Possibilities for ICT incorporation in a Construction Management course

ABSTRACT: In the international construction industry there is increasing evidence of the integration of information and communication technology (ICT) applications into the industry’s business processes. The teaching and learning of ICT topics is therefore inevitable, especially at university level. Graduates need to be competitive in the international market and provided, not only with the relevant knowledge about the tools and methods of construction, but also with up-to-date skills that match their quickly advancing employers’ requirements. Currently there is a gap between the course content and industry’s needs as far as the ICT component is concerned. This paper examines possibilities for the integration of the main topics of ICT into course teaching and learning activities. Ten aspects of the technology are identified and are examined with regards to three core subjects of the Construction Management programme at the University of the Witwatersrand. Additional efforts are recommended in the first year curriculum in particular, as students arrive at Wits University with a varied range of computer skills, and incorporation of ICT topics into courses will certainly require a more uniform level of basic skills among students as a starting point.