Explaining the Substantial and Procedural Frameworks of Housing Curriculum in Higher Education Courses in the Iranian Educational System

Lack of attention to the issue of integrated housing education, incompatibility in some academic goals, professional’s established policies, along with the lack of experts in both areas to design the mechanisms of housing quality control and monitoring is increasingly emerging as a big gap. On the other hand, the lack of strategic concerns in the official documents and institutional guidelines and practical regulatory bodies that feel this need and can strengthen the educational infrastructure regarding the design and implementation of housing is also due to the lack of purposeful monitoring and control over housing construction processes. These trends have led to the emergence of low-quality housing, which with its rapid growth has caused a great deal of environmental, economic, social and cultural damage. Another issue is the lack of communication, interaction and consensus between the goals of the academia and the executive policies of the project managers and planners. Even if the educational materials at universities is refined, its practical application is hindered when decision-makers do not implement them. Consequently, students face unemployment after graduation or resort to employ unscientific methods in their practice. The main purpose of this study is to explain the framework of integrated housing curriculum based on contextual indicators. The pathology of housing-related courses in Iran is carried out in comparison with the world in terms of the main goal. Therefore, by using the content analysis method, first, the housing curriculum in 38 international universities is reviewed, then, by finding the procedural and substantial dimensions, the expert opinions in this field are received and a basis for extracting separate quantitative questionnaires is obtained. The validity of the relevant issues was analyzed in SPSS software and then coded. Findings show that the substantial and procedural frameworks of housing education in Iran are formed by economic, socio-cultural, managerial, legal-administrative, physical and environmental components that can be used as tools. As a result, the increasing importance of quality of life in residential areas has led to the need for education and training of experts in the field of housing as one of the main forms of architecture and urban planning in Iranian cities. The existence of an independent field of housing can provide more incentives to fulfill the mission of academic environments in the research-based evaluation of actions and plans and provide a basis for dialogue in theoretical and practical areas between the university and the professional sphere. In this regard, considering international academic experiences provides an effective means of transferring experiences, avoiding possible trials and errors, and finding a more comprehensive view of housing and life. It can also serve as a key tool and guide in the housing curriculum for policy makers, planners, as well as university staff and students.