EVALUATING THE EDUCATION OF CONSTRUCTION SAFETY AND HEALTH RISK MANAGEMENT IN PF4202

Abstract

In Singapore, the construction industry remains the top contributor of fatalities and major injuries. Poor safety culture in the organisation had been identified to be the reason for the poor safety performance. Therefore this study aims to improve on the current teaching approach for Construction Safety and Health Risk Management in Institutes of Higher Learning. Firstly, literature reviews were conducted to understand how learning occurs based on the pedagogical theories. From there, it was observed that there was a repeated emphasis on the importance of authenticity and thus nine characteristics were identified to provide for an authentic learning environment. An assignment was then designed based on the factors for the students taking the module PF4202. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with industry professionals and students to gather feedback on the learning outcomes, the assignment and the use of the game as the teaching tool. The interviews were transcribed into words for theme analysis. The survey was then conducted to reach out to more people. The data was analysed based on the frequency and Mann–Whitney U Test. The findings have shown that industry professionals and students agree that it is important to provide an authentic learning experience. The majority of the respondents perceive the all the characteristics are important and authentic context as the most important. Based on the feedback gathered, a set of learning outcomes has also been identified. Many of the respondents are optimistic about the new approach. There is also a list of game features recommended to be included in the game. For this research, four limitations have been identified. The dissertation concludes with recommendations for the future research.