The Impact of Virtual Construction Field Trips on Students’ Perceptions in Commercial Construction

9 pages•Published: May 15, 2022

Andrew Kline, Joseph Cleary and Scott Kelting

Abstract

Field trips are an integral part of students’ education, especially for those pursuing a degree in construction or engineering where practical experience is needed to understand the complexities of the profession. University programs struggle to provide adequate field trip experiences due to several reasons, including limited project availability, travel costs, and safety concerns. One option that has become increasingly prevalent, is the implementation of virtual field trips (VFTs). VFTs provide educators and students a flexible option to view and experience various projects from their personal computer or mobile device. This paper provides an exploratory overview of students' perspectives of real field trips (RFTs) in comparison to VFTs. A VFT was created using StructionSite, Inc. and a 360-degree camera, and compared to the same project that was visited in person, as a RFT by a different group of students. Pre and post surveys were used to sample construction management students studying commercial construction at a major university. The main findings were VFTs and RFTs both contributed to students’ interest in commercial construction. Students perceived VFTs as a valuable resource that can be used to contribute to knowledge and skill attainment. In addition, VFTs were viewed as a valuable aspect in a students’ education that can supplement certain types of RFTs, but students agreed VFTs should not replace RFTs completely.

Keyphrases: construction management, experiential learning, student perceptions, virtual field trip

In: Tom Leathem, Wes Collins and Anthony Perrenoud (editors). ASC2022. 58th Annual Associated Schools of Construction International Conference, vol 3, pages 416-424.

Links:	https://easychair.org/publications/paper/T4hF
	https://doi.org/10.29007/jh39

BibTeX entry

@inproceedings{ASC2022:Impact_Virtual_Construction_Field,
  author    = {Andrew Kline and Joseph Cleary and Scott Kelting},
  title     = {The Impact of Virtual Construction Field Trips on Students’ Perceptions in Commercial Construction},
  booktitle = {ASC2022. 58th Annual Associated Schools of Construction International Conference},
  editor    = {Tom Leathem and Wes Collins and Anthony Perrenoud},
  series    = {EPiC Series in Built Environment},
  volume    = {3},
  publisher = {EasyChair},
  bibsource = {EasyChair, https://easychair.org},
  issn      = {2632-881X},
  url       = {/publications/paper/T4hF},
  doi       = {10.29007/jh39},
  pages     = {416-424},
  year      = {2022}}

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