Smart educators know that the key to creating truly memorable student experiences is building a bridge between the classroom and the real world. Especially as the COVID-19 pandemic keeps students from getting the quality in-class and on-site learning they’re used to in architecture, engineering, and construction programs, it’s crucial that higher education institutions find effective ways to keep students engaged and give them the in-depth information they need to excel after graduation.
Preparing students for academic success in project management, architecture, and other AEC academic programs means more than teaching by the book. Building a successful career requires keeping up with industry best practices and trends, maintaining comprehensive knowledge of available materials, and obtaining opportunities for AEC experiential learning.
Most schools understand the incredible value that apprenticeships, internships, mentors, and job site visits provide students, but emerging remote learning and hybrid learning models need to build in room for these experiences. Industry organizations like PCI and NPCA can help fill this gap through guest lectures, product demos, research initiatives, professional networking, and more.
The PCI Mid-Atlantic Chapter spoke with two professors and industry professionals from the Stevens Institute of Technology about the importance of experiential learning and mentorship for AEC students and why developing a more engaging curriculum leads to greater student success, long after leaving the classroom.
Exploring Guest Lectures & Growing Industry Schemata
Hugh D. Lester, PhDc, a justice designer at Urbahn Architects and adjunct professor at the Stevens Institute of Technology, teaches foundational courses with a focus on design-build procurement. He says that due to the pandemic, the remote learning taking place today diminishes the ability of team members to establish trust with students. Being in the physical presence of others is, per anthropologist Robin Dunbar, a prerequisite to building that trust, and remote learning limits what students are getting out of their programs.
By partnering with PCI-MA, he was able to bring the voice of an industry expert into his virtual classroom to give students the opportunity to learn how the industry really works. In a guest lecture, PCI-MA shared insights on the acquisition process, discussing how vendors develop pricing estimates and what designers can do to be better partners to vendors and other members of construction project teams.
Hugh says his goal as an educator is to help students be in the best position to move up in their career when they enter the workforce, and experiences like PCI-MA’s guest lecture enhances their ability to tackle the incredible learning curve in the AEC industry. “If you’re not learning something on a daily or weekly basis, you'll fall behind. So much in the built environment is changing rapidly,” says Hugh.
A philosophy that Hugh shares with his colleagues at the Stevens Institute of Technology is that experiential learning helps students create industry schemata to guide long-term career growth. Schemata are representations of plans or theories in the form of outlines or models held within students’ minds. Through interactive experiences like guest lectures and connections with experienced professionals, educators can supplement coursework and introduce new concepts that students would otherwise be unaware of, creating a more complete model of the intricacies in the AEC industry.
These schemata enhance students’ awareness of potential solutions and elements in the built environment, so even if they lack the knowledge to solve a problem, they at least know where to look to get started. This skill may even allow students to impress employers, exposing them to information that can impact project success. “Almost everything that makes them valuable in this industry is found on the job. But if they have richer schemata in place, our students really hit the ground running.”
Hugh says networking is an important element of these added academic touchpoints that can ensure students aren’t entering the industry “cold.” “The sooner they can build that network, the sooner they can become driving forces, contribute to employers and the industry, and advance their careers.”
Expanding your network as an undergraduate or graduate student can create lasting connections and allies in future project work. “Everything is a team effort in the built environment,” says Hugh. And as academia navigates one of the most challenging environments the industry has ever seen, engaging students means educators need to diversify their approaches and find creative ways to prepare young minds for the AEC job market and complexities introduced by externalities like COVID-19 or recessions.
Blending Theory & Reality & Missing In-Between Moments
Ellyn A. Lester is a teaching associate professor and serves as the Director of the Built Environments Program and Associate Chair of the Civil, Environmental, and Ocean Engineering Department in the Schaefer School of Engineering and Science at the Stevens Institute of Technology. Teaching classes on strategic planning, marketing, and construction management, Ellyn emphasizes to students the value of networking as an academic and industry professional whose research has explored the redesign of mentorship to increase knowledge-transfer in the built environment.
“As a program director, I’m focused on helping students blend theory and reality,” says Ellyn. This means helping students understand design-bid-build methods and other project delivery systems but also how to design and construct projects and how to navigate the impact of various forces on things like budgeting, scheduling, and collaboration.
“If you’re a designer, you understand this all exists but don’t have a concept of how this comes to fruition.” And without this knowledge, students will be less equipped to move up in their career. Introducing them to the reach, span, and complexity of the built environment, she argues, is what educators need to focus on today.
The programs Ellyn directs lean heavily on adjunct professors who are senior associates or principals working within the NYC built environment space. This impressive faculty lineup means the school is able to contribute to the curriculum by imparting advice and experiences as people who’ve worked on highly complex megaprojects, putting students in the shoes of their professors to learn about the field from more than one perspective.
Ellyn says opportunities for everyday mentorship like this give students knowledge that isn’t codified—information that professionals otherwise must pick up on their own post-graduation. “What we do is so complicated, even with an undergrad degree—four or five years of college under their belt—a lot of what happens in industry is not known. You don’t really understand how all the pieces fit together.”
With the default to virtual courses, students now face major roadblocks in finding mentorships and gaining critical job site experiences. Even with a focus on site limitations, PPE, and industry safety regulations, Ellyn says they’re missing out on the priceless "in-between moments" that come with in-person experiences. Walking around job sites, getting coffee, conversing between meetings, discussing industry events—these things simply aren’t happening.
Organizations like PCI-MA are helping programs and their students bounce back. With guest lectures and other experiential learning methods, students can find ways to learn about what goes on at job sites and what materials and techniques, like modular construction, are trending in the industry. And introducing them to trade organizations means “students will be aware those organizations exist and understand what role those organizations play, so when they get into their professional career, they know how to find that knowledge.”
Our Contributors
PCI-MA values the industry professionals who contribute to precast concrete industry growth by sharing their knowledge, skills, and experience with our members and interested students and professionals. Our contributors help us provide industry-specific content with helpful tips and insights to support business efforts and continued education.
Ellyn A. Lester, PhDc
Teaching Associate Professor
Director of the Built Environments Program
Associate Chair of the Civil, Environmental, and Ocean Engineering Department
Schaefer School of Engineering & Science
Ellyn is a teaching associate professor of construction management, Director of Built Environment programs, and Associate Chair of Graduate Studies for the Civil, Environmental, and Ocean Engineering department at Steven Institute of Technology’s Schaefer School of Engineering and Science. She is also the point of contact for the program’s outreach to the professional community, leading construction management executive roundtables, organizing seminars, and negotiating professional and research relationships. Ellyn has worked in the industry, for trade associations, and in academia. She has presented her research at numerous conferences and has been recognized for her excellence in teaching and in the field.
About the Steven’s Schaefer School of Engineering & Science
The Schaefer School of Engineering & Science has nine departments and fifty academic programs, offering an intensive curriculum for undergraduates, master's, and doctoral candidates. The school is dedicated to preparing next-generation technology leaders with a multi-disciplinary, design-based education. Programs support hands-on learning, research, and technology that provide students with invaluable experiential knowledge. It’s ranked as the twenty-first Best Online Graduate Engineering Program in the United States and is globally recognized for its world-class faculty, leading-edge research facilities, and premiere location proximate to New York City.
Hugh D. Lester, PhDc
Adjunct Professor
Stevens Institute of Technology
Senior Justice Planner
Urbahn Architects, PLLC
Hugh is an Adjunct Professor in the Construction Management and Construction Engineering and Management programs at Stevens. He also works as a Senior Justice Planner at NYC planning and design firm Urbahn Architects, PLLC, where he undertakes national design, planning, and business development responsibilities in the justice practice. His portfolio includes more than seventy-five $1.5M to $1.5B jail, prison, and courthouse projects, among others. Hugh has designed or planned three of the four largest jails in the United States.
About the Urbahn Architects, PLLC
Urbahn Architects is a New York City-based architecture firm with an emphasis on work in the public sector. Urbahn strives to achieve the highest levels of planning, design, and construction support services in facilities that support learning and research, health and wellness, social justice and public safety, urban living and recreation, and the networks that transport us from place to place. With an extensive portfolio, Urbahn is committed to the continuous enrichment of communities and people’s daily lives.
More About AEC Industry Education
Learn more about engaging AEC students in our free infographic Building A Bridge to Better Student Experiences, and get in touch with PCI-MA to explore an academic partnership that can benefit your school.
