. A study by Brosnan and Burgess (2003) highlighted that 76% of professionals surveyed engaged in using the Internet to support their professional learning. Supporting this Brosnan and Burgess (2003) cite an earlier study, which found that out of 34 professional bodies, 33 anticipated more use of Internet technologies within a 2-year period to support members’ CPD requirements. In a situation where construction professionals and professional bodies are open to using technology to address their CPD requirements, one key issue is how can educational providers develop a framework to meet these needs? Conventional approaches to the design of programmes using technology typically have been based upon instructional design strategies where there is an implicit assumption that the group of learners that the programme has been developed for will display uniformity in the ways in which they process and organise information and in their predispositions towards specific learning situations and media (Sadler-Smith and Smith, 2004). Consideration of the pedagogy is vital when attempting to understand the application of e-learning in practice (Mehanna, 2004). Matching cognitive and learning styles with instructional presentation strategies may have an important role to play in enhancing the learner’s learning experience (Ford and Chen, 2001). 2 HOW LEARNING OCCURS Learning can be defined as the acquisition of knowledge or skill (Oxford English Dictionary, 1991). Learning is not a simple act. The Chinese proverb, attributed to Confucius (450 B.C.), summarises the importance of understanding the pedagogical processes that take place when learning occurs: “Tell me, and I will forget, show me, and I may remember, involve me, and I will understand.” Key to understanding cognitive processes is an understanding of learning theories. Learning theories have evolved from psychological studies and have changed in response to, and because of, advancing theories of cognitive development (Ertmer and Newby, 1993). For any type of learning to be effective, whether it is classroom based or computer based, it has to be built on sound pedagogical principles. What has changed considerably in more recent times is the evolution of ICT and how technology can be configured to incorporate the “tell”, “show” and “involve” that are prerequisites of effective learning (Sit, 2001). Lifelong learning programmes aimed at people in the workplace must be suited to their particular needs (Davey et al., 2004). Within the construction industry the difficulty that exists with respect to undertaking post-graduate programmes has been somewhat addressed by the latest evolution/trend among educational providers to broaden access by offering subjects as modules or blocks that can be packaged up as short courses (Cole, 2004). Benefits to universities in becoming involved in providing CPD include; (1) offering the potential for closer links with industry and the professions, (2) opportunity for funding to carry out research and consultancy and (3) information feeds back into undergraduate programmes to ensure relevance to industry requirements (Thomas, 1995, Browell, 2000). In many cases the individual modules on traditional postgraduate taught programmes may be of great value and packaged for part-time learners to undertake as part of CPD (Cole, 2004). Figure 1 Relationships between teaching, learning and support strategies (source: Sadler-Smith and Smith, 2004, page 400) There are important challenges to be addressed in the delivery of programmes using technology to deliver the learning if the potential benefits it can offer to individuals and organisations are to be maximised (Sadler-Smith and Smith, 2004). Sadler-Smith and Smith (2004) contend that there are three separate categories of strategy development that are necessary in order to accommodate individual differences in styles and preferences in the design and implementation of flexible learning in the workplace; (i) teaching strategy, (ii) learning strategy and (iii) support strategy. These are outlined in Figure 1. Individual differences in the way people learn and the mode of delivery interact to affect the learning process and its outcomes. Prior knowledge is one moderating variable upon the process and therefore on the outcome. The teaching strategy, learning strategy and support strategy are included as potential interventions at different stages of this flexible delivery process. Knowledge of results is considered as operating as feedback to the teaching, learning and support strategies being adjusted contingent upon the efficacy or otherwise of the learning process and its outcomes (Salder-Smith and Smith, 2004).