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- ASC Proceedings of the 25th Annual Conference
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln- Lincoln, Nebraska
- April 1989 pp 95-104
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METHODS
TO TRANSLATE MATERIALS MANAGEMENT MODEL INFORMATION INTO INSTRUCTION
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Frederick Muehihausen Purdue University West
Lafayette, Indiana |
| Research
(Business Roundtable, 1983) indicates that there exists in the
construction industry a need for technically-trained management
personnel to perform materials management activities. The current
problem of low worker productivity and unreasonable construction project
cost due to unavailable materials at the time and place of need will
continue until construction managers learn how to manage the flow of
material to and through the construction site. The Materials Management Model
For Construction Management Curriculum Development (Muehlhausen, 1987)
identified management activities, mental activities, and key information
required to plan, execute, and control the flow of materials to and
through the construction site. The Model serves no practical purpose
unless model information can be translated into instruction. This paper describes a
seven-step procedure for translating Model information into instruction.
The procedure identifies those management activities, mental activities,
and key information which should be a part of student learning to reach
a specific educational goal. An example of the use of the
translation method for preparing instruction is described for the
educational goal: PLANNING
THE USE OF THE CONSTRUCTION SITE Instructional materials include
a student workbook, magnetic template board, and three-dimensional model
of a construction site. KEY WORDS: Materials
management, material handling, job layout, instructional development,
construction management curriculum, construction sites |
INTRODUCTION
Research
(Borcherding & Garner, 1980; Borcherding & Sebastion, 1980; Business
Roundtable, 1983; Logcher & Collins, 1978; Olson, 1978) indicates that there
exists in the construction industry a need for technically-trained management
personnel to perform materials management activities. The current problem of low
worker productivity and unreasonable construction project cost due to
unavailable materials at the time and place of need will continue until
construction managers learn how to manage the flow of material to and through
the construction site.
The
Materials Management Model for Construction Curriculum Development(Model) serves
no practical purpose unless the information it contains can be translated into
instruction. The procedure identified in this paper attempts to translate model
information into instruction.
THE
PROCEDURE
The
following seven-step procedure provides one method for translating Model
information into instruction:
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EXAMPLE
A
review of construction literature indicated that "job layout" was an
important planning activity that was seldom included in existing construction
management curriculums despite its prominence in the management of materials on
the construction site. The following steps applied the procedure for translating
Model information into instruction for "job layout" or planning the
use of the construction site:
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Figure
1 sheet 2&3 of the model |
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Figure
1 continued |
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INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS
This
section describes the instructional materials about job layout created from the
content Model. Goals and objectives extracted from the Model using the
prescribed translation procedure guided the preparation and selection of
instructional materials.
Student Workbook
A
series of study guides was developed and bound, along with assignment sheets and
selected readings, into a workbook entitled "Job Layout: Planning the Use
of the Construction Site". The study guides organized student learning and
provided direction to the student when preparing written assignments. The study
guides also served to guide the instructor in preparing lecture/demonstrations.
The assignment sheets specified the requirements for writing and problem-solving
activities. Selected readings supplemented the required text.
Study
Guides.
The study guides were similar in structure and content to the Self-Instructional
Guide found in The Three Stage Model of Course Design (Feldhusen, 1980). The
study guides contained an introduction to the topic to be studied, the goal of
student learning for that topic, the learning objectives which when met
fulfilled the goal of learning, a listing of learning activities such as
readings, written assignments, and viewing of audio-visual materials, and a
reference to further readings.
The
introduction was typically one paragraph in length. As suggested by Feldhusen
(1980), the introduction served to orient the student toward the topic to be
studied. It also served as a motivator to develop student interest in the
subject to be learned. Due to the linear nature of instruction for Job Layout,
that is, topics built one upon another, the introduction served to relate the
present topic to those previously studied.
The
goal "statement" was normally one paragraph in length. The statement
specified the broad instructional aim of that topic. The goal of instruction for
each topic was identified by examining Model contents. Model validation by juror
evaluation served to validate the content of the goals as well as the learning
objectives.
The
learning objectives represent the specifications for what the student will be
able to "do" or "know about" once learning was successfully
completed. The objectives for each topic were derived from the Model. The
objectives were written at the various levels of the cognitive domain (Bloom et
al., 1956) depending on the level of learning required for that topic.
Learning
activity statements directed the student to perform activities required to learn
the material. These statements described the requirements of the activity as
well as the resources needed to complete the activity. Readings were from
several sources - the workbook which contained selected reprints and
developer-prepared writings, the text for the course, Managinq Construction
Equipment (Nunnally, 1977), and the Caterpillar Performance
Handbook, 17th ed. (October, 1986). Written assignments allowed the student
to practice what was learned during class lecture/demonstration as well as
explore new ways to manipulate and apply what was learned.
A
listing of further readings was also a part of each study guide. The listing
provided direction to those students who wanted to know more about a given
subject.
Assignment
Sheets.
Written assignments were required for each topic to be learned. The assignments
provided practice in solving problems as well as encouraged the student to
explore new ways to apply the principles and concepts exposed by the readings,
lecture, and demonstrations. The assignment sheets contained background
information, assignment requirements, and construction data.
The
background information section presented information about a fictitious
construction project to be constructed on a fictitious site. The background
information served to orient the student to specific needs the contractor had in
planning the use of the site. Assignment 10, Job Layout, the culminating
assignment for the instruction, required the knowledge and information either
given or solved in the previous nine assignments. Thus, the background
information contained within each assignment was related to and built upon the
previous assignment.
The
assignment requirements section listed the specific requirements to complete the
assignment. The requirements were written as a statement to perform a certain
activity or as a question to be answered based upon the results of the completed
assignment. The requirements section referred the student to data found in the
workbook and in the readings which would help the student complete the
assignment.
The
data section of the assignment sheets contained specific data about the
fictitious project, site, and off-site haul roads. The data generated by the
instructional developer was that data specified by the Model when following the
procedure for translating Model information into instruction. The data included
source documents of working drawings and specifications and the contractors
quantity take-off, erection method description, erection resources checklist,
and erection schedule. Other data about specific materials and equipment was
supplied where needed.
Selected
Readings.
Two types of readings were included in the workbook - reprints and created
works. The reprints included such things as journal articles, selected pages of
various books, and technical bulletins. When appropriate readings were not
available for reprint the instructional-developer created written material by
blending the ideas of one or more readings with the developers own construction
experience.
Template Board
A
review of industrial engineering literature (Apple, 1972; Muther, 1973) revealed
that there were three basic methods for planning the layout of manufacturing
plants. These methods included sketching, templating, and three dimensional
modeling. These methods could also be used for planning the use of the
construction site. Though the construction site changes as the project
progresses and therefore site requirements change, the above methods could be
made to work. Unlike manufacturing plant layout where a single plant layout
design is used, the construction site layout could make use of a series of job
layout sketches which would reflect the changing site requirements as
construction on the project progressed.
A
magnetic template board was developed to allow the students to simulate the
templating technique for job layout. See Figure 2. The board was made of steel
with a porcelain overlay. A one inch grid was baked into the board face to
maintain dimensional control and facilitate the location of templates on the
board. The board was mounted on a steel frame dolly which allowed the board to
be moved with ease from classroom to storage. A storage box containing various
size templates and dry erase markers was mounted to the steel frame.
Three-dimensional Model
Another
planning technique available to the construction manager was the threedimensional
modeling technique. To simulate the use of
the threedimensional modeling planning technique a model was created of the
fictitious project and site specified in the assignments. See Figure 3. It
differed from other construction models in that it attempted to model the
process of construction rather than the product. The model, when completed,
simulated the erection of the Simple Office Building (the fictitious project)
from initial start of the project through non-loading bearing exterior wall.
EVALUATION
A
pretest was administered to the students in Section #1 on the first day of
class. The same test was administered to both Sections #1 and #2 during the
regularly scheduled final examination period.
A
comparison of posttest and pretest results indicated that the instructional unit
on "Job Layout" was effective in helping students learn about the
topic. The mean posttest score for students who also took the pretest was 37.00
while their mean pretest score was 17.24. A comparison of the two means
indicated that the increase in score had a less than 5 per cent chance of
occurring due to chance alone.
A
course evaluation was developed which elicited specific response about
instructional materials and procedures. Forty-six of the fifty students in the
two sections volunteered to complete this evaluation. The results of the
rating-type items are found in Table 1.
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Table
1. Summary Statistics Of Instructional Developer Evaluation |
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CONCLUSION
The
translation procedure described successfully translated Model information into
instruction. This translation procedure represents only one possible way in
which the Model could be used when developing instruction. It is apparent that
the instructional developer should have a working knowledge of the construction
management process in order to fully utilize and supplement the information
presented by the Model.
REFERENCES
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