Narrowing the ExpectationGap of ConstructionInformation TechnologiesBetween AcademicPreparation and IndustrialNeedsHENG LI,1 DAVID SCOTT,1 PETER E. D. LOVE2

1 Department of Building and Real Estate, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong

2 School of Architecture and Building, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria 3217, Australia

Received 4 September 1998; accepted 25 October 1999

ABSTRACT: As university educators teaching in construction techniques and informa-tion technologies (ITs), it is our responsibility to ensure that construction schools share avision with potential employers of our graduates on what construction IT knowledge andskills are required in the near future. Specifically, construction schools need to address suchissues in designing curricula for construction related teaching programs. A survey conductedin Hong Kong that sought to investigate the perceived expectation gap of construction ITskills/knowledge between academic preparation and industrial needs is presented. Theresults of the survey are analyzed and examined to reveal the deficiencies of currentconstruction IT education in Hong Kong. Recommendations for improving the quality ofconstruction IT teaching are proposed. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 7:

244–251, 1999

Keywords: construction IT; expectation gap; IT skills/knowledge

INTRODUCTION

Information technology (IT) is becoming an enablingmechanism for improving productivity and quality ofthe construction industry. As we stand on the thresh-

old of an unprecedented era in terms of the exponen-tial rate of change in IT, the construction industry hasan opportunity to make substantial gains in this area.It is imperative that construction schools respondquickly enough to the technology changes that haveredefined the role of IT in today’s construction indus-try. However, there is considerable agreement amongconstruction practitioners and academic researchers

Correspondence to H. Li (bshengli@polyu.edu.hk).© 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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that job requirements and associated IT skills/knowl-edge of the construction professionals are changingrapidly [1,2].

Educators with specific teaching and research fo-cuses on construction information technologies haveto ensure that there is a general agreement betweenacademic preparation of construction IT and industrialneeds. As part of the continuing research efforts thatexamine the impact of IT on construction educationand the critical IT skills needed in the industry [1],this study investigates the changing IT skills/knowl-edge requirements in the construction industry and theadequacy of academic preparation for future construc-tion professionals.

Specifically, the article attempts to answer the fol-lowing questions: (1) Are construction schools anddepartments responding quickly enough to the tech-nology changes that have redefined the role of infor-mation technology in the construction industry? (2)Are we providing the right type of IT education forfuture construction management professionals?

Based on data collected from various constructionsectors as well as tertiary institutions in Hong Kong,the article reports the findings of the expectation gapbetween industrial requirements of IT skills/knowl-edge and academic preparation. Suggestions on howto close the gap are discussed.

SURVEY DATA

The survey data were collected through a three-stageprocess. In the first stage, the research team, whichconsists of nine masters students and one academicstaff member, conducted separate brainstorming ses-sions and discussions with IT educators, IT managersand senior business managers in the construction in-dustry. As a result of these discussions, initial lists ofcritical IT skills/knowledge that are taught in theuniversities and needed in the construction industrywere collected for further investigation. The IT skills/knowledge include current IT needs and perceivedneeds in 3 years. The 3-year time was chosen becausean undergraduate student takes 3 years to complete adegree program. Thus, the construction IT educationshould be able to cater for the perceived needs of 3years. To ensure the consistency of the critical ITskills/knowledge recommended by IT educators andvarious industrial groups, a series of discussions washeld to explore the specific IT skills in depth and tostreamline the possible biases within them. Commentsmade by the group members were transcribed andincorporated into the list of critical IT skills/knowl-edge (Table 1).

In the second stage of this study, the research teamdeveloped a questionnaire as the survey instrument,based on the list of IT skills/knowledge prepared instage 1, for more systematic data collection fromtargeted sectors of the construction industry (see Ap-pendix). The questionnaire was arranged into fivecategories: (1) general office automation, (2) network-ing and communication, (3) computer support, (4)special applications, and (5) higher-order applica-tions. The industrial groups targeted for data collec-tion included: (1) construction-related educators in sixuniversities in Hong Kong, (2) contractors, (3) projectmanagers, (4) architects, (5) quantity surveyors, and(6) engineers.

The IT educators included educators teaching inthe construction-related disciplines. We categorizedall construction-related educators into one group, aswe considered that students were taught by differentsubject educators, and each of the subject educatorsmight impose different requirements of IT in theirsubject contents. Thus, the collection of views fromdifferent educators represents the general view ofconstruction IT education in universities. The profes-sionals we surveyed included above middle-levelmanagers or IT managers. Survey respondents wereasked to rate the importance of the IT knowledge/skills using a four-point scale, with 1 indicating “notimportant” and 4 indicating “very important.” Re-spondents were also allowed to select “N” if theywere unable to rate a particular skill/knowledge.

In stage 3, the research team contacted recent grad-uates from construction schools of universities inHong Kong to ask their comments on the relevance ofthe IT education to their present jobs. Graduates in-dicated that they were given small isolated problemsthat did not prepare them to bring together variousskills in solving large real-world problems. Graduatesalso expressed that there was a lack of resources andinsufficient access to the facilities for universities tosimulate the problem-solving environment of theworkplace. Detailed information obtained from the

Table 1 Respondent Profile and Return Rates

Sent Out Returned

Academics 280 20Industry professionals

Contractor/subcontractor 26 10Architect 10 10Project management 14 12Quantity surveyors 16 16Engineers 12 10Total 358 78

EXPECTATION GAP OF CONSTRUCTION IT 245

three-stage study will be further discussed in latersections.

THE EXPECTATION GAP

The quantitative data obtained from the first twostages of the study confirmed the gap between indus-trial needs and academic preparation in IT skills andknowledge. The gap resulted from the absence of ashared vision of the appropriate knowledge and skillmix for construction professionals. Professionals rec-ommended that university programs should placegreater emphasis on real-world experience, commu-nication skills, analytical ability, and problem-solvingskills. As the employers of university graduates, pro-fessionals also expressed that because of the increasedcompetition in the industry, they are no longer able toprovide adequate on-the-job training to newly re-cruited graduates. Thus, university programs need toprovide sufficient hands-on training to their graduatesfor them to get on with their jobs immediately aftergraduation. University educators, however, maintainthat tertiary education is focused on career develop-ment rather than skill training.

The average responses from different industrialgroups were first compared with the average of aca-demic responses. Differences between the industrialand academic responses were measured in absolutevalues. An expectation gap occurred when the differ-ence in responses on a particular IT skill/knowledgewas $1. Figures 1–5 compare industrial responses

with academic responses.The figures show that contractors, developers, ar-

chitects, and quantity surveyors underrated the role ofIT skills in their professions, as the average of theirresponses were lower than those of the educators.Also, responses are consistent across these industrialgroups. Respondents in these groups showed consid-erable consistency in their vision of the IT skills andknowledge required by the construction industry ofthe future. On the contrary, the average of responsesfrom engineers was higher than the average of aca-demic responses, indicating that IT has become animportant and indispensable part of engineering prac-tice.

Table 2 identifies those IT skills that incurredsignificant expectation gaps between academic andindustrial responses. A surprising finding was that anumber of topics emphasized in the construction ITresearch, such as decision support systems, expertsystems/AI, and computer-aided software engineeringtechnology, all received relatively low scores fromrespondents. Practitioners indicated that these tech-nologies simply have not had as much impact asothers at the construction workplace. At the sametime, they indicated that the most important emergingareas of technical knowledge are networks, telecom-munications, and relational databases.

Our results also found some clear patterns in con-struction IT activity trends that point to the shift inemphasis from a traditionally programming orientedenvironment to a more diversified, end-user-focusedorientation. Aligning IT solutions with business goals

Figure 1 Information technology expectation gap between academics and contractors.

246 LI ET AL.

and needs as well as building the infrastructure fromtechnological integration are becoming top prioritiesfor construction IT education and practice. Our find-ings suggest that the current construction IT educationis not well aligned with industrial needs. For example,many of the technical subjects emphasized in thetypical IT education (e.g., decision support systems,expert systems) are considered low priorities by prac-titioners in our survey, and university education oftenlags in updating critical new technologies such as

networks and telecommunications. Moreover, our sur-vey also indicates that future construction graduateswill require both more breadth and depth of educationacross the dimensions of technology, communication,and human relations.

The graph of maximum expectation gaps of allindustries show that there is an expectation gap in IT:96% of all considered IT issues and skills showed apositive gap. This is encouraging, as it shows thatoverall, the industry has absorbed the available IT

Figure 3 Information technology expectation gap between academics and architects.

Figure 2 Information technology expectation gap between academics and project managers.

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skills possessed by university graduates. However,only 24% were above the significant value of 1.0 onour four-point scale (Table 2).

Table 2 demonstrates that engineering is the majordiscipline creating the expectation gap, i.e., 16 of 18IT skills. After engineering, architecture rates a poorsecond. Hence, except for the engineering and archi-tecture professions, the rest of the industry has notreally absorbed the IT skills made available. How-ever, because of insufficient response from theacademic members, we were unable to compare re-

sponses of different academics with industry profes-sionals from their own discipline. The smoothing ef-fect when responses by all academics of varyingdisciplines were averaged could be misleading.

THE SHARED VISION

The survey confirmed a curriculum gap between whatIT skills and knowledge are being taught in construc-tion schools and what practitioners require. Contrary

Figure 5 Information technology expectation gap between academics and engineers.

Figure 4 Information technology expectation gap between academics and quantity surveyors.

248 LI ET AL.

to our expectations, however, this gap did not appearto result from the absence of a shared vision. Instead,there was considerable agreement between academicand construction practitioners on the importance ofcertain IT skills/knowledge (Table 2).

A finding from the industrial groups was that a richcombination of human, technical, and communicationabilities is the key to success. Survey responsesshowed practitioners and educators agreeing on theimportance of these skills. One important exception isthat the Internet was rated by educators as the mostimportant among all IT techniques, whereas practitio-ners rated it relatively low.

The results suggest there is only a modest differ-ence in vision between academic and industrialgroups. This indicates that a university education pro-vides the right type of IT education for future con-struction management professionals. However, toalign IT solutions with the goals and needs of theconstruction industry, it is necessary to extend theshared vision by modifying the construction curriculato incorporate additional IT skills emphasized by con-struction professionals to reflect the changing needs ofthe construction industry.

IMPACT ON IT CURRICULUM DESIGN

Results of the survey indicated that the expectationgap is real. However, it is not caused by an incom-patible vision of future IT requirements. Instead, thecause seems to lie within the slow process of curric-

ulum change and implementation, as well as the slowadoption of IT skills in the construction industry.Starting from the shared vision, university educatorsand practitioners together must address the gap bynarrowing the expectation gap on construction ITpreparation and future requirements. Universities,however, often react slowly in implementing requiredcurriculum changes. If universities do not respondquickly to the industrial needs, the value of tertiaryeducation will diminish in importance.

Bridging the gap requires a fresh look at the cur-rent construction curriculum in which construction ITforms an integral part. Activities associated with thedevelopment of user-oriented software systems willdiminish in importance, whereas activities associatedwith system integration, telecommunication, and net-working should begin to take center stage. Althoughsystem analysis skills will remain important, they willalso require additional skills for critically assessingbusiness problems. Future construction graduatesmust also be equipped to reengineer construction pro-cesses to best fit IT to business objectives. They musthave the skills to promote change and improvement,and to understand and select from a set of technicalalternatives the one most appropriate to the particularbusiness context. Construction IT education must alsopromote a strategic orientation toward specific appli-cations and techniques.

Because there are practical limits to what can beincluded in a single curriculum, the challenge forconstruction educators is to foresee the most impor-tant IT skills/knowledge for the next 3 years and

Table 2 Information Technology (IT) Skills/Knowledge with Expectation Differences above 1.0

IT Issues and Skills Expectation Gap Industry Segment

Presentation hardware11.0 Architect and

engineerTelecommunication system 11.3 Quantity surveyors

Hardware maintenance and support11.1 Architect and quantity

surveyorSoftware maintenance and support 11.0 EngineerEnd-user support 11.1 EngineerCash flow forecast 10.9 EngineerStructural calculation and analysis 11.5 Engineer

Spatial information systems11.3 Architect and

engineer

Geographic information systems

11.3 Architect, engineerquantity surveyor,and contractor

Computer mapping 11.2 EngineerEducate IT professionals to develop

applications for their own use11.0 Engineer

Systems integration 11.5 Engineer

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include them into the curriculum. As the computerbecomes more important in every aspect of life andbusiness, the needs of individuals and organizationsmust be harmonized simultaneously. Academic insti-tutions should not only provide what the marketneeds, but also develop new tools using the latestavailable technology for industry to enhance its com-petitiveness. It is appropriate to mention at this pointthat “the mission of a modern university has threefoci: (1) to advance knowledge, (2) to educate stu-dents, and (3) to transfer technology for global sus-tainable economic development” [3].

CONCLUSIONS

This study identified the expectation gap of IT skills/knowledge between university preparation and indus-trial needs. The article stated that closing the expec-tation gap requires the involvement of all stakeholdersincluding university lecturers, various constructionprofessionals, and groups. Academic programs needcontinually to reassess their markets and customerrequirements. Without compromising long-term edu-cational benefits for short-term training, a construc-tion school can select from the continuum of construc-tion career paths to best suit its circumstances andindustrial customers.

Because the range of IT skills and knowkledgeavailable to the construction industry has expandedand diversified, it is no longer possible to prepare acurriculum suitable to all construction courses. It isnecessary to identify the core IT skills and knowledgethat will shape the career path of future constructionprofessionals. Moreover, IT requirements in the con-struction industry are moving targets. We hope that

through this effort of identifying the expectation gapbetween industrial needs and academic preparation,we have demonstrated how construction schools canmaintain a continuing dialogue with the constructionindustry to address critical IT needs in the profession.

A major limitation in this survey is the lack ofresponse from academics despite our having mailedquestionnaires to 280 of them. Hence, we were unableto compare different academics with industry profes-sionals in their own discipline. The smoothing effectwhen responses by all academics of varying disci-plines were averaged could have given misleadingresults in calculating the gap. In addition, the opiniongiven by individual academics may not reflect theactual curriculum. It may be that their own opinionsand the IT skills/knowledge they consider importantmay not be included in the curriculum at present.Although researchers requested universities to pro-vide copies of syllabi that contain IT-related matter,the majority did not have such modules where ITskills are specifically taught, or details on IT skilldevelopment specifically stated. Further research ef-forts are needed to conduct in-depth interviews withacademics to obtain sufficient responses and clearunderstanding of what IT skills are taught at present.

REFERENCES

[1] H. Li and W. Young, Information technology, impacton construction management education. Austral InstBuilding Papers 7 (1996), 25–34.

[2] S. McCann, What to succeed? Get out of IS for awhile. CIO (44) 26 (1992), 107–108.

[3] C. C. Chan, The role of engineers and the challengesof engineering education, Asia Engineer (10) 23(1997), 28–29.

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BIOGRAPHIES

Heng Li is an associate professor in theDepartment of Building and Real Estate atHong Kong Polytechnic University. His re-search areas include information technologyand its applications to construction manage-ment and construction education, construc-tion process and product modeling, and arti-ficial intelligence and its application indesign and construction. He has published

one book and numerous journal and conference papers in theseareas.

Peter E. D. Love is a senior lecturer in con-struction project management in the Schoolof Architecture and Building at Deakin Uni-versity. His research interests include qual-ity, supply chain management, informationmanagement systems, and concurrent engi-neering. He has published one book and over100 research papers, which have appeared injournals such asInternational Journal of Op-

erations and Production Management, International Journal ofPhysical Distributuion and Logistics Mangament, InternationalJournal of Information Management, and Computers in Industryand Automation in Construction.

David Scott is the chair professor and headof the Department of Building and Real Es-tate, Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Heobtained his BSc and PhD from the Univer-sity of Nottingham and had worked in theUnited Kingdom, Thailand, Australia, NewZealand, Botswana, and Nigeria. He has nu-merous publications in international refereedjournals on varied subjects and has been in-

volved in a wide range of consulting work. Currently, he is under-taking research in construction management (practical methods ofeconomic evaluation of projects, development technology in theconstruction industry, practical methods of monitoring and control-ling the costs of construction projects, and technology transfer) andconstruction-related information technology (introduction and useof computer-aided management systems for construction and realestate; information systems; development and use in the construc-tion and property industry; and information- technology-basedteaching systems and processes for construction). Dr. Scott is amember of the engineering panel of the Hong Kong ResearchGrants Council; an editorial correspondent ofConstruction Man-agement Economics, and also a referee for the Australian ResearchCouncil and the Australian Institute of Building Paper.

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