E-learning & pedagogical challenges in construction management: Bridging the gap between academia and industry

In this day and age, there are a number of challenges that are facing higher education and the construction industry. Many of these challenges are driven by the need for change. These changes are forced upon us often due to changes in government policies, society and culture, making it harder to strike the balance between the educational methods of delivery and meeting the demands of a highly competitive construction industry. This also adds pressure on educators and curricular developers to bridge the gaps between academia and industry, which is often proven uneasy, particularly in view of the rapid changes due to the arrival of new technologies. E-learning however, is a tool that can aid with filling these gaps through monitoring its impact upon individual learning and organisational learning. This paper describes the stages of the learning process for both, individuals and organisations and the role of E-learning in producing a blended learning approach. The paper also describes a framework that can be adopted to enhance this process and assist in bridging the gap between academia and industry and bridge the gaps.