A COURSE IN COMPUTER AIDED CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT (CACM)

INTRODUCTION

History of Computer Courses for CM Students

Through 1985, Construction Management (CM) students at Chico State were required to select from a typical set of programming courses offered by the Department of Computer Science. These courses gave students an introduction to writing simple computer programs in one of the standard programming languages, such as BASIC, COBOL, or FORTRAN. The objective was to provide the student with some working knowledge of a common programming language as well as some computer literacy. These courses usually con­sisted of two hours of lecture and two hours of lab per week.

In 1986 a management information systems course offered by the School of Business was added as an option in lieu of the more traditional computer programming courses offered by the Computer Science Department. This course also introduced computer programming, but was primarily directed at developing students utilization of management information systems software. The software used was Framework III, an integrated software, which incorporated spreadsheet, database management, and word-processor capabilities. This course also consisted of two hours of lecture and two hours of lab per week.

Need for the CM Computer Course

Although the computer courses were providing introduction to microcomputers most upper division CM students were not achieving the level of computer literacy needed to utilize the microcomputer for cost estimating, project planning and scheduling, and cost management courses. It became increasingly clear that the CM students were spending most of their study time in the CM computer lab trying to figure out the basic features of the spreadsheet and scheduling software, rather than using the computer as a tool to aid in solving construction problems. The exceptions were students who had learned the IBM disk operating system (MS-DOS) and other software, usually spreadsheet and cost estimating software, through an avenue other than the basic computer courses. These were the self-motivated students who used a computer at home or those who had operated one in the workplace. These students' exceptional degree of computer literacy indicated proficiency was related to time spent actually performing specific tasks, i.e. cost estimating, scheduling, etc. and solving problems using computers. By so doing these students had become familiar with 1) the op­erating system, 2) software, and 3) the hardware.

Further compounding the situation, because most students lacked computer literacy, most CM faculty were reluctant to introduce computer software into courses because of the long learning curve involved. Instructors need to know that students can quickly comprehend and use software so valuable class time is not spent teaching students how to use the computer.

As a result of the experience _.cited above, the CM faculty decided to develop a basic microcomputer course within the Construction Management curriculum to better prepare CM students for future coursework and careers. The develop­ment of a course in Computer Aided Construction Management (CACM) was the result.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

The CACM course objectives were based primarily on

.The objectives follow:

COURSE FORMAT

Lecture and Lab Design

Our CM computer lab facility is housed in a normal-sized lecture room with five computers placed in the rear of the classroom and eight in an adjoining room. The computers are a mix of IBM PC's, XT s and AT's or compatibles. One of the computers was used for class demonstrations via a 25" monitor. A single one-hour lecture was conducted on Mondays for all 24 students and 2 three-hour lab sections were held each Tuesday and Thursday with 12 students per section, giving students seven contact hours per week. The students were given computer lab passes to allow them access to the lab 24 hours/day, 7 days/week since they frequently could not finish assignments during lab periods.

The lecture periods were a combination of lecture and software demonstration. As needed, the beginnings of some lab periods were used to complete lecture or demonstration topics. Where possible, upper division CM students with industry application experience demonstrated the construction specific software for the class.

Subject Matter

The course consisted of five modules. The first module (two weeks) covered an introduction to the computing environment which included basic terms, hardware, hardware architecture, and operating systems. The discussion of operating systems focused on the IBM and IBM compatible operating system, MS-DOS. The lecture and lab assignments were aimed at developing a good working knowledge of 1) the basic DOS commands and files, 2) the DOS nomenclature, 3) DOS's use of the storage media, 4) disk, file and directory names, 5) use of DOS s organizational structure using directories and subdirectories, 6) writing and using special files such as batch command files, 7) DOS's use of and access to executable files, and 8) some differences between versions of DOS. Lab assignments made use of Versions 3.0 through 3.3 of DOS, since these were the most common and trouble free versions.

The second module (five weeks) covered spreadsheets. The common features of computerized spreadsheets were discussed. The majority of the lecture and all lab assignments were based on the use of Lotus 1-2-3, Release 2.01. The spreadsheet lab assignments started out with step-by-step instructions for creating the first spreadsheet. The second phase required students to duplicate sample spreadsheets of increasing complexity. The final phase required students to use some advanced features of spreadsheets such as macros and data graphing with minimal written direction from the instructor.

The third module (one week) covered database management systems. This was an overview of the features and applications of computerized database management systems, both flat file and relational databases. dBASE IV was used for lab assignments to create a data base structure, a custom input screen and a printed report format.

The fourth module (three weeks) covered the features and use of word-processors. The lab assignments made use of WordPerfect 5.0 and were primarily step -by-step assignments emphasizing the use of the software's features.

The fifth module (three weeks) covered construction specific software. In this module we looked at specific software, most had been developed exclusively for the con­struction industry for such tasks as cost estimating and scheduling. We also spent some time looking at utility software such as file manager, file recovery, and backup software.

A lecture and lab schedule showing the topics and sequence is contained in Appendix A.

Course Materials

The students received a course syllabus and lecture/lab topic schedule at the beginning of the term. As new topics were introduced, students also received a copy of the lecture outline to assist with note taking and to help them identify key points in lectures and demonstrations.

Texts for the course were required for three of the five modules. We utilized books for the DOS, Lotus 1-2-3, and WordPerfect portions of the course. The books selected were paperback reference books available at most bookstores in the "Computer Reference" section. The books used are listed in Appendix B.

For the database management systems module, a handout developed by the University of Michigan Computer Center titled "Basic Concepts of Data Base Management" was used to supplement the lecture outline.

Other photocopy handouts such as magazine articles and excerpts from software documentation supplemented lecture material.

Lab assignments were given to students at the beginning of lab periods. These assignments were typed handouts except for most word-processor assignments which were taken di­rectly from the text.

Lab Activities

With the exception of software demonstrations at the end of the term, all lab assignments were "hands on". The amount of detailed step-by-step instruction varied with the task. The assigned work early in the term, when most of the students were unsure of themselves, tended to be more of the "follow the bouncing ball" type, as were most of the Word-Perfect exercises. The remaining lab assignments were specific as to results required, but determining the steps to get there was the students' responsibility. Some assignments included samples for the students to emulate.

Assignments were usually due at the beginning of the succeeding lab period; this provided adequate time for students to complete them. Many assignments were "doable" within the lab period for those students who had prior computer experience, but most students needed additional time.

Examinations

The students were given two midterms and a final examination. The first midterm covered DOS, the second covered Lotus 1-2-3, and the final was comprehensive with an emphasis on DOS and WordPerfect.

The exam questions were all objective. The midterms were a combination of closed book and open book while the final was all open book. The second midterm and final required the use of the computers to answer or at least verify an­swers to some questions.

All exams emphasized the recall of basic terms (particularly the DOS terms) and practical application of computers.

CONCLUSIONS

First Term Results

From 1) the writer's discussions with students, 2) feedback from other faculty, 3) exam and lab assignment performance, 4) students comments in an end-of-term questionnaire, and 5) the writer's observations, a list of the primary first term results evolved. This list follows:

 Course Improvements

As with anything new we find some things we wouldn't change and others that could benefit from change. This course is no exception. Based on this writer's evaluation as well as feedback from the students, some suggestions for improvement follow:

Final Comments

This course's objective was to improve CM students' com­puter proficiency and we believe that objective was achiev­ed. Students who took the CACM course immediately improved their performance in courses using computers. In addition, as more students gain proficiency, faculty will become less reluctant to introduce new software in those courses not currently using computers. Continuing to offer this course will result in better prepared students taking higher quality CM courses.

APPENDIX A

APPENDIX B

Course Texts/References