Teaching lean construction: perspectives on theory and practice

Abstract

This paper builds on the IGLC paper, “Different Perspectives on Teaching Lean Construction,” presented last year by Tsao et al. that documented teaching approaches from three different Lean Construction (LC) university course offerings. It aggregated the approaches taken by the course offerings, the Lean Construction Institute (LCI), and the Associated General Contractors of America to develop recommendations for learning modules, outcomes, and strategies for an introductory LC university course. This paper provides four additional distinct perspectives to continue the conversation about teaching LC in a university setting. It illustrates the authors’ differences in teaching approaches, experiences, and lessons learned from course offerings in the United States and Lebanon. The paper offers additional ideas for providing “proof of concept” to students and further illustrates how teaching LC effectively requires a combination of readings, lectures, discussions, simulation exercises, field trips, and guest speakers to mix theory with action. The paper then aggregates seven teaching perspectives in a single table to provide an overview of different approaches for teaching an introductory university-level course on LC.