Construction Management Courses Research Articles

Development and Delivery of an Integrated Project-Based Jobsite Management Undergraduate Course

At universities offering professional degrees, such as construction management, some programs are moving towards and exploring alternative delivery methods for achieving the curriculum's goals and objectives. This article describes an integrated and project-based learning Jobsite Construction Management course being taught at a major university. A course overview describing the various delivery methods used (such as lectures, reading assignments, supplemental materials, guest lecturers, lab assignments, technology, and jobsite visits) is presented. The benefits of vertical and horizontal course integration in a project-based learning environment are emphasized and more fully explained. A class survey was conducted over two quarters to assess the student's perspective on various aspects of the course, in particular the delivery methods used to relate course material. The student survey responses are evaluated and discussed individually. Results suggest that an integrated curriculum set in a project-based learning environment utilizing various delivery methods can produce positive results from a student's perspective.

The Role of Assessment in the Development of Judgement

AbstractThis paper introduces an integrated assessment model developed within a project management discipline stream in a Construction Management course. Following Boud and Falchikov (2007) this model starts with practice, that is, the actual ‘doing’ of project management as the basis for shaping assessment that equips students to learn for the rest of their lives. Practice is understood as a holistic conception of what professionals do in particular contexts, and a theoretical construct that provides a method of framing ways in which we can investigate the world (Schatzki, 2001). This approach opens the way for considerations of assessment that engage with, and cultivate, certain kinds of professional learning and identity formation including the development of judgement. Integral to the model is the non-sequential nature of assessment activities, evolving team formation and ongoing self and communal reflection. The paper concludes that the use of an authentic and integrated assessment model creates a co...

Building for health? The construction managers of tomorrow.

Attitudes to health and health promotion have an impact on health-related behaviour. This is important when considering the different settings where health promotion can take place. The workplace is increasingly becoming recognised as an important setting for health promotion. Research has formerly concentrated on workplaces that are static, i.e. on one site; however, the greater challenge lies in the industries that have transient populations, such as the construction industry. High levels of accidents and ill health have long been synonymous with the construction industry and yet there has been limited research carried out into attitudes to health and the extent of health promotion activities within the industry. The aim of this research was to investigate the attitudes, beliefs and knowledge to health and health promotion of final year students who will graduate to work as construction managers. The students that participated in the study had had the experience of both university and a year-long placement within the industry. The method used for data collection was semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. Students from the BSc (Hons) Building and Construction Management courses were invited for interviews and a response rate of 85% was achieved. Results revealed that the students were aware of factors that influenced health, but tended to focus on health-related behaviours. This attitude influenced the measures they suggested to promote health in the workplace. The students' knowledge of health within the construction industry was disappointing. Work experience in the industry had exposed them to various sources of health information, but little action was taken to involve employees and structural issues Limited the effectiveness of this information. Policy development in the construction industry appeared to rely on disciplinary procedures with an emphasis being placed on employees signing declarations after receiving the information. The conclusion of this research was that attitudes to health are dominated by the structures within the organisation, with those paid on an hourly basis being less likely to participate in workplace health promotion. The information provided to site workers is limited in its approach and application. The impact of employment structure and the work environment presents a challenge to promoting health in this environment.

A Benchmark Study on Housing Defects in Victoria, Australia

The construction industry consists of many small businesses employing less than five people. A challenge to the construction industry is to ensure that the many small firms and sub-contractors keep producing quality housing to meet the needs of their customers and clients. In attempts to continually improve the quality of housing various policies and mechanisms have been adopted. These have included industry sponsored quality programs and industry administered builder registration. However, these attempts have failed because of consumer mistrust of industry-sponsored programs. In 0addition, these mechanisms have been introduced in isolation and not as a part of an integrated industry initiative that includes education and training from the trade to tertiary level construction management courses. This work contributes to knowledge through a detailed on-going study of housing quality and defects. This research identifies the common forms of defects, which occur in housing and their incidences. The overall aim of this paper is to report the identification of defects in housing and the establishment of benchmarks (or a baseline) for the incidence defects in various functional elements within a house. It also suggests the areas where defects are likely to occur. From the knowledge gained from the study, industry and governments may make informed decisions of where resources may be directed to the areas where it will be most beneficial both to the house builder and the end user (customer). For this to occur the findings of this research will be disseminated into the housing industry and eventually integrated into tertiary courses in building and construction management.

A Study on Market-based Construction Management Course Content for Japanese Higher Education Institutions

A Study on Market-based Construction Management Course Content for Japanese Higher Education Institutions

Variations in Conceptions of Learning in Construction Technology: Implications for learning

The majority of studies on conceptions of learning have investigated learning from an instructional perspective involving university students from education programs. As such, these studies have not included other sources of variation that may arise from learners having a broader picture of learning which includes classroom instruction but is not limited to it, and have conceptions of learning that are mediated by context and work experience. This article reports a study that extends the scope for studies in conceptions of learning by considering general and subject-specific conceptions of learning, as well as comparing conceptions of learning of learners who have had at least two years of work experience and those who have come directly from school. The study involved students from a Construction Management course. This was to avoid familiarity with learning theories and processes. The findings indicated that while there is a degree of similarity between the general and subject-specific conceptions of learning there are also differences, probably caused by the context and intent of learners. Two new conceptions namely self-development and lifelong learning emerged from general conceptions, and self/career development and obtaining grades to complete the degree emerged from subject-specific conceptions. Even when the general and subject-specific conceptions of learning are similar there are differences in the meaning inherent in them. Learners are concerned with different aspects of learning such as application and acquisition of understanding. Similarly, differences were also seen in the emphasis placed on different conceptions of learning by the 'work experience' and the 'no work experience' groups. The findings suggest that, given the complexity of learning as a concept, it may be more beneficial to consider conceptions of learning in light of the context and intent of the learner rather than just as an academic definition.