Christopher S. Ray

Purdue University

West Lafayette, Indiana

This paper explains how the Purdue University Department of Building Construction Management is attempting to develop and implement general writing skills and requirements into its Construction Project Administration course. By requiring students to practice writing skills that are relevant to that expected upon entry into the construction market, writing skills should improve, and students will actively seek to ways to enhance their knowledge of Construction Project Administration.

Key Words: Project Administration, Construction, Writing Skills

It is a widely accepted premise that construction education graduates possess inappropriate writing skills for entry into the business community (Wright, 1987). Improving communication skills, particularly writing skills, is paramount to success in the industry. As indicated in the AGC Construction Education Committee Academic Competencies Task Force Report Executive Summary, "The realities of the construction profession are that reading and writing are foundations of performance" (AGC, 1995). Without adequate performance in this basic competency, graduates entering the job market will be at a significant disadvantage.

It is obvious that reading and writing skills need more emphasis in the Building Construction Management curriculum. In order to enhance writing skills, students need to practice writing. Not only do students need to practice writing, they need to practice writing within the subject matter being taught. It is imperative that students realize that writing is critical to successful projects and that the ability to write clearly, correctly, completely, and concisely is a skill that takes significant practice.

The Construction Project Administration course is one of the required courses within the Building Construction Management curriculum at Purdue University. Students taking this course are normally at the 7^th- or 8^th- semester level. The course is currently taught on a semester basis, with classes being held twice per week for 75 minutes per session.

The course objectives are to present to the student a study and analysis of construction procedures and administrative functions common in the commercial construction industry. Students are required to become familiar with basic industry administrative functions and practice as provided and required in the standard contract documents

Based on the AGC Construction Education Committee Academic Competencies Task Force Report, it was decided that this course would be studied and modified to incorporate written communications.

Understanding that writing skill can be developed through instruction and practice, how do we improve student-writing skills within the Building Construction Management program at Purdue University?

The strategy used to improve student-writing skills shall be to incorporate the following into the Construction Project Administration course currently offered within the department:

1. Provide guidance and instruction in basic writing and grammar skills,
2. Require the student to write,
3. Integrating writing material that is relevant to course content and student interest.

An integral part of written communications is the understanding and application of grammar and usage. By incorporating the use of the Purdue University Writing Lab and the On-line Writing Lab with the written requirements of the course, students will be able to enhance their writing abilities. The primary use of the Writing Lab will be to develop and assist the student in developing those writing and grammar skills suggested by Harris (1997). The writing and grammar skills to be developed are as follows:

As indicated by Maher (1990), content areas for writing assignments within the contract are numerous. The roles and obligations of the contractor pursuant to AIA Document A201 account for approximately 90 various issues that need to be addressed by the contractor. Requiring written assignments on several of these issues will allow the student the opportunity to become familiar with the AIA documents as well as to improve on relevant writing skills required within the contract.

Another excellent source of construction-related issues and problems is The Construction Contractor published by Federal Publications, Inc. This publication provides construction contract decisions issued by the federal court system, state courts, administrative boards, and several governmental authorities. By presenting each case as a real-world situation and requiring the student to write on the situation, the student may begin to see the relevancy and necessary requirements of writing as they relate to the situation and the course content.

The following procedure will be implemented and incorporated into the Construction Project Administration course at Purdue University. These procedures and conditions are to be used as guidelines for enhancing student writing skills.

During the first three weeks of class, the Purdue University Writing Lab will conduct five help sessions within the classroom on grammar and writing skills. In general, these help sessions will be review periods for the students. In many instances, the students have not been exposed to formal grammar and usage for many years and providing a quick review allows the student the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the material in a short time.

During these in-class sessions, basic instruction will be provided for the writing process, sentence development, parts of sentences, punctuation, mechanics, and spelling.

During these five sessions, ten-minute quizzes will be administered to the students. Once the class has completed the quiz, the writing lab instructor discusses the correct answers for immediate feedback and provides examples of how the material covered is applied to basic writing development and usage (see Appendix A).

Requiring the student to write critically about information relevant to the course content is essential to improving writing skills and learning the subject matter. As mentioned earlier, four primary vehicles by which the student is required to write within the Construction Project Administration course are requests for information, technical letters, project meeting minutes, and technical topic summary reports..

The Request for Information (RFI) is a typical construction document normally issued by the general contractor to the architect and engineer requesting clarification or additional instruction on some issue about the specific project (see Appendix B).

Each student will be required to prepare a Request for Information based on material read for that particular class session. By requiring the student to prepare an RFI, basic writing skills are being developed. Writing the RFI also requires the student to think about the material within the assigned reading.

One significant benefit to the student RFI assignment is that it allows the instructor the opportunity to initiate the discussion method in class based on questions presented in the RFIs. In a sense, the student will be participating and contributing to the development of the discussion for the day.

During the semester, the student will be required to write several two-page technical letters based on a topic developed by the instructor. These letters provide the student the opportunity to critically think about specific issues related to the course content (see Appendix C).

Technical letters will be developed over four consecutive class periods.

During the first class session, the technical letter topic is provided to the student. At this time, the instructor will provide a brief overview of the situation.

By the beginning of the second class session, the student is required to turn in a copy of an outline of the student’s technical letter. By preparing an outline, the student is starting to develop the thought process for solving the problem as well as developing the process for writing the actual letter. Additionally during this session, the instructor will provide further clarification on the situation allowing the student the opportunity to confirm or question the situation.

By the beginning of the third class session, the student will be required to provide a copy of the rough draft of the letter to the course instructor.

Prior to turning in the final letter at the beginning of the fourth class session, the students will be required to take their rough drafts to the writing lab in teams of three for a peer review session and additional guidance by the writing Lab instructors. In the writing lab, rough drafts are exchanged among the peer group for review and discussion.

The peer review provides the students the opportunity to critically review each other’s letters. Since the students generally possess the same knowledge base, many of the questions the students ask concern the related topic. This relationship allows the students to ask the "what are you really trying to say" questions without the fear of looking incompetent to the instructor or other students.

As a service offered by the Purdue University Writing Lab, a form is prepared by the Writing Lab instructor indicating when the student was in the lab and the instruction provided. By reviewing these forms, the instructor can identify any common problems that students are having, and provide additional instruction to remedy the problem area.

At the beginning of the fourth class session, the student will be required to turn in the final letter, the original outline, and any markup copies of the letter drafted during the previous three class sessions.

Each student will be required to prepare formal meeting minutes based on a format provided by the instructor at the beginning of the semester. Each student will be required to record (in writing) minutes of two class lecture sessions, prepare formal minutes, and provide a copy of the formal meeting minutes to the instructor by the beginning of the next class session. The instructor then provides copies for distribution to the entire class during the following class session.

The primary objectives of this writing assignment are for the student to develop note taking skills, critical listening skills, and skill in developing procedures for presenting these in a clear and concise manner.

While the student is recording the class minutes, the instructor will ask for occasional readings of a prior discussion the student has recorded in the previous few minutes of that meeting. This will ensure that the student is following the prescribed format and is attempting to complete the assignment.

Each student will be required to prepare a three- to five- page Summary Report based on a technical topic of interest selected by the student. This writing assignment takes the format of an executive summary report.

The objective of this writing assignment will be to allow the student to practice summarizing a significant amount of information into a clear and concise document to be presented to senior management.

Prior to beginning this assignment, the student will be required to write a letter requesting authorization to use a specific topic for the executive summary. Upon approval by the instructor, the student will be provided a general format for the executive summary. As with the technical letters, the student will be encouraged to utilize the services of the Writing Lab.

As indicated by Maher (1990), having the students write "on" the terms, conditions, roles and obligation of the contractor under AIA Document A201 presents many applications for writing. In many instances specific documentation may be required pursuant to the contract documents. At other times, terms and conditions of the contract document may need to be clarified or discussed. Both of these "writings" are relevant and necessary for completion of the contract conditions.

The use of legal cases decided by courts presents another opportunity for the student to write about relevant material. The Construction Contractor by Federal Publications, Inc., presents cases decided by various courts and boards. By modifying these cases to present a specific view being presented in class, the student has the opportunity to critically think and write about the topic. Additionally, once the student has completed the assignment, the actual case may be discussed in class for immediate feedback to the student.

Knowing that students’ writing skills need improvement and acknowledging that these skills can be improved is the first step towards resolving the problem. Requiring students to write and to write on relevant material is a second step towards improving writing skills.

Once the student realizes that significant writing will be required in the course and that significant effort will be required to become a competent writer, the instructor will be better able to guide the student to proper writing. By reviewing and editing the students’ writing assignments as a peer review process, a Writing Lab process, and a final instructor review, it is expected that the student will write successfully.

By utilizing the services of the Writing Lab for review of grammar and syntax, the faculty member will not be expected to critically review and grade these issues. The instructor’s time may be better spent on the content and teaching the subject matter.

By (1) attempting to develop and implement general writing skills and requirements into the Construction Project Administration course, (2) requiring students to practice writing skills that are relevant to that expected upon entry into the construction market, (3) allowing students the opportunity to interact with other students confronted with the same writing problems, and (4) interacting with Writing Lab personnel, students should improve overall awareness of the importance of quality writing.

The importance of writing skills for the successful completion of projects is paramount to the construction industry. Employers demand that entry level employees effectively write as it relates to specific conditions of the contract. By integrating these "writings" into specific application courses in the university setting the student will not only become a better writer, but also will be a more informed construction professional.

By providing guidance in basic writing and grammar skills, requiring the student to write, and by integrating written material that is relevant to the course content and student interest the student is given the opportunity to improve and enhance their writing ability. However, it is the student who must make the effort to become proficient in construction writing and documentation.

Associated General Contractors of America Final Report. Academic Competencies Task Force. AGC Construction Education Committee (1995)

Elliott, R. (1997), Painless Grammar. New York: Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.

Harris, M. (1997), Prentice Hall Reference Guide to Grammar and Usage (3^rd Ed.). New Jersey: Simon & Schuster.

Maher, R.P. (1990). A Need for Teaching Writing Skills in Construction Education. Proceedings of he 26^th Annual Conference of the Associated Schools of Construction. Pp. 41-43.

Wright, E.H. (1987). Total Integrated Across Curriculum Writing. Proceedings of the 23^rd Annual Conference of the Associated Schools of Construction. Pp.91-94.

Appendix A

Find the mistakes in these sentences and correct them.

Don’t even think of trying to buy beer (It’s against the law.) before you’re 21 years old.

It is dangerous (potentially deadly)! to drink and drive.

There is only one thing I need to be happy (or I should say really happy:) cash.

I am excited (really excited!) about the project.

I want three things on this project, productivity, safety, and positive cash flow.

Technical Letter #5

The soil on which the contractor built the owner’s warehouse was not stable enough to support the weight of the building, which began to sink during construction. The Contractor attempted to fix the problem by jacking it up and trying to stabilize its pier supports, but the house continued to sink. Thereafter, portions of the walls and floors buckled, and a pipe burst, causing extensive water damage to the interior.

State law provides that an architect or contractor is liable to the owner of the building "should fall to ruin" because of bad workmanship within 10 years after construction. Although soil defects are not mentioned in the statute, the courts have extended it to cover defects that were or should have been apparent to the architect or contractor.

Who should pay for the damaged building? Defend and explain your answer.

This letter is due by 5:00 PM, Thursday, March 26, 1998.

The inside heading is addressed to Mr. Christopher S. Ray at the address noted on the technical letter format originally handed out in class. Spacing of the letter shall be 1-1/2 spacing.

Provide the following:

1. Introductory paragraph.

2. A paragraph describing the situation.

3. One or two paragraphs defending and explaining your position.

4. A brief summary paragraph.

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