Parallel TAFE and higher education studies in construction management : from collaboration to dual qualifications.

Collaboration between TAFE (vocational colleges) and universities in Australia in construction management has been problematic, with exchanges between the two sectors limited to linear articulation and prescribed credit transfer. Articulation pathways have traditionally been viewed as the poor relation of university entry. In 2005, the first pilot project in dual sector construction education was conducted at RMIT University in Melbourne. Higher education students completed electives in practical units within the TAFE sector. Due to the overwhelming success of the project, practical electives were firmly embedded in the construction management programme in 2007 and this paper reports on the third, final phase of the project in 2009 which has seen construction management students graduate with a dual qualification – both a TAFE qualification and a Higher Education degree. The case studies of this final phase reveal that students and industry want the benefits of a practical qualification. The data raises critical questions about education pathways and suggests long-term implications for construction and dual sector education in Australia.

The best of both worlds – how vocational education can enhance university studies in construction management

Australian post-compulsory vocational or technical education and higher education (university) has traditionally been delivered separately. Attempts to collaborate on curriculum development and delivery have mostly been at the margins of articulation and educational pathways. This study examines a pilot project in construction management education conducted at RMIT University over a two-year period. The study demonstrates the challenges with mutual curriculum development between vocational and higher education in Australia and demonstrates the methods utilised to overcome these challenges. The results of the project reveal that the benefits to students in hands-on experiences, theoretical knowledge gained and practical demonstrations were invaluable and worthy of ongoing research and development. The article also raises critical questions about flexibility and mobility in educational institutions in Australia.

Working collaboratively in a group assignment using a Mediawiki for an architecture and construction management undergraduate unit

This paper describes an architecture and construction management unit which implements Mediawiki in teaching and learning. The main objective of using the Mediawiki is to engage students to work collaboratively online in a group assignment. It also aims to further develop student information technology skills and thus enhance their learning experience. One of the learning objectives of the unit is to develop the ability to communicate the results of student research in construction technology using appropriate digital media from which Mediawiki was chosen. This paper outlines the challenges and issues faced in the implementation of Mediawiki as a collaborative tool in a group assignment of an architecture and construction management unit. It also discusses how academic staff and students were supported through the process of learning to use the Mediawiki. Finally, potential future directions of using Mediawiki in teaching and learning are explored based on students’ comments and feedback.

A comparative study of effectiveness of peer assessment of individuals’ contributions to group projects in undergraduate construction management core units

In recent years, various forms of group work have been introduced in university courses across various subject domains, including construction management courses. Although the use of group work in higher education has sound pedagogical reasons and advantages, group work has its own drawbacks. Therefore, the acceptance by students and the success of group work critically depend on a fair and credible assessment of the group process. In this paper, the implementation of different approaches to peer assessment (PA) of individuals’ contributions to group projects in two core units in an undergraduate construction management course in an Australian university is reported. The effectiveness of the adopted PA approaches have been evaluated and validated by students. It has been found that contrary to doubts of the sufficiency of a simplistic approach to PAs, the fairness of a PA approach does not necessarily depend on its complexity. Besides, voluntary group discussions, learning and collaboration are found to aid in improving each of the group’s camaraderie. Hence, it is recommended that academics should develop both a structured methodology to progressively encourage group members to work cohesively in teams and effective PA approaches that measure individual member’s contribution.

Measuring pathways to university : success factors in construction management education

Past research has shown that many students find navigating pathways from TAFE to university difficult. This paper proposes a framework for evaluating the success of the pathways. Student enrolled in higher education courses responded to a questionnaire on the nature of their experiences in VET and how this impacted on their decision to articulate to university. The survey covered a sample of three universities across Australia. The results showed that students generally had positive experiences, but that some pathways had better outcomes than others. The framework developed in this research is capable of identifying issue that lead to poor outcomes. The results indicate that matrix developed contained three factors that were good measures of the success of the pathways. The paper concludes by suggesting that universities need a greater awareness of the impact of pathways on identifying pipelines for their students.

Hurdling the barriers : enabling student pathways from VET to higher education in building and construction management

Building effective pathways for students to transfer from and between education sectors and qualifications has been the subject of extensive research, policy development and practice over the last 20 years, both in Australia and internationally. Different researchers and policy-makers have examined this topic from various angles, but all from the perspective that improved pathways constitute an essential feature in a more flexible and integrated tertiary education system.

Encouraging more students into construction management

The construction industry is plagued by the persistent, long-term problem of skill shortages and skill gaps, especially in construction management. Evidence indicates that the industry will not have enough flexible, qualified professionals able to exercise skills to match changing work requirements especially in new technology, over the coming decade. Upskilling existing workers and individuals with vocational education qualifications into higher education could provide an important solution to skill gap problems. Currently less than 16% of all individuals with vocational qualifications in construction undertake upskilling into higher education. This project investigated the factors that supported upskilling and transfer from VET to higher education (HE) in the construction industry. Interviews were conducted with 36 students who were upskilling from vocational education into higher education in eight Australian universities to elicit “enablers” of upskilling. The results, which identify a number of key enablers as seen through the eyes of students who have made the transition, provides the industry with insights into solving current and future skill gaps. These insights will benefit both the construction industry and the wider national population.

Pathways to university : enabling factors in construction management education in Australia

Past Australian and international research has shown that many students find transition and navigating pathways from vocational education to university difficult. This paper proposes a framework for evaluating the success of these pathways in construction management education. Students enrolled in undergraduate degree courses responded to a questionnaire on the nature of their experiences in vocational education and how this impacted on their decision to articulate to university. The survey covered a sample of three universities across Australia. The results showed that students generally had positive experiences, but that some pathways had better outcomes than others. Utilising an existing outreach-developed matrix the research identified three factors that were good measures of the success of pathways models. The paper concludes by suggesting that universities need a greater awareness of the impact of transition issues for their pathways students. This research is significant in that it considers pathways as an organised and systematic process, which is capable of being defined and measured.

Workplace spirituality and organizational commitment influence on job performance among academic staff

This study examines the relationships between spirituality in the workplace, organizational commitment and job performance measured in terms of key performance indicators (KPIs) based on a sample of 376 academic staff at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). The methods used in the study are factor analysis and multiple regression analysis. Three factors are found to explain organizational commitment: affective commitment, continuance commitment and normative commitment. Affective and normative commitments are positively influenced by workplace spirituality, which is explained by three factors: alignment between organizational and individual values; sense of enjoyment at work and contribution to community; and opportunity for inner life. The study also finds that neither high commitment nor workplace spirituality among academic staff necessarily manifest in high KPIs. Instead, other staff background variables appear to have more influence on job performance, such as gender, stream, age and rank.

Uses of management control and performance measurement systems by Deans and Heads in Australian universities: their effects on research, teaching and networking capabilities

Invoking a resource-based view (RBV), this study investigates relationships between management control systems (MCSs) use, including information use from performance measurement systems (PMSs), and organisational capabilities in the context of academic units of Australian universities. Increased competition and attention to distinctive capabilities amongst universities, particularly at their strategic operating unit level of a Faculty1 or School2, provides the setting for application of this theoretic perspective. Based on a questionnaire survey of all Faculty Deans and Heads of Schools in all 39 universities in Australia, evidence is provided on relationships between diagnostic and interactive use of MCSs, attention given to imposed and discretionary types of PMS information, the strength of capabilities of the academic unit and, in turn, overall performance of the academic unit. Highlights of findings are that Heads/Deans conceived capabilities of their unit in functional dimensions, not in generic dimensions as found in prior literature; interactive MCS use and imposed performance measures, respectively, direct relate to several types of capabilities and indirectly to performance of the academic unit, but diagnostic MCS use does not. The findings have practical implications for styles of control systems use and performance information use by management in universities.

Environmental management and operational performance in automotive companies in Brazil: The role of human resource management and lean manufacturing

The main objective of this study is to verify the influence of Environmental Management (EM) on Operational Performance (OP) in Brazilian automotive companies, analyzing whether Lean Manufacturing (LM) and Human Resources (HR) interfere in the greening of these companies. Therefore, a conceptual framework listing these concepts was proposed, and three research hypotheses were presented. A questionnaire was elaborated based on this theoretical background and sent to respondents occupying the highest positions in the production/operations areas of Brazilian automotive companies. The data, collected from 75 companies, were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The main results are as follows: (a) the model tested revealed an adequate goodness of fit, showing that overall, the relations proposed between EM and OP and between HR, LM and EM tend to be statistically valid; (b) EM tends to influence OP in a positive and statistically weak manner; (c) LM has a greater influence on EM when compared to the influence HR has over EM; (d) HR has a positive relationship over EM, but the statistical significance of this relationship is less than that of the other evaluated relationships. The originality of this paper lies in its gathering the concepts of EM, LM, HR and OP in a single study, as they generally tend not to be treated jointly. This paper also provided valid empirical evidence for a littlestudied context: the Brazilian automotive sector. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Green supply chain management and environmental performance of firms in the bioenergy sector in Brazil: an exploratory survey

To achieve sustainable development, supply chains must become greener. In this context, the importance of green supply chain management (GSCM) increases because it can contribute to improving firms'environmental performance (EP). However, little is known about these subjects in the context of firms in the bioenergy sector (sugarcane and ethanol production in Brazil). Thus, the objective of this work is to present the results of a survey conducted on 80 micro-, small-, and medium-sized firms that are suppliers in the Brazilian bioenergy sector (sugarcane and ethanol production). These results indicate that GSCM practices strengthen the EP of firms in the sector. Therefore, this article contributes to the existing literature because it addresses the relationship between GSCM and EP in an understudied sector (sugarcane and ethanol production). (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.