Construction Management Faculty Publications and Presentations Copyright (c) 2013 Boise State University All rights reserved. http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs Recent documents in Construction Management Faculty Publications and Presentations en-us Sun, 27 Jan 2013 15:12:12 PST 3600 Bridging the Valley of Death: A Preliminary Look at Faculty Views on Adoption of Innovations in Engineering Education http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/18 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/18 Tue, 04 Sep 2012 14:48:25 PDT There is a nationwide need to better translate engineering education research into the classroom setting. Moving engineering education research into practice is a more complicated task than it might initially seem. There are many significant barriers to hinder the transition from research to implementation. These barriers can be categorized into two groups: (1) individual barriers, such as personality characteristics that contribute to a lack of willingness to implement innovations, as well as a lack of knowledge about engineering education research; and (2) environmental perceptions, such as perceptions of the tenure and promotion process that suggest a lack of support for innovations.

The project discussed in this paper investigates the characteristics of faculty members who successfully adopt engineering education innovations and studies the impact of their working environment on their decision to adopt. Additionally, the project investigates characteristics of faculty members who do not adopt engineering education innovations and whether that decision was affected by perceptions of their working environment.

This paper describes preliminary results of a data collection effort identifying current barriers faculty members have in the adoption of innovations in engineering education. This paper presents data from two perspectives, that of self and colleagues. These perspectives are part of a larger 360° approach for data collection that also includes the perspectives of students, experts in education innovation - such as the director of a center for teaching and learning, administrators, and published documents. This 360° approach provides a foundation for bridging the gap, often referred to as the 'valley of death,' between engineering education research and the common practice of engineering education.

]]> Kirsten A. Davis et al. Study Habits of Students in an Introductory-Level Construction Management Course http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/17 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/17 Tue, 04 Sep 2012 14:34:14 PDT Introductory level materials and methods courses in Construction Management (CM) programs generally require students to acquire an enormous new vocabulary. This vocabulary includes terminology pertaining to the materials themselves, as well as terminology defining the construction processes using the materials. Courses such as these form a backbone of knowledge that is necessary in nearly every other CM course.

Students are often not prepared for the amount of self-directed studying they must do to be successful in this type of course, particularly as freshmen in college. This paper examines the self-reported study habits of 68 students enrolled in a freshman level CM materials and methods course. This paper presents some insights into how students study for exams and what resources they use (or do not use). The paper also presents preliminary findings indicating that many students appear to have a lack of accurate self-knowledge, defined as the ability to accurately judge one’s level of knowledge, and a lack of self-regulation, defined as the ability to adjust one’s behavior to ensure that acquisition of missing knowledge is successful.

]]> Kirsten A. Davis How Individuals Learn Fall Protection http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/16 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/16 Tue, 04 Sep 2012 14:30:06 PDT To effectively train construction personnel in construction safety means and methods it must be determined from whom employees learn and how knowledge is most effectively transferred to employees. One component in determining from whom and how knowledge is most effectively transferred to employees is to gauge how employees perceive the effectiveness of training. The primary goals of this research were to assess employee's perceptions of the effectiveness of training by first assessing the types and methods of training that they are provided, and then to assess their perception of the effectiveness of that training. Towards this end, a survey was conducted to collect data concerning the perceived effectiveness of fall protection training from employees of small commercial construction entities. The resulting data was analyzed to gauge employees perceived effectiveness of training methodologies and to gauge from whom employees perceive training to be most effective. Findings from the study are relevant because understanding employee perceptions of the effectiveness of training will allow for more effective training methodologies to be developed. Further, understanding training effectiveness is important for construction management students that will eventually be expected to provide training for industry employees.

]]> Casey Cline et al. Assessing Individuals' Resistance Prior to IT Implementation in the AEC Industry http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/15 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/15 Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:42:39 PDT Ever increasing technological capabilities exist in the architecture/engineering/construction (AEC) industry. Email, project specific websites, Computer Aided Drafting (CAD), animations, and Building Information Modeling (BIM) are but a few information technologies adopted in recent years within the industry. The change methods used in the adoptions suggest a focus on technology, yet the technology itself is seen as a primary barrier to successful implementation.

In general, the AEC industry is extremely slow to embrace available information technology. Companies often have difficulty with technology implementations because technology is the driver of change, rather than an enabler of change. Resistance of people is the primary reason for failure of any organizational change, including an information technology change. Technological changes will be more successful when researchers develop a fundamental understanding of how people change. Studying individuals and their change processes is essential to improving implementation of technology change, yet change management theories present processes and guidelines for changing organizations and tasks with limited emphasis on individuals involved in change. This research uses a people centered paradigm for developing technology implementation models, placing technology in a change enabling position rather than being a driver of change.

This research investigates individuals’ resistance to change brought about by new information technology implementation in the AEC industry. Resistance to change is a combination of three factors: cause of resistance, level of resistance, and manifestation of resistance. Previous work investigated the importance of specific behavioral characteristics indicative of resistance to change and correlated these characteristics to the level of resistance in individuals. This paper discusses methodology continuing this work, which aims to confirm the previous work, as well as to develop and validate new predictive tools to identify potential resisters prior to an information technology change implementation. The results from analysis of preliminary data are also discussed.

]]> Kirsten Davis The Case Method In Construction Management Education http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/14 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/14 Wed, 25 Apr 2012 10:53:49 PDT Kirsten Davis Resistance to IT Change in the AEC Industry: Are the Stereotypes True? http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/13 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/13 Wed, 25 Apr 2012 10:48:06 PDT Information technology (IT) change is difficult to implement successfully. Cultural (people) issues are a major barrier to IT implementation in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry and existing change models have limitations, particularly with respect to cultural issues, which directly affect the ability of companies within the AEC industry to successfully implement IT change. This paper discusses research exploring the relationships between a resistance to change index (RTCI) and the demographics of individuals to understand different AEC participants’ resistance to IT change. Identifying individuals that exhibit different intensities of resistance to IT change efforts and their attendant demographics provides benchmark data to organizations. The ability to identify potential resistors is the first step in helping ensure that new technology implementations succeed. Data was collected from a 156-person sample of the AEC population to determine the relationships among different demographic groups within the AEC population and differences in their RTCI. The data analysis found several demographic groups that were different in their likelihood of resistance, including profession, gender, computer understanding and experience, and awareness of past or future changes occurring in their company. Age and education level were expected to have relationships with RTCI, based on industry stereotypes. The data analysis found that these stereotypes have no scientific basis. Two other stereotypes, gender and computer understanding and experience, were supported by the data analysis.

]]> Kirsten A. Davis et al. Using Low-Stakes Quizzing for Student Self-Evaluation of Readiness for Exams http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/12 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/12 Mon, 19 Mar 2012 15:12:52 PDT Introductory level courses in many Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) disciplines require students to acquire an enormous new discipline-specific vocabulary in preparation for future courses. Students are often not prepared for the amount of self-directed studying they must do to be successful in these types of courses, particularly in their first year of college. To assist students in more accurately gauging their readiness for an exam, online low-stakes quizzes were implemented in a freshman level course, giving students an opportunity to practice their new language with minimal grade-related consequences. This quizzing strategy provides students an opportunity to self-assess their current level of knowledge. The quizzes also provide feedback, helping students determine how to adjust their behavior to ensure that acquisition of the missing knowledge is successful. This paper presents preliminary results of the research effort and illustrates the effects of this low-stakes quizzing. Specifically, this paper evaluates (1) whether the quizzing helps students to better prepare for medium and high stakes exams; (2) whether the quizzing increases the mean exam scores compared to previous semesters with no quizzing; and (3) whether the quizzing must be required (low-stakes) to be effective, or whether it can be optional (no-stakes) and still benefit students.

]]> Kirsten A. Davis Using No-Stakes Quizzing for Student Self-Evaluation of Readiness for Exams http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/11 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/11 Fri, 09 Sep 2011 15:16:09 PDT Introductory level materials and methods courses in Construction Management (CM) programs generally require students to acquire an enormous new vocabulary. This vocabulary includes terminology pertaining to the materials themselves, as well as terminology defining the construction processes using the materials. Courses such as these form a backbone of knowledge that is necessary in nearly every other CM course, whether they are formal prerequisites or not.

Students are often not prepared for the amount of self-directed studying they must do to be successful in this type of course, particularly as freshmen in college. To assist students in more accurately gauging their readiness for an exam, no-stakes (optional) quizzes were implemented within the Blackboard course management system in a freshman level CM materials and methods course, giving students an opportunity to practice their new language with no grade-related consequences.

This paper presents preliminary results of that effort and illustrates the effects of this no-stakes (optional) quizzing. Specifically, this paper evaluates (1) whether the quizzing helps students to better prepare for medium- and high-stakes exams; and (2) whether the quizzing increases the mean exam scores compared to previous semesters with no quizzing.

]]> Kirsten A. Davis A Survey of Construction-Related Math Skills in an Introductory-Level Construction Management Course http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/10 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/10 Fri, 09 Sep 2011 15:10:19 PDT Construction management (CM) professionals use construction-related math skills daily in many aspects of their work. These math skills include adding and subtracting lengths, finding areas and volumes, and changing from one unit of measurement to another.

Many of these math skills are taught during elementary school, but numerous students are unable to confidently apply the skills several years later when they enter college, even though they may be eligible to take pre-calculus at that time.

This paper presents the results of a diagnostic construction-related math quiz given in a freshman level CM course over five different semesters, illustrating students’ consistent difficulty performing these math skills. Since it is imperative that students have confidence applying construction-related math skills upon graduation with a construction management degree, this paper also proposes strategies to improve students' construction math skills.

]]> Kirsten A. Davis Bridging the Valley of Death: A 360 Approach to Understanding Adoption of Innovations in Engineering Education http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/9 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/9 Fri, 09 Sep 2011 14:48:22 PDT There is a nationwide need to better translate engineering education research into the classroom setting. Moving engineering education research into practice is a more complicated task than it might initially seem. There are many significant barriers to hinder the transition from research to implementation. These barriers can be categorized into two groups: (1) individual barriers, such as personality characteristics that contribute to a lack of willingness to implement innovations, as well as a lack of knowledge about engineering education research; and (2) environmental perceptions, such as perceptions of the tenure and promotion that suggest a lack of support for innovations.

The project discussed in this paper investigates the characteristics of faculty members who successfully adopt engineering education innovations and studies the impact of their working environment on their decision to adopt. Additionally, the project investigates characteristics of faculty members who do not adopt engineering education innovations and whether that decision was affected by perceptions of their working environment.

This paper describes the identification of current barriers to the adoption of innovations in engineering education using a 360° approach. Perspectives include that of self, colleagues, students, experts in education innovation (such as the director of a center for teaching and learning), and the reality (from administrators and published documents) and perceptions (from individuals) of the tenure process and rewards/incentives. This 360° approach provides a foundation for bridging the gap, often referred to as the 'valley of death,' between engineering education research and the common practice of engineering education.

]]> Kirsten A. Davis et al. Effective Construction Management Teaching Strategies http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/8 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/8 Fri, 09 Sep 2011 14:39:07 PDT While lectures are the most common way to teach students, they are not necessarily the best way to convey all types of information. Many construction mangement concepts are often difficult to convey using traditional lecture strategies because the information is found to be abstract and out of context for many students. This paper discusses the findings of a study conducted to identify teaching strategies found most effective when teaching key compentencies of construction project managers to adults in higher education. Quantitative data concerning the key competencies of commercial construction project managers was used to develop questions to work within the five different perspectives on teaching from Pratt’s conceptual framework of teaching adults in higher education. The developed questions were used to conduct a qualitative study where current faculty members of construction management colleges were queried to determine which of the five startegies, or combination thereof, was most often used when teaching the identified key competencies to construction management students. The study found consistent strategies were used in teaching the identified key compentencies. The study is significant because by gaining a greater understanding of the teaching startegies found most often effective in teaching the key competencies of project managers, more effective education and training methods and procedures can be developed to facilitate the instruction of the defined key competencies, and improve the effectiveness of future project managers in the commercial construction industry.

]]> Casey Cline Qualifications of Safety Professionals in the U.S. Construction Industry http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/7 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/7 Fri, 09 Sep 2011 14:17:12 PDT Industry standards vary when hiring a safety professional for the commercial construction industry. Commercial construction companies consider national certifications, professional experience, field experience, and educational credentials when considering viable candidates for construction safety positions. This paper presents the finding of a study conducted to identify qualifications needed for construction safety professionals. Quantitative and qualitative data collected from U.S. commercial construction companies were analyzed to determine the qualifications needed for construction safety positions and establish consistency of value placed on the identified qualifications. Findings of the study improve understanding of the needed qualifications of construction safety professionals and can lead to more effective construction safety education through enhanced training methods and procedures.

]]> Casey Cline et al. Using Web Technology to Promote Student Internship/Cooperative Education in College of Engineering at Boise State University http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/6 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/6 Tue, 19 Jul 2011 13:42:37 PDT The Internship/Cooperative (Co-op) Education Program in the College of Engineering, Construction Management Department of Boise State University (BSU) provides an opportunity for students to apply firsthand what they have learned in the classroom. Students gain practical experience in their chosen career fields by working in a professional capacity in business, industry and government. The program allows students to gain valuable on-the-job training in areas of professional interest while earning academic credits and making important professional contacts that supplement their degrees. In the past, information about the availability of student internships was usually provided by word-of-mouth, and by posting notices on bulletin boards. There was a need to improve communications about the availability of internships as well as a need to establish closer contacts with the businesses that might serve as potential sources of internships. It has also been difficult to identify internship positions unless businesses took the initiative to contact the university.

Recently, an internship web site was developed and linked to the College of Engineering Homepage on the World-Wide-Web. This site was designed to facilitate the link between potential internship opportunities and undergraduate students seeking to match their chosen major field of study with work experience in participating organizations. This paper describes: the development of the internship web site on the College of Engineering Homepage; its organization, planning and implementation; industry/academia interactions for interactive and integrative applications; analysis of the historical data collected prior to the availability of the web; and interim results and recommendations for improvements with an emphasis on the need for implementation and expansion of the internship program with the use of Internet technology.

]]> J. C. Sener et al. Improving Course Comprehension Through Experiential Learning http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/5 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/5 Thu, 14 Jul 2011 15:49:20 PDT While lectures are the most common way to teach students, they are not necessarily the best way to convey some types of information. Consider the famous quote by Confucius: "I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand."

This paper discusses a hands-on experiential learning laboratory, which complements the lecture in a Construction Management (CM) materials and methods course. Many CM programs avoid hands-on experiences due to the vocational/technical stigma. However, experiential learning transforms construction concepts that are often abstract and out of context for many students in an exclusively lecture course into tangible objects and processes. The hands-on laboratory reinforces and supplements material covered in lecture and improves course comprehension by allowing students to learn through discovery. The laboratory aspect of the course also improves leadership, promotes teamwork, and increases student confidence.

This paper discusses specific laboratory experiences used and their educational value, student feedback regarding the experiential labs, and lessons learned for CM programs interested in adding or expanding their hands-on learning experiences for students.

]]> Kirsten Davis et al. Improving Motivation and Knowledge Retention with Repeatable Low-Stakes Quizzing http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/4 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/4 Thu, 14 Jul 2011 15:23:26 PDT Introductory level materials and methods courses in a Construction Management (CM) program generally require students to acquire an enormous new vocabulary. This vocabulary includes terminology pertaining to the materials themselves, as well as terminology defining the construction processes using the materials. Courses such as these form a backbone of knowledge that is necessary in nearly every other CM course, whether they are formal prerequisites or not.

A one-credit materials and methods lecture was modified, initially to provide more classroom lecture time. All testing during the semester was replaced with short online quizzes within a web-based course management system. Students were permitted to take each quiz multiple times until they achieved their desired grade. This testing method improved student excitement and motivation regarding the course material, as well as improving students’ retention of information.

This paper presents preliminary results illustrating the effects of repeatable low-stakes quizzing on students motivation and their retention of information in an introductory level materials and methods course.

]]> Kirsten Davis The Challenges of Using Service Learning in Construction Management Curricula http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/3 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/3 Mon, 05 Apr 2010 14:46:33 PDT The use of experiential learning as a pedagogical mechanism to facilitate the learning of skills taught in the classroom has become common in college curricula. Service learning and community engagement models are frequently used to combine academic skills with "real-world" experience to foster understanding, and to largely broaden the perspective of the learner. Service-learning and community engagement are both commonly used in construction management (CM) curricula to allow the CM learner to develop a greater understanding of construction materials, processes, and management techniques presented in CM coursework. CM educators, in an effort to formalize the experiential learning process into course curricula, inaccurately describe the experiential learning project as service-learning rather than community engagement because there is confusion about the parameters differentiating these two experiential models. In fact, many CM courses that include experiential learning are in fact practicing community engagement and not service-learning. It is the parameters that set these two forms of experiential learning apart that make the practice of using service-learning in CM curricula a challenge.

]]> Casey Cline et al. Beyond Sustainability: The Contractor’s Role in Regenerative System Design http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/2 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/2 Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:57:48 PDT Current business models employ the concept of the triple bottom line to integrate three aspects of sustainability into the organizational process: economic growth, environmental protection and social equity. This concept is evolving toward a regenerative design approach that promotes a triple "top" line, moving accountability to the beginning of the design process by assigning value to a variety of economic, environmental and social factors. There is an increasingly important need for proactive participation from the construction community in this new generation of sustainability efforts. Otherwise, there will be a widening gap between design and construction, in which the contractor role in sustainability is marginalized, relegated to merely minimizing end-of-project impacts rather than adding value and innovation throughout the project. This paper examines the triple top line in the context of construction projects and identifies opportunities for construction professionals to play a collaborative role in developing the next generation of regenerative facilities.

]]> Rebecca Mirsky et al. Resistance to IT Change in the AEC Industry: An Individual Assessment Tool http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/1 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/construct_facpubs/1 Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:23:11 PDT Numerous IT adoption studies within the AEC industry identify issues with individuals resisting IT changes. Current change models often only look at organizations and tasks and frequently neglect the individuals involved. The limitations in existing change models and the criticality of people issues in the successful implementation of change necessitates the investigation of individual resistance to IT change.

Change management theory and attitude-behavior connections provide a framework to study variables associated with impeding/promoting the use of technologies. Data collected from a 50-person sample of the AEC population allowed reductions of the attitudes, fears, and beliefs variables. Reducing the variables indicative of resistance to information technology change facilitated the creation of a detailed social architecture factor model. Subsequently, a Resistance to Change Index (RTCI) was created, enabling estimations of the intensity of resistance an individual is likely to exhibit using the personality traits and behavioral characteristics identified in the revised social architecture factor model.

The RTCI assists practitioners in developing new technology implementation plans. The RTCI also enables researchers to understand how individual participants resist and adapt to change allowing the development of enhanced organizational adoption models for new technology implementation within the building industry.

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