This paper examines the author's experiences in taking a group of students to England for credit in a construction estimating course. The modification of the structure of the course is examined to explain allowances for computer applications, lectures, and laboratory time for takeoffs and pricing. Appropriate side trips are discussed that relate to the course and the profession as a whole. Some of the difficulties in teaching a course in this manner are discussed and how these challenges have been met. The benefits to the students have been gratifying as verified by feedback from the students.

Key Words: Estimating, study abroad, quantity surveying

 

The author has taught the Bradley University basic construction estimating course for the Department of Civil Engineering and Construction overseas for several years. It has been conducted in England once in the summer, and with the completion of January 2000--an additional three times in the January interim session. The course has received rave reviews from students who have participated in the program. The students who sign up for this course and take it overseas get essentially the same course that is taught on campus, but with certain unique exceptions. By taking the course while in England, the students are in a totally different environment where they are exposed to both new professional procedures as well as expanded personal viewpoints.

Bradley University previously had two types of programs for students to study abroad. One was designed for full time enrollment at an approved university abroad for a semester or year and the courses taken were treated as transfer work. Although our majors have enrolled full time at various universities abroad, this particular program will not be discussed further in this paper.

The other possibility for study abroad was a six-week summer session with our own professors and courses. This program was designed for a new course every two weeks in a different country. It permitted resident credit for each of the three courses and the possibility of another fourth course through independent study after returning from overseas. This allowed the student to gain credit for almost a full semester of courses, yet have half the summer off (other than the independent study course if that option was chosen).

There was a tradition of successful practices that accumulated through experience in running the program. House rules and penalties had been developed and were strictly enforced. These require dropping down one course grade for each unexcused class absence, no parties are permitted in rooms, if students are expelled from the hotel they must provide their own accommodations at their own cost, etc. Students on probation and in danger of academic dismissal may not sign up for the courses. The International Programs office of the university provides students an orientation session and students get specific information on each course from the instructor at that time.

Our department chairman, Dr. Amir Al-Khafaji, suggested that a January Interim session course be offered abroad during the same time period that other interim courses were being offered on campus. After some pondering, the international programs office of the university agreed, and one of our department graduate courses was picked as the first one to be offered. When it appeared to others on campus that this was a good idea, a theater class was added to the schedule. From that initial beginning four years ago, the program has grown with several other departments offering courses abroad in January. Typically the construction estimating course has been offered each January since then as well as another civil engineering course that is offered in Copenhagen Denmark. Since the European January Interim program has started, our Department of Civil Engineering and Construction has led the university in the number of students participating.

There is an all inclusive fee charged to the students that provides for tuition, breakfast, lodging, text & course materials, transportation from and return to the designated US airport, side trips, and local transportation passes. The cost to the student for the January term abroad has typically been the same as the year that the course was offered (e.g. $1999 in the year 1999, $2000 in the year 2000). A portion of the fee is allocated to the professor of the course for student use, typically for assigned side trips for the class.

There are often some activities for the entire contingent of students enrolled in all the classes from the university while in London. A standard activity is a chartered coach tour of the sights in London since that is where most of the courses are offered. A large group theater attendance or excursion to a further location has also been utilized on occasion. January 2000 is the first time that the web was utilized to document activities during the trip. Digital camera photos were taken of the various activities and posted on web pages by a student webmaster who was present on the trip. The pages may be examined at http://www.bradley.edu/eji/. The pages proved to be very popular with friends and family back home.

Liberal arts and fine arts courses have been traditionally thought of for classes overseas. These academic areas recognize and value the broadening experience that studies in such settings provide. Courses that have typically proven successful include English (these students are given their own excursion budget and visit different sites and then write journal reports and papers while visiting areas in London). Theater is also a natural offering since London along with New York City has the highest recognition for theater presentations. Students taking the Theater Appreciation course have class orientations to the play that will be attended that evening, are given theater tickets, and then write reviews. Obviously, one of the real values of the course is the incorporation of features that take advantage of the location in which they are offered.

Technical courses had typically been excluded from the study abroad program as it was thought to be impractical during a two week time period under conditions with so many distractions. However, our department chair had a vision for accomplishing several things overseas. The author was sent to Great Britain several years ago to examine three universities for the purpose of developing ties with appropriate programs. At the same time, another professor was sent to Denmark for the same purpose. An exhaustive questionnaire was utilized to determine activities that might be appropriate for cooperation with our university.

The introduction of our courses into studying abroad utilizes the services of the international programs office of our university, but is uniquely controlled by our department. It is advertised as the departmental "Global Explorer Program" and one of our faculty members serves as the director of that program. That same faculty member advertises the courses, enrolls the students, and makes many of the arrangements. The department holds their own orientation session for the Global Explorer students in November. At that time there is an introduction to the course, and the students and faculty are treated to a meal at an international restaurant near the campus. The department program is also unique in that scholarship aid is available to our students for these courses. The department chair, Dr. Al-Khafaji, arranged for funding from industry and students signed up for the Global Explorer Program write a letter to the department scholarship committee explaining any need for aid. Some of the course work is done on campus before leaving for overseas in order to help with the time constraints. Class size is typically kept small to make the group easier to handle, and to maximize the interaction. The author has taken classes consisting of 10, 8, 12, and most recently another 12 students for the course.

Structure of the Course

Construction estimating was selected as a good course for the department Global Explorer program since it is not only taken by the construction majors, but is also required for civil engineering students and thus has a good sized pool of students to draw from. The author, even though he usually does not teach this course on campus, has industry experience as an estimator for both a general contractor as well as for various subcontractors. Estimating is also a particularly appropriate course to teach in England since the United Kingdom (UK) system uses a different structure than is practiced in the United States. The separate profession of quantity surveyors that prepare the bill of materials on projects as well as various other services for the owner, exposes the students to other ways of operation that do not fit their perceived tradition. The course divides itself into three rather logical portions that fit the format of the program.

In order to conserve time during the two weeks overseas, some course work is completed during the semester before travel. In the case of the construction estimating course, it is most practical to schedule the computer work during this time period. Activities assigned during this time include some spreadsheet problems--an especially appropriate problem is the preparation of a unit price bid sheet that utilizes an example of unbalanced bidding. Another problem assigned is the preparation of a spreadsheet that involves rather complicated financial formulas that determine equipment cost per hour. The last computer activity is designed to give an acquaintance with a software package for estimating with a database (Precision Estimating by Timberline).

The week in London is used for lectures from the text and homework problems from the end of each chapter. The text is oriented toward the managerial and business aspects of estimating, so it is well suited for the lecture format. The university contingent stays at a large hotel in London that has been used by the university for many years. It caters to a large number of internationals. Classes are held in a meeting room at the hotel and times are predetermined as to when each course has the use of the room. The estimating class has typically been held for two hours each day starting at 8:00 a.m. Even though this is an early hour for students, it has found favor with them since sleeping in late is not a high priority in this setting, plus it allows more free time when there are a variety of activities that they are interested in. The midterm exam, though taken the next week, covers this text material.

The second week of the course is taught in a rented classroom at the University of Wolverhampton, just a short distance from Birmingham in the West Midlands, and is slightly over two hours from London by train. This university was selected since they have a similar construction program to the one at Bradley University, and contacts with the faculty there had been made through a previous ASC national meeting as well as when the author visited various schools in Great Britain. The class time is used much like a laboratory. Students use prints to make quantity takeoffs and complete pricing using cost manuals that are supplied in class. They also engage in other exercises that are related to basic estimating. This includes things like a basic cut and fill calculation to learn how variable the results can be, adjusting prices for location, time, size, etc. For this week of class, the students are in class together all day and have intensive "hands on" activities. Since the classroom is only available during the five-day class week, the final exam is typically taken over the last weekend back in London.

Obviously it is desirable in an overseas setting to do some non-classroom activities, otherwise the course would really have few reasons to be taught anywhere other than on campus. Field trips are typically arranged to sites that are not only tourist attractions, but also relate somehow to the student's chosen profession. There are many attractions in London that one could choose from. Several of the "must see" excursions are listed below that students have rated the highest. Appendix "A" shows a survey form that polled the thirty students who had participated in the three previous years that the course was taught. Sixteen of the survey forms were returned and provided fairly consistent results.

St. Paul's Cathedral--the architect "Sir Christopher Wren who is perhaps one of the three or four greatest Englishmen: the dome of St Paul's is a masterpiece worthy of comparison with Shakespeare's greatest drama" (Michelin, 1998). This attraction was the most highly rated trip that the class took (the average rating was 3.87 out of 4.0). The trek up the narrow steps between the inner and outer dome allows an excellent view of the structural members supporting the portions of the dome. The reward at the top of the dome is a spectacular view of the city and surrounding area.

Windsor Castle--not only is the castle a dramatic sight when arriving by train, but also provides an interesting museum display of how the damaged portions of the upper ward were rebuilt after the devastating fire of November 1992. Students have reported that a trip to England would not be complete without a visit to a castle, and they have rated this trip as the third highest attraction (3.69 out of 4.0).

Tower Bridge Experience--is an animated display of the construction of the bridge with its Gothic towers and the operation of the bascules that lift the deck to allow ship passage. This display within the towers is of particular interest to the students who are civil engineering majors. This is the fourth highest rated attraction by the students (3.58 out of 4.0). The glass covered walkway between towers is "142 feet above the Thames" (AAA, 1994).

Shakespeare's Globe Theater--is authentically reproduced with materials and techniques similar to the original structure involving pegged oak members. It has the only thatched roof in the London area. The informative guided tour not only explains how Shakespeare presented his productions, but information on the construction and challenge of meeting current building codes.

Stonehenge and the city of Bath--on one occasion, the entire European January Interim contingent took the day long chartered coach trip to see the stone monuments of Stonehenge and on to the Roman ruins of the hot springs baths which are remarkably well done. The Roman baths were particularly of interest to construction students with the plumbing and heating system explained and viewed.

Some other attractions are of interest, but not necessarily as highly rated. However, if the group visits Windsor castle, it is easy to go by the Guildhall in town. This is a building where Sir Christopher Wren included columns in his design only at the insistence of the others, but to prove the point that they were unnecessary--constructed them so that they were too short to support the beams above. The gap at the top of the columns is clearly visible when they are pointed out. The private school at Eaton is a short walk from the castle and it is interesting to see the formal dress of the students where many of the royal children are educated. A guided tour of the renowned British Museum is wonderful for its exceptional collection of antiquities from Egypt, Sumaria, and other parts of the Middle East, as well as the Elgin Marbles--the ornamentation and statuary of the exterior of the Parthenon of Greece. These all relate to the history of construction. However, the students typically are not as enthralled when the tour gets to collections of vases, jewelry, etc.

Some activities have been hit-or-miss depending on scheduling. On certain occasions, the class has been able to attend a Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) lecture, a visit to a quantity surveyors office, a lecture from one of the quantity surveying professors, etc. In particular, the class that attended the CIOB meeting found the presentation highly amusing. The presenter was an industrial representative that was trying to market a system of wood stud wall and floor joists that was standard light framing in the US, but totally foreign to the builders in the UK!

There are fewer attractions in Wolverhampton, but since labs occupy most of the day it means there are fewer distractions to the course work. The students report that the nightlife is one of the great experiences in town when they can meet the local students and other people native to the area. This is typically the first week of classes at the University of Wolverhampton after their holiday, and so the local students are more into socializing instead of studies at this time of the year.

Difficulties Encountered

There are some challenges to be met when a course is taught in this manner. One of the major encounters is the weather in January. The weather in England can be quite blustery with temperatures between 36 to 43 degrees Fahrenheit and 3.1 inches of rainfall is the average in London at this time of year. One year the group was delayed in leaving the US for four days because of blizzard conditions at O'Hare airport when departure had been scheduled!

The course is somewhat different from what other students get back at Bradley University. The Global Explorer course concentrates on computer work in the time period before the remaining portion of the class work is taken. Thus, there is less reinforcement of computer work throughout the semester. The balance of topics is likely different due to the fact that a different professor typically teaches the course on campus. Students have reported in the responses to the survey (Appendix A) that they felt the course was in fact different from the one offered during the regular semester. Furthermore, they felt that they had learned both more as well as less than they would have in the traditional course. However, they all reported learning what they felt was an adequate background in the basics of construction estimating. This included those that have already graduated and working as full time estimators.

Another difficulty to be faced is the time constraint. A two-week time period for an entire course is a challenge under any conditions. In order to free up some time in London to allow for side trips and personal time, the computer portion of the course is done ahead of time as has been mentioned previously. Since the classroom in Wolverhampton is available all day long, slack time is available there to make the number of lecture hours equivalent to a regular course. If the need arose, some projects or the final exam could be taken upon return our own campus.

Since most estimating courses find it desirable to use full size prints of actual projects for the laboratories, it becomes impractical to try to transport a set of prints for each student overseas. The need for portability prohibits this, and it is expensive to duplicate the prints in England. Some compromise has been made in this area, with scaled down prints (though still an actual project) and a variety of duplication methods.

Other potential problems come from the fact that these are, after all, young college students. Their social activities and stamina are different from the more "mature" professor! The drinking age is 18 in England, younger than it is in our state. Responsible action for students is emphasized at the beginning of the course to discourage any "ugly American" behavior and it is explained that in England the pub is used more for socializing than for partying. The house rules for the course also help in this regard.

One further observation is that fewer students have been interested in a similar summer program than when it is offered in January. It is presumed that most students desire summer work experience and income. This has made the January program more attractive in our experience.

There are probably more subtle advantages to students taking the course in this manner than can be listed. It certainly exposes them to an expanded global view. One of the common highlights that students reported was just the chance to meet students and locals with a chance to socialize and discuss topics with them. The pub experience is new for them and since pub food is fairly economical, they typically spend some time in them.

Other personal views and habits are likely to change. Even though most students have been in an airplane, a long train ride is a totally new experience. Timeliness is sometimes a new concept. Since trains leave right at the appointed time, one could be left on their own if they delay. The same is true of the campus shuttle bus at the University of Wolverhampton. If the hourly bus is missed, it is a 25-minute walk from the hotel to the classroom.

As opposed to the typical campus course, the students are together all day long in Wolverhampton. They develop a sense of camaraderie and esprit de corps that could never be duplicated in another setting. Most report that they expect these classmates will be friends for life.

Other advantages relate to their professional career. Obviously, seeing the sights of London with all the architectural, construction, and engineering history on display goes beyond just the sightseeing value. Seeing other construction methods opens the eyes to other viewpoints as students often think that their construction experience is the only way things are done. Some students have reported that prospective employers were impressed with this kind of experience listed on their employment applications.

The time in Wolverhampton has proven to be very rewarding as a teaching experience. The instructor has an opportunity to share things in a relaxed setting that would be difficult to do in the ordinary course time structure. Personal experiences in industry can be shared, time usually allows for extensive discussions on ethics in the industry, even sermons on respect for elders and expressing thanks have been graciously discussed in class. The time spent away from the other course students in London has not been a problem. Some students reported back, though the professor finds this hard to believe, that those that stayed in London for both weeks felt that the experience got a little bit old. On the other hand the Global Explorer students felt that the contrast of experiences between the two weeks was very attractive.

We are finding that many students are now taking another course abroad after their experience with this course. Because of the enthusiasm of the word-of-mouth discussions from our students that return, student interest is high.

Teaching the construction estimating course abroad has proven to provide a rich experience, not only to the students, but for the professor as well. The students get the same academic course that would be taken on campus, though the balance of topics is somewhat different. The environment abroad provides a global view of their profession and develops a unique historical perspective. The structure of the course has provided a variety of experiences and an opportunity to interact that the author has never found in any other setting. Other programs are highly encouraged to consider opportunities through study abroad that could be developed for their own particular courses and settings.

AAA. (1994). Europe Travel Book. Buffalo NY: Quebecor Printing.

Michelin. (1998). London Tourist Guide. Watford Herts U.K.: Michelin Tyre PLC.

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