USING A BUILDING SYSTEMS APPROACHTO CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS AND METHODS COURSES

INTRODUCTION TO THE SYSTEMS CONCEPT

The learning environment of construction materials and methods courses is often fragmented. These two courses are usually administered separately or independently of each other. The curriculum for each course is frequently designed around available resource materials, which generally does not examine in detail the relationship between materials and methods. Most construction materials textbooks are organized to examine specific materials, such as wood, glass, metals, and plastics, but there has been a limited effort towards application of these materials to specific methods of construction. The same problem exists for construction methods textbooks, where methods of construction for different types of buildings are presented in a way that does not emphasize the interrelationship between materials and methods. If the available resources are used by educators in the traditional educational environment, students pick up bits and pieces of information from these courses, but do not have a conceptual understanding of the working relationships between the nature of the materials, the equipment required for application, the method of construction, and the jobsite conditions.

This lack of application becomes more evident when students exiting from a materials and methods course sequence are evaluated with a comprehensive examination. They generally will score strong in knowledge and comprehension of the course materials, but less than adequate with problems that require application of the knowledge in a new situation. The question that educators must seriously consider is, "What changes could be made to the traditional educational approach to materials and methods courses that will develop greater mastery of the concepts by the student?" To research this question, the content of an instructional unit from a traditional materials course (wood as a material), and an instructional unit from a traditional methods course (wood floor framing) will be examined. The following is a general outline of these two instructional units, as they would normally be organized.

WOOD AS A MATERIAL

WOOD FLOOR FRAMING

These two general outlines appear to be complete and inclusive of all the basic components required by both courses. If this is true, and a student has completed both instructional units, will that student be able to answer the following application-type questions?

The economics of the design: What species are generally available from the suppliers for floor joists? If a stronger grade or a different species is available, what does this change? If an alternate floor joist material were to be used, should there be a change in the design of the system, such as span or spacing? What is the availability of an alternative material, and the effect on scheduling? What will the benefits be if a single-floor sheathing is used, as compared to double-floor sheathing? How will the floor finish materials be affected by using a single-floor sheathing material?

Production time required for installation: Will the production time change when comparing 2x12 @ 16" o.c. and 2x10 @ 12" o.c. floor joists? How will this compare to total cost of the floor system, labor and materials? What effect does glue have on the span of the 'joists? Will there be a sub­stantial difference in labor and materials (fasteners) if construction glue is used? How will the total costs compare if power fasteners are used? Can specific components be precut or pre-assembled? What additional equipment would be required if pre-assembled components are used? How do material characteristics affect Jobsite assembly or preassembly? What weather conditions require a change in the application of materials?

The curriculum should be designed to present the course materials in a way that encourages the students to ask these questions of themselves as they learn about the characteristics of materials and the methods of construction. The traditional educational approach, as briefly stated by the two outlines, is not designed to emphasize the interrelationship of the materials and methods. To develop a learning environment that increases the students' retention and application of the course materials, the educator should initially focus on the organizational structure of the course curriculum and not on the content of the curriculum.

The 'building systems approach" to construction materials and methods education was designed to develop a better perspective for the student, so he/she will understand the relationships between materials, methods and processes. This concept examines both materials and methods as they relate to each other, and enables the student to:

DESIGN OF THE BUILDING SYSTEMS APPROACH

The design of the course curriculum for a building systems approach should be based upon the general classifications of construction used in the industry, and upon the various systems involved within each classification of construction. There are many types of buildings that could be identified and included in this list, but essentially the industry recognizes three general classifications:

Additional types of buildings, such as reinforced masonry, pre-engineered steel, or the new technologically-advanced plastic buildings may also be considered, but it is important to start with the basic types during the developmental stages of the curriculum. The next step is to list the systems of construction that are related to each of the three types of buildings.

There are additional building systems that could be consid­ered, but the key factor is that the system is broadly defined to include all of the materials, equipment and methods that ly to that specific segment of the building process. endows or doors would not be considered a building system, since they are part of the completed exterior wall, and therefore would be included in either wall systems or exterior finish systems, or both. If materials for sitework and drainage are to be examined, they should be included in foundation systems or in a new category of sitework systems. The examination of a specific material or method should not create a new building system for instructional purposes; the system should be defined and the materials and methods that apply to that building system should be examined.

FRAMEWORK

The most convenient way to visualize the overall curriculum of the building systems concept is to develop a matrix of the types of construction and the individual building systems. A (3 X 6) matrix will be used to represent the three types of buildings and the six building systems for each type.

Each box in the matrix represents an instructional unit for both materials and methods courses. The content of each instructional unit will include all of the construction materials, accessories, fasteners, tools and equipment that are available to the industry and apply to that specific building system. The construction materials course would then use that content, as defined by the building system, to teach the composition and application of the material and how it is used within a specific' method of construction. The construction methods course would use the same content, as defined by the building system, to teach the methods of construction which are governed by the specific materials being used. After each instructional unit has been com­leted, it is easy to identify units that have similar content. f the number sessions available each semester is less than the total number of instructional units, the units with common content could be combined. Additional building systems can be added to accommodate specialty structures or specialty materials that were not included in any instructional unit from the original matrix.

Using the building systems concept, an outline of the instructional unit for wood frame floor systems would be as follows: (This system would take the place of the traditional outline of wood as a material and wood floor framing.)

WOOD FRAME BUILDING - FLOOR SYSTEMS

Floor Joist

Floor Sheathing

The list below each of the major floor system components should very inclusive of all material specifications, materials application, design information, installation information, tools, equipment, methods and processes.

ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE

The systems approach to materials and methods education does not govern the administration of the courses within the construction program. The emphasis of the concept is to construct a new philosophy on how the courses should be organized and presented in the classroom. The two courses can be dependent or independent of each other. The pro­gram can be designed to accommodate lecture class only, or a combination of lecture and laboratory activities. The resource materials needed to support the course activities can be generated from a variety of sources. In general, there are three categories of resources that can be devel­oped for the materials and methods courses.

The type of resource material in the first category can be developed primarily for lecture courses, but lecture courses could incorporate resource materials from the second category. The most effective curriculum should use all three categories of resources in a combination of lecture and laboratory activities. It would also be beneficial if the courses could be sequenced together, with the weekly activities complimenting each other.

SUMMARY

The building systems concept requires the educator to organize the curriculum and present the course materials in a way that shows how all of the pieces fit into a system to obtain a final product. Students will develop a better understanding of the materials and processes, which will contribute towards their ability to apply this knowledge when solving field problems. This concept also generates greater detail of specific materials and methods which is beneficial to the educator as well as to thy student.