Abstract:

In the UK, the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher education (QAA) subject benchmark statement (QAA 2006) defines the academic standard expected of graduates with an engineering degree. The defined learning outcomes are those published by the Engineering Council UK (ECUK) in the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC): The Accreditation of Higher Education Programmes (2004). These learning outcomes, also described by the engineering community as 'output standards', have evolved over a number of years to gain general acceptance and has enabled all courses to be assessed against a common set. In the benchmark statement, the learning outcomes are expressed for the threshold level that engineering students would be expected to have attained upon graduation.

Engineering graduates need to be able to approach challenges in a creative manner. The QAA recognise this and suggest that graduates should have the following characteristics.

o be rational and pragmatic, interested in the practical steps necessary for a concept to become reality.
o want to solve problems and have strategies for being creative, innovative and overcoming difficulties by employing their knowledge in a flexible manner.
o be numerate and highly computer literate, and capable of attention to detail.
o be cost and value-conscious and aware of the social, cultural, environmental and wider professional responsibilities they should display.
o appreciate the international dimension to engineering, commerce and communication.
o be able to formulate and operate within appropriate codes of conduct when faced with an ethical issue.
o be professional in their outlook, capable of team working, effective communicators, and able to exercise responsibility.

The difficulty that faces providers of engineering education is how to provide all these to a graduate and how to assess that the graduate has achieved the learning outcomes.

The use of simulation and games is becoming increasingly popular for certain aspects of engineering education but the assessment of students in the interactive learning environments used by these teaching and learning methods compounds rather than simplifies the matter of assessment.

This paper will examine some experience of the authors in both the use of simulation and Games for teaching and learning of construction management related knowledge and skills. It will also discuss their experience in the use of various assessment methods in courses using these types of teaching and learning methods.

The paper will include a little on the traditional tell-test approach and how they can fit into the use of simulation and games. It will discuss experience of using simulation and games as a coursework element in themselves and whether one should assess actual game performance and relate this to learning outcomes required of engineers.

Most of the paper will touch on the authors’ in running complex games with a range of optional learning objectives. Analysis and evaluation of student learning both during and after the game will be reviewed. It will discuss what can be inferred from the analysis bearing in mind the numerous limitations that apply such as accurately assessing the student’s baseline performance and their expected and actual performance using the simulation or game. Examples of student behaviour and what the authors have inferred in terms of student learning will be given.

Keywords:

simulations, games, construction management, assessment.