Enhancing student motivation and learning with monetary prizes in a construction management undergraduate subject

It is widely accepted that industry engagement for students in higher education either directly as an intern within a company or with industry professionals in the classroom provides the contextual experience for their learning. While many different forms of industry engagement are carried out, there is little feedback from students on their level of interest and motivation on these engagements. This study examines the response of students to an industry-sponsored project at an undergraduate construction management course. The students were tasked to propose an alternative precast concrete building solution for a 4-storey car showroom that was originally designed to be constructed in-situ as a reinforced concrete structure. An industry partner was actively involved in establishing the scope of the project, provided all necessary documents, arranged site visits and introduced the range of precast concrete components that were available for use. An engineer and a construction manager from the company were invited to present lectures on the design and construction of precast concrete structures. Students were assigned to work in pairs to develop an alternative precast design and propose a detailed construction plan for the client’s consideration. The industry partner also offered cash prizes for the best solutions. The result of a survey indicates that a majority of the students worked at a higher level and perceive long term gains from the assignment compared to projects that had no industry engagement. However, a small number of students reported that they were not influenced by the industry engagement and prize money. These findings will inform on future industry engagements with the construction management program in terms of structure and definition of the industry sponsored project to enhance educational value. These pedagogical strategies that link educational outcomes with industry engagement will have implications for teaching standards and student learning.