Abstract:

The concept of students in higher education as customers is often viewed as an oxymoron. Several scholars in the research community have rigorously pursued the subject from the perspective of the university and other higher education institutions as the exclusive service providers. However, this exploratory study pursues the idea from the perspective of the architectural firm as an offshore classroom that contributes significantly to architectural education. In Nigeria, the Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) is a yearly industry exposure for students to experience pedagogic exposure in the industry. The literature has been relatively quiet about the enterprise factors within the architectural firm that contribute to the satisfaction of students with their learning experience during the SIWES. A mixed-method research approach was used to achieve the research objective by developing a model that was tested with data from architectural students from both public and private schools of architecture in Southwest Nigeria. The results of the study revealed the unique critical success factors that could enhance the collaboration between higher education institutions and the industry and contribute to architectural pedagogy.

Keywords:

Architectural, collaboration, education, pedagogy, satisfaction, student customers, success factors.