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Implementing a Simultaneous Construction Model to Educate Undergraduates in Collaboration

Abstract

One of the goals in Construction Management is to educate students to become successful construction managers who need both technical knowledge and management skills. But most of Construction Management programs teach students techniques or management separately, and then students can not understand abstract construction management skills easily without practices. A Simultaneous Construction Model based on online collaboration and 3D visualization is presented in this paper, and on this model students work together effectively from design phase through construction phase in several cases. From this model, students learn how to collaborate in construction engineering.

Introduction

Construction management is a comprehensive knowledge which includes techniques and practices, and construction techniques concern not only civil engineering techniques such as properties of materials, structural engineering method, and soil mechanics, but also other relevant engineering techniques such as air conditioning, plumbing, electrical systems, and elevators. As majority of undergraduates begin to study construction management without any previous construction practices, they have time on neither studying through all relevant construction techniques or management skills nor practicing through construction projects within 4 years. Students often feel frustrated when they try to illustrate how a construction project is managed and what construction participants communicate.

One goal of Construction Management Program is to make students become successful construction managers who are capable of solving both common and unusual problems. But construction management problems usually are tangled with techniques with management issues, students must learn how to use both technical and management skills to manage construction projects properly. Usually undergraduate students learn basic civil engineering techniques in the first two years, and then they learn some abstract management skills such estimation, quality management, project management in the last two years. Since those management courses are self-independent, few practical construction management skills are taught in classes. Majority of Construction Management programs teach students techniques or management separately, and then students can not understand abstract construction management skills easily without practices. Though students can learn more construction communication skills by simple cases in classes, a construction project is too complex to study in any time-limited course4.

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Hu, W. (2007, June), Implementing A Simultaneous Construction Model To Educate Undergraduates In Collaboration Paper presented at 2007 Annual Conference & Exposition, Honolulu, Hawaii. 10.18260/1-2--2662