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Hill, C (2009) Re-evaluating the placement experience of built environment undergraduates. In: Dainty, A R J (Ed.), Proceedings 25th Annual ARCOM Conference, 7-9 September 2009, Nottingham, UK. Association of Researchers in Construction Management, Vol. 1, 467–74.
- Type: Conference Proceedings
- Keywords: education; placement; soft-skills
- ISBN/ISSN: 978-0-9552390-1-4
- URL: http://www.arcom.ac.uk/-docs/proceedings/ar2009-0467-0474_Hill.pdf
- Abstract:
Considerable experience with undergraduate built environment placements has led to the development of assessment using appropriate professional competencies as a guideline. Students are able to reflect on their experience through the identification of those competencies which most closely match their experience. Students then create a portfolio of experience explicitly claiming development in identified competencies, supported by evidence from their workplace. The experience itself is also disseminated through seminars given as part of the briefing process for second year students, and interviews with academic staff. These seminars and interviews revealed that the students often considered the development of 'soft skills', such as maturity, confidence, and making contacts, as being at least as important as the development of the professionally identified competencies. Although this revelation may simply confirm a long -, and widely - held view, it does shed light on the process of placement and placement reflection, and should not be overlooked.