CONSTRUCTION MANAGERS MUST BUILD! By: James McCuistion and Ethan Churchill

CURRENT SITUATION  Construction management students must go through a 180 credit, 4 year program to attain their Bachelor of Science.  The coursework for the degree focuses on:  Construction Estimating  Soils and Surveying  Building Codes  Architecture

CURRENT SITUATION (CONT.)  Computer labs and software is available for the computer- aided design portion of the degree, but much of the software is taught from tutorials.  Little is available for students in terms of applying what they learn in their degree, many students haven’t interacted with the construction materials they learn about or design their own construction projects.

NEEDS ASSESSMENT: PROBLEM-FINDING, PROBLEM SOLVING  The Problem-Finding, Problem Solving model is being used for the needs assessment for the following problems:  It is felt that students leaving with their degree in construction management don’t have the hands-on experience with materials needed to succeed in industry  Students leaving with their degree also have little knowledge and experience in terms of project creation and use of software related specifically to construction materials and construction design.

SOLVING THE PROBLEM – INSTRUCTIONAL NEEDS  Classes dealing with computer-aided design need to be taught by instructors using the software in industry in a construction related field. The software should be not be taught via tutorials. Prospective employers want students that can use the software proficiently on being hired.  Classes dealing with construction plans and computer-aided design must involve the students to create their own plans to give them experience and ability to apply material they’ve learned. Prospective employers seek candidates that are able to solve problems and react to potential scenarios in the field.

SOLVING THE PROBLEM – INSTRUCTIONAL NEEDS (CONT.)  Classes dealing specifically with construction materials must have hands-on activities with said materials, prospective employers seek students with real hand-on experience.

NON-INSTRUCTIONAL NEEDS  Students must be passionate to learn and be motivated to become good construction managers.  Budget must be able to allow students access to construction materials and allow labs to be created to provide experience and application of core skills in construction management.  Training of instructors may be required for relating course content specifically for construction management.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT  Most of the instructors and faculty in the engineering and design department at Eastern Washington University have degrees and past experience in engineering related fields, though not many have experience specifically with architecture and construction.  Existing curricula for construction management has recently been updated and revised, it had been phased out of the system for a couple decades.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT (CONT.)  Computer labs and workstations are available for students to use, both for in-class instruction and out-of-class use for class projects and assignments.  A wood shop, metallic shop, and a materials testing lab are available for students to use for classroom instruction and outside projects with permission from instructor.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT (CONT.)  For classroom instruction not needing a lab, classrooms that have whiteboards, projectors, and VHS and DVD capability are available and can be used for instruction.  Classroom size for most construction management courses range on average from 10 to 15 students.

OUR LEARNERS  The students in the construction management are:  From 17 to 60+ years old  All races and both genders  Some fresh out of high school, some returning to school from the military or from being laid off  Some students have some experience in construction, others have little or none  Some students have some experience with computer- aided design and architecture, others have little or none

OVERALL GOAL  With the problems solved, students that complete the construction management degree will be able to:  Identify traditional construction materials and have experience with the use of those materials  Identify and evaluate the use and implementation of new construction materials and techniques  Be fluent in computer-aided design software to create and manipulate construction plans

REFERENCES AVID Technical Resources. Retrieved from Articles/Work-Experience-vs--Certifications--- What-Do-Emplo.aspx Articles/Work-Experience-vs--Certifications--- What-Do-Emplo.aspx EWU Catalog. Retrieved from Twin Group Corporate Website. Retrieved from candidates-with-practical-work-experience-in- the-uk /2 candidates-with-practical-work-experience-in- the-uk /2