Development and Implementation of an Industry Sponsored Construction Management Capstone Course

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to improve students’ problem-solving skills in civil engineering and construction management education. Design/methodology/approach The design includes structured role-playing as a pedagogical method in 21 project teams with a total of 82 undergraduate students at Chang’an University, China, in a nine-week Building Information Modeling (BIM) capstone course. The methodology is a teaching–learning experiment in a civil engineering education program with a detailed description of the empirical case and assessment instruments. The approach is to train project execution planning in a capstone course by role-playing with a real-world project using the procedures of the BIM Project Execution Planning Guide (PEPG) and process mapping. Findings The study finds that students can significantly improve their problem-solving skills through planning and role-specific communication during projects. Research limitations/implications The research sample needs to be expanded from senior-level undergraduate students to consider the different backgrounds and motivations of students. Practical implications This pedagogy is helpful to educators who are interested in group learning with a real-world project; the procedures of BIM PEPG; self-chosen responsibilities within a capstone course time framework; raising the awareness of the importance of planning; information exchange; and team cooperation. Originality/value This paper fulfills an identified need to study how role-playing in information and technology rich environments can be structured.

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The Horticulture Curriculum at Michigan State University

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.31.4.694a ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 31 (4) ◽

pp. 694a-694

Author(s):

Robert C. Herner

Keyword(s):

Construction Management ◽

Michigan State University ◽

Vegetable Crops ◽

State University ◽

Management Option ◽

Student Body ◽

Capstone Course ◽

Applied Physiology ◽

The University ◽

Design Construction

The Dept. of Horticulture changed its curriculum prior to 1992 to conform to the change from the quarter to the semester system that took place in Fall 1992. As a result of changes in our student body, their interests, and new accounting procedures for determining productivity in our college and the university, another revamping of our curriculum was accomplished beginning in Fall 1992 and our curriculum was changed again to take effect in Fall 1994. Our students now have a choice of a Landscape, Design, Construction Management option or Horticulture. Students all take a two-semester sequence of an Introductory Horticulture course—they must choose a production and management course from three out of four commodity areas (floriculture, landscape, pomology, or vegetable crops), and three out of five upper-division courses in applied physiology or genetics. They must also take a course in Greenhouse Structures and Management and a senior-level capstone course in Horticutural Management. This curriculum has broadened our students' exposure to horticulture to a much greater degree than was present in our old curriculum. In addition, they have about 20–21 credits (out of 120) for electives.

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