Conference Session

Innovation in Construction Engineering Education II

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gunnar Lucko, Catholic University of America; Panagiotis Tsopelas, Catholic University of America; Timothy Garland, Catholic University of America; Rodrigo Gonzalez, Catholic University of America; Thomas Lee, Catholic University of America; Justin Molineaux, Catholic University of America

Tagged Divisions

Construction

engineering, and other specialty topics. Laboratory experimentsthat test scaled models are included to assess the achieved performance of potential solutions.Need for Student-Centered LearningRecent changes in the ABET accreditation requirements for engineering education as listed inthe previous section have placed even more weight on the learning output on the student sidethan on the teaching input on the faculty side (13) during the didactic process. Othercharacteristics of this new educational paradigm are an emphasis on teamwork in working onprojects, as will be experienced by the engineering graduates upon entering the constructionindustry, and instilling an appreciation of lifelong learning in the students. Under this so-calledstudent-centered

Conference Session

Innovation in Construction Engineering Education I

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Virendra Varma, Missouri Western State University

Tagged Divisions

Construction

teach students how to avoid construction failures in the future.As educators, it is concluded; we must teach students to strictly enforce review in design, and theassociated change of design procedures including technical review and documentation. Theauthor has incorporated construction failures as case studies in his senior classes, andrecommends the approach of using past construction failures and the lessons learned to improvethe practical aspects of engineering design and construction practice.IntroductionIn June 2006, in a building collapse in Clinton, Missouri, a town of some 9500 people, a 32-year-old leader of the Elks Club, lost his life. The century-old Elks Lodge was a three-story brickbuilding that collapsed partially without

Conference Session

Trends in Construction Engineering Education I

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephen Mulva, Texas State University-San Marcos; Robert Tisdel, Texas State University - San Marcos

Tagged Divisions

Construction

VisionAEL fortheir architecture and engineering work on ‘big box’ retail stores. Over 4,000 units later, theyhave demonstrated that cost and time can both decrease if the quality of contract documents(C/D’s) and their accessibility are both improved (scope held constant)3. In fact, the number of Page 12.333.3C/D’s was drastically reduced by BSW’s PWO, thereby improving the clarity and confidenceneeded to construct each building. This seemingly counterintuitive finding is not dissimilar fromthe recent history of BIM in the shipbuilding and automotive industries4, nor is it dissimilar fromthe authors’ experience teaching at Texas State.The authors