The Application of Design Thinking and Project-Based Learning in Human-Computer Interaction Courses for Construction Engineering Students

This research describes a case study of an integrated human-computer interaction (HCI) course for construction engineering students using project-based learning and experiential learning cycle methods. To help engineering students keep pace with the increasing use of information technology (IT) in the construction industry, educational institutions have started to add IT-related courses to their civil engineering curriculum. However, these courses usually focus more on fundamental knowledge and technical skills such as programming and system development, and the design of HCI, which plays one of the most critical roles in the IT field, has been rarely discussed in current training programs. Therefore, this research developed a HCI course that focuses on helping students cultivate nontechnical skills, such as communication and teamwork. The developed course was implemented as a graduate-level course at the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology. Based on the feedback collected from students, the HCI course did help them identify real problems through interacting with potential users and developing corresponding solutions using IT. Students also felt that such a learning package did help them gain tangible experience identifying real problems by interacting with potential users, brainstorming possible solutions with their peers, and developing corresponding solutions by using new technologies.