sity where he teaches courses in Estimating, Construction Documents, Scheduling, and Project Delivery. He has 11 years industry experience in commercial construction management, holds a Ph.D. in Education, an M.S. in Integrated Design & Construction, and a B.S. in Construction Management. His areas of research include construction education, assessment, accreditation, instructional technology, and active learning. Prof. Lauren W Redden, Auburn University Lauren Redden holds a Masters degree in Building Construction from Auburn University. Her industry experience includes working in Pre-Construction Services as an Estimator, and working in various positions in Operations including Project Management and Quality Control/Assurance. She is currently a Tenure Track Assistant Professor with the McWhorter School of Building Science at Auburn University. Her research interests center around construction education, mobile technologies, service learning, and historically significant construction events throughout the world. She has published in several conferences proceedings. Contact Information: 118 M. Miller Gorrie Center,
Site development activities are crucial to construction projects, yet construction management (CM) programs typically focus instruction on building structures rather than the associated site development. Previous studies have evaluated key skills and topics being taught in CM programs yet these studies have failed to examine instruction as it relates specifically to site development. This study bridges the gap in research by evaluating the perceptions of CM academics regarding site development instruction. A survey was administered to CM faculty teaching in Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) affiliated programs in the United States. The survey included eighteen site development topics and was validated by four general contracting industry professionals and three site development industry professionals before distribution. Participants were asked to classify each of the topics within the six levels of the revised Bloom’s taxonomy. The survey was completed by 35 respondents representing all seven ASC regions in the United States. When aggregating results of all the site development topics, the majority of respondents felt that students should achieve the “understand” level (Level II) of cognition by the time they graduate. The highest ranking and lowest ranking topics are also identified along with recommendations based on the findings.
Lauren Redden holds a Masters degree in Building Construction from Auburn University. Her industry experience includes working in Pre-Construction Services as an Estimator, and working in various positions in Operations including Project Management and Quality Control/Assurance. She is currently a Tenure Track Assistant Professor with the McWhorter School of Building Science at Auburn University. Her research interests center around construction education, mobile technologies, service learning, hands-on engaged learning, and historically significant construction events throughout the world. She has published in several conferences proceedings. Contact Information: 118 M.
Estimating is an essential part of any construction firm and a core subject in construction management education. Construction faculty should make every effort to align their courses with the needs of industry. A survey was completed by members of the American Society of Professional Estimators and the McWhorter School of Building Science Industry Advisory Council to determine what software was most prevalently utilized in industry for material quantification and cost estimating. A total of 186 practitioners responded to the survey. On-Screen Takeoff and Bluebeam were found to be the most commonly used software for material quantification and Microsoft Excel for cost estimating. Most respondents did not utilize BIM for material quantification but did consider that functionality as valuable when assessing new software. The results of the survey built on similar previous research both of industry and academic practices. Specific differences in the research findings are highlighted, and recommendations for construction faculty are provided. Future research should seek to understand software utilization by construction estimating faculty to compare with industry practices.
The construction industry remains one of the most dangerous industries to work in even after decades of safety improvements [1]. Researchers, such as Zohar, have argued that safety climate, or safety culture, is "a robust leading indicator or predictor of safety outcomes across industries and countries" [2]. This study made use of mixed methodology that blends quantitative and qualitative research methods to gauge the relative level of commitment each project's workforce has to a positive safety culture at Herbert Hoover Dike. The quantitative portion of the research revealed a positive perception of safety among craft workers. The qualitative portion of the research revealed major themes and subthemes associated with safety culture on the project. Further research is needed to capture additional workers on this project as well as connect safety culture with accident rate with this and other construction projects.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.