A proposed heutagogy framework for structural steel design in civil engineering curriculum

Abstract

Education has traditionally been seen as a pedagogic (child) or andragogic (adult) relationship between the teacher and the learner. Moving parallel with today's technology, learning should also involve in self-exposure to the knowledge by heutagogical method. In this era, information is getting easier to be accessed and shared through online or mobile system. Heutagogy learning is another method for life-long and self-determined learning. As steel is one of the common constructional materials, design information and specifications with the current code of practice should be given to the public in order to obtain reliable and safe buildings. Therefore, this research emphasized the development of heutagogy framework for Eurocode structural steel design in civil engineering curriculum through the collection of information of successful curriculum on heutagogical approach, identification of the learning requirements from learner and educator via questionnaire survey and development of the heutagogy framework with structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis. Data were collected from 315 respondents consisted of learners and educators. The proposed framework focuses on four aspects of heutagogical approach to teaching and learning from different lenses of educators and learners, namely learning plan, design course guidelines, challenge, and assessment. The framework may provide a useful guideline for future heutagogy education through an openaccess platform for the civil engineering curriculum.