Essential Elements and Best Practices for Teaching a Culminating Capstone Course Online in Construction Management Programs

Most construction management programs required a capstone course to offer a culminating experience based on real-world projects and open-ended problems. The capstone course serves as a practicum for students before they enter professional careers in the construction industry. Although a significant variation existed in capstone courses from different programs, researchers concluded learning environments, fundamental features, important characteristics, required skillsets, and essential aspects of capstone courses in civil engineering, architectural engineering, and construction management programs. As capstone courses were typically taught in-person, little or no research focused on online environments. This paper aimed to identify essential elements and best practices for teaching a culminating capstone course online in construction management programs. The authors used a qualitative approach and conducted seven semi-structured interviews with instructors who taught a capstone course online at least once. Research participants were capstone course instructors from universities in Alabama, Kansas, Idaho, Michigan, New Jersey, and Texas. The authors identified top student learning outcomes based on qualitative results, two models for capstone courses, multiple essential elements, and best practices. The essential elements for course content were (1) using real-world, open-ended projects, (2) including plans, specifications, estimates, schedules, and site logistics, (3) incorporating safety, quality, risk, and financial performance, (4) performing collaborative teamwork, and (5) interacting with industrial mentors or faculty advisors. It was essential for students to be self-driven and proactive in their major team deliverables or small individual assignments. The essential elements for assessment and feedback were (1) assessing both technical and professional skills, (2) offering peer evaluations at the middle and end of the course, (3) evaluating oral presentations and written proposals, and (4) providing meaningful and timely feedback to students. Some best practices included but were not limited to (1) well-structured content with clear instruction, (2) maximum accessibility, approachability, and availability, and (3) consistent grading with rubrics and timely feedback. Additionally, the authors summarized unique strategies for online teaching.