Issue-based and problem-based
approach for teaching Property and
Construction Economics'
Dr. Joanna Poon
Paul Royston
Dr Dean Garratt
Willow Fuchs
ERES Conference 2010
Milan, Italy
Background about this paper
Research project
Development of Good Practice Guide in Blended Learning for Built
Environment Courses
Funded by
• Centre of Education in Built Environment (CEBE)
• Innovative Projects in Learning and Teaching Grant
This paper
• This paper is to present a pilot study of this project
• The aim of this paper is to discuss a new approach to teaching the
'Property and Construction Economics' module
2
Presentation structure
•Information about Property and Construction
Economics module
•The new approach for teaching this module
•Evaluation feedback from students on their
learning experience
•Tutors' reflection on using the new teaching
approach
•Recommendations for future changes to the
approach of teaching the module
3
‘Property and Construction Economics
(PCE)’ Module
• Undergraduate Year One module for students in the Property
Management and Development cohort in the School of Architecture,
Design and the Built Environment in the Nottingham Trent
University
• Application of economic theory to explain the operation of property
and construction markets
• The students are 'non-specialist' learners as they do not have prerequisite knowledge of the relevant principles
4
New approach for teaching PCE
module
• Adopted issue-based and problem-based learning approach to teach
Property and Construction Economics in the current academic year
• This module was taught in a blended learning approach and with
support from a virtual learning environment, the Nottingham Trent
University Online Workstation (NOW)
• At term 1, it focused to discuss about the current economics issues
on property markets
• At term 2, it focused on discussing the economic theories and
principles underpinning and explaining these current economic
issues
5
New approach for teaching PCE
module (cont'd)
• For lecture throughout the whole year, there was a theme for each
week, such as UK house prices and business cycle (for term 1) and
demand & supply and price elasticity (for term 2)
• For seminars, it was operated in workshop style for term one
• Students were asked to download real life statistics about housing,
property and the interest rate data from various websites, such as
Office for National statistics (ONS), Bank of England’s Statistical
Interactive Database and Department of Communities and Local
Government (DCLG)
• Their tasks were to conduct some basics statistical analysis and plot
charts
• Apart from teaching economics, it also aimed to enhance students'
spreadsheet skills which is very important for their study
6
Here are some examples of the charts
that students plot
Real GDP
Nominal GDP
1,600,000
1,400,000
1,200,000
£ millions
1,000,000
800,000
600,000
400,000
200,000
0
1948
1953
1958
1963
1968
1973
1978
1983
1988
1993
1998
2003
2008
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UK house price
Real house price at constant 2005 consumer prices
£160,000
£140,000
£120,000
£100,000
£80,000
£60,000
£40,000
£20,000
£0
1969
1974
1979
1984
1989
1994
1999
2004
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New approach for teaching PCE
module (cont'd 2)
• For term 2, there were ordinary seminar discussions. Students were
given a list of questions under different themes
• They are allocated time in the seminar to discuss these questions
and share their answers with the whole group
• It aims to underpin the students’ theoretical understanding of
economic concepts
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Evaluation feedback from students
on their learning experience
• An evaluation form was circulated to all students in the last seminar
of the academic year
• Eighty-two questionnaires were completed and returned. The
students are from four different pathways: Building Surveying (24),
Property Planning and Development (19), Property Investment &
Finance (16) and Real Estate Management (23)
• The questionnaire were divided into two major sections:
– One section is to aim to gather students’ comments on teaching
and learning method
– Second section is to gather students’ comments on structure of
course content
• The questions included the questions with choice (Likert scale, 1excellent to 4-poor) and written comments questions
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Questions are:
• Overall, how do you find the teaching method for the PCE module?
• How do the lectures help your learning of the PCE module?
• How do the computer workshops in the first term help your
learning of the PCE module?
• How do the seminars in the second term help your learning of the
UPM module?
• How have you used NOW to support your learning of the PCE
module?
• What do you think about the structure of the course content of PCE
module for the whole year?
• Further comments on the module lectures have been delivered on
an ‘issue-based and problem-based’ approach. Has this helped you
improve your learning of the PCE module?
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Comments summary
Overall lectures
• The students comment on the overall structure, including the lecture, workshops,
seminars and use of NOW, are well-linked together
• The lecture is well-structured, concise and has excellent delivery
• They also think the economic concepts are explained in related to the real world
Term one workshops
• The workshops in term one are complemented with the lecture
• They also find it is useful for the worksheets to break down to different areas so
they can look into topics separately
• Students like the change of environment/ different types of learning – sort of selfteaching lesson but with guidance/ help from tutors
• They also like the idea that they are asked to find/ download information by
themselves but not just being fed
• In addition, they like the speed and the flexibility and they can do their work at
their own pace
• However, some students have never used excel prior to the course so they find
dealing with data is difficult
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Comments summary (cont'd)
Term 2 seminars
• They also find the term 2 seminars were well-delivered and related to the lecture
and their coursework
• Students find the seminars reinforce lectures and also had a chance to practice
their knowledge
• They also find there is good interactions (students/ students interaction and staff/
students interactions), especially at the later part involved discussion with the
whole class
NOW
• The use of NOW as a central storage of course information and communication
tool
• It provides a platform for providing lecture notes, regular updates, seminar
questions answers and is especially important if students missed a lecture
• Students can access information prior to the lecture or after lecture if they missed
one, also for recap
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Comments summary (cont'd 2)
Other comments
•
Students request for support on report writing as they are inexperienced in
this area
•
One of the major comment is that students do not know they are taught by
issue-based and problem-based approach.
•
One student stated 'Not made aware of ‘issue-based and problem-based’
approach, but I can see that these methods were applied now that you
mention it. I would say it was a reasonable approach to adopt in delivering
the module'
15 June 2010
Tutors' reflection on using the new
teaching approach
• Have mix of computer workshops and traditional seminars over the
whole year
• The mix could be based around the issues covered
• For example, the students could look at house price data and then
followed that up with more formal seminars to look at both what
they found as well as thinking about the relevance of economic
theory to the patterns that they observed in house prices
• The tutors think by coming back at a later date in term 2
and students apply their computer skills to another issue both
their skills and their understanding as to why they were undertaking
the data-orientated exercises dramatically improved
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Recommendations for future changes to
the approach of teaching the PCE
module
• Mix of workshops and seminars over a year
• More drop-in sessions so students can have more chance to ask
questions, students' individual needs are different
• Support or self-help guidance for using Excel
• Refer students to university ITS courses on excel
• Provide report writing support
• Prepare a more substantial reading list for the students to
accommodate their needs on studying basic economics
• Need to mention to students that they are taught by issue-based
and problem-based learning approach at the beginning
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Recap
• Information about Property and Construction Economics
module
• The new approach for teaching this module
• Evaluation feedback from students on their learning
experience
• Tutors' reflection on using the new teaching approach
• Recommendations for future changes to the approach of
teaching the module
Thank you
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