Received: 27 March 2026; Accepted: 02 April 2026; Published: 17 April 2026

In an increasingly complex and fast-paced construction industry, the gap between theoretical instruction and

practical application remains a persistent challenge in engineering education. Many students struggle to fully

measured self-reported understanding before and after the session, complemented by nine Likert-scale items

assessing awareness, integration, and perceived benefits. Data were analysed using SPSS through descriptive

statistics, reliability testing, paired samples t-tests, and group comparison analyses. The findings reveal a

The mean score increased from 2.75 (pre-session) to 8.35 (post-session), with a highly significant t-test result (p

0.965), confirming internal consistency. Importantly, no significant differences were observed across gender or

participant groups, suggesting that the learning experience was inclusive and broadly effective. High satisfaction

levels (mean = 4.68/5) further underscore the perceived value of the initiative. This study concludes that

structured academic–industry engagements serve as powerful pedagogical tools in bridging the theory–practice

Keywords: Development planning; Industry engagement; Construction engineering education; Technical

drawing literacy; Work-integrated learning

In the rapidly evolving construction industry, understanding the full scope of development planning from initial

site survey to project completion is essential for producing competent and industry-ready engineering graduates.

The effectiveness of such knowledge transfer is significantly enhanced when students are exposed to practical,

real-world applications through academic–industry engagement such as industrial talks. These sessions offer an

opportunity to bridge theoretical knowledge with professional practice, especially in areas involving technical

documentation and multidisciplinary collaboration [1].

The featured industrial collaboration talk, titled “Development Planning: Types of Plans Involved from Planning

outlined by professional bodies such as the Engineering Accreditation Council (EAC) and Board of Engineers

Malaysia (BEM). These bodies promote outcome-based education (OBE) that cultivates problem-solving skills,

multidisciplinary knowledge, and lifelong learning attitudes among future engineers [3]. Given the importance

of this initiative, the present research aimed to evaluate the impact of the industrial talk on students' awareness

and understanding of the types of development plans involved in construction. By administering a structured

survey before and after the session, this study seeks to measure the knowledge gained and to identify any

significant differences in perception across gender and attendance groups. The findings are expected to

contribute to future improvements in academic–industry collaborations and technical education strategies in the

field of construction engineering.

appropriate for measuring change over time and evaluating the effectiveness of academic-industry engagement

sessions in engineering education [4].

Participants were drawn from undergraduate engineering students and faculty members who attended the

industrial talk. In total, 77 valid responses were collected. The demographic breakdown showed that 42.9% were

male and 57.1% were female, while 90.9% were students, 7.8% were lecturers, and 1.3% were the invited

speaker. Respondents were selected based on their voluntary attendance and consent to participate in the post-

event evaluation.

A structured questionnaire was developed to capture the following data:

 Overall satisfaction: Star rating (1 to 5 stars)

consistency.

Data were collected using Google Forms, distributed immediately after the industrial talk. Participants were

informed about the purpose of the study, and confidentiality was assured. They were required to self-assess their

level of understanding both before and after the session and respond to awareness-related items based on their

learning experience.

The data were analyzed using SPSS Version 27 [5], following these steps:

 One-Way ANOVA: To compare mean differences among attendance groups (student, lecturer, speaker).

A significance level of p < 0.05 was used for all inferential statistical tests.

Table 1: Descriptive Statistics

Table 1 presents a demographic breakdown of participants who attended the industrial talk. The gender

distribution shows a slightly higher number of female participants (57.1%) compared to males (42.9%),

indicating balanced representation with a modest female majority. In terms of attendance groups, the vast

majority of respondents were students, accounting for 90.9% of the total. A small proportion were lecturers

(7.8%), while only 1.3% were speakers. This suggests that the primary audience was student-focused, reflecting

the educational purpose of the session and its role in supporting student awareness and learning about

development planning in the construction industry.

Table 2: Star Rating and Overall satisfaction score distribution.

Table 2 illustrates the impact of the industrial talk on participants’ self-reported understanding and their overall

experience overall, indicating that students found the session valuable, engaging, and beneficial to their academic

and professional growth. This combination of knowledge gain and high satisfaction reinforces the success of the

talk in bridging classroom learning with real-world construction planning practices.

Table 3: Reliability Analysis

Table 6: Paired Samples Test

Table 7 presents the results of independent samples t-tests conducted to examine whether there were any

significant differences between male and female students in terms of their awareness and understanding of

development planning drawings (Q1–Q9) after attending the industrial talk. The analysis compared mean scores

for each item between the two gender groups. Overall, the results show that none of the differences were

the industrial talk was equally effective for all participants regardless of gender, and that both male and female

This study set out to evaluate the impact of an industrial talk designed to enhance students' understanding of the

development planning process within the construction industry. The talk focused on key technical components,

including architectural, civil and structural, infrastructure, survey, and mechanical and electrical (M&E)

drawings, which are fundamental to real-world construction project delivery. Findings from the descriptive

statistics showed that participants initially had a low level of understanding prior to the talk (mean score = 2.75),

but demonstrated a significant increase in comprehension post-session (mean score = 8.35). This substantial

improvement was further confirmed through a paired samples t-test, which yielded a statistically significant

result (p < 0.001), highlighting the effectiveness of the talk in closing the knowledge gap. The reliability analysis

yielded a Cronbach's Alpha of 0.965 for the Likert-scale items, indicating excellent internal consistency and

validating the quality of the measurement instrument. Moreover, group comparison tests revealed no significant

well-rounded, industry-ready graduates.

1. D. Asmani, M. Yusof, N. Farina, and M. Halim, “A Study on Effectiveness of Industrial Talk Approaches

for Geology Course,” vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 54–61, 2023, doi: 10.6007/IJARPED/v12-i1/16109.

2. F. L. Erinjogunola, R. K. Olayiwola, R. O. Ajirotutu, and Z. Sikhakhane-, “Bridging the Gap : Enhancing

Civil Engineering Education through Practical Applications,” 2025.

3. B. of E. Malaysia, Engineering Programme Accreditation Standard 2024. Board of Engineers Malaysia,

2024.

4. W. Creswell, Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. SAGE

Publications, Inc., 2009. doi: 10.1128/microbe.4.485.1.