A collaborative learning method for construction project delivery methods

Abstract

Developing the understanding of construction project delivery methods is one of the major objectives of Construction Management course. This course has been offered by the author for the last three academic years at the University of Texas at San Antonio. The course is lecturebased. The lecture-based course usually leans towards being instructor centered. Recognizing this fact, the author has developed different strategies every semester to keep the lecture more interactive and student-centered. The strategies included from group studies to company interviews and presentations. According to the author's personal experience, traditional homework assignments are not as effective as team-based assignments in a lecture-based management course. Embedding people's skills requires team-based collaborative exercises. In order to enhance students' learning, rather than having traditional homework assignments, different quiz assignments have been designed for the course. The last semester, the author has decided to explore in addition to the lecture, if collaborative working exercises can be effective in learning. The construction project delivery methods topic is used for the collaborative working exercise. First, the delivery methods are presented in a traditional lecture. The Engineering News Record (ENR) Top Lists of Design-Build, Construction Management at Risk, and Construction Management for Fee type of delivery methods are made available to students. Later, they are asked to make a group of five people and investigate those companies' websites in a detailed manner. They are supposed to find out the reasons why these companies became the leaders in respective project delivery methods. They are asked to come up with their own construction company and develop an argument for the audience explaining how their company became one of the leaders in respective project delivery methods. They are also asked to explain their approach (involvement) from initiation to completion of projects by being specific and giving examples of projects from different industry segments. During presentations, the instructor guides them on presentation skills as well. The team based, collaborative working approach creates interaction among students, enhances communication. They enjoy creating together. The results of the evaluation are expected that in addition to traditional lecture, the team based work study approach enhances the understanding of the project delivery methods; students get the chance to work in a team environment, learn by collaborating, and develop leadership skills. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2014.