One of the toughest hurdles to overcome in construction education is the varying levels of construction field experience among undergraduate students. Although an internship is a common construction management requirement, it is often completed after students complete classes in planning and scheduling. This poses a challenge for the modern…

As a result of their own sometimes frustrating educational experiences, and a growing discontent with their current teaching methods, the authors, in conjunction with another instructor, decided to try an experiment. With the goal of enhancing visualization and understanding, the instructors created several multi-path educational paths for the…

Residence hall construction continues to be a priority for colleges and universities. With enrollments on the upswing, higher-education institutions are spending more and building larger facilities to entice students to live on campus. This article presents the findings of "American School & University's" 17th annual Residence Hall Construction…

The authors describe their individual and collective experiences reconstructing their New Orleans-based university composition program in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. They emphasize how the concept of "floating foundations" helps account for changes in their students' interests, and they suggest that this idea is applicable to the…

This paper illuminates a period of change in the lives of a group of 20 vocational lecturers as they find themselves challenged by both their own and others' categorisation of what and who they are. Such conflicting perspectives are made even starker by their management's introduction of technological innovation into the lecturers' traditional…

The West Point Bridge Design (WPBD) building project engages students in project-based learning by giving them a real-life problem to solve. By using technology, students are able to become involved in solving problems that they normally would not encounter. Involvement with interactive websites, such as WPBD, assists students in using…

This article illustrates how to integrate mathematics with social issues. Social issues discussed in the newspaper provide a rich context for connecting mathematical activities to the real world. The sample activities focus on measurement concepts. (Contains 2 figures.)

Using local contractors for construction work benefits the community by keeping money in the area and reducing the cost of imported management and labor. To accomplish this, the construction management firm must have the commitment to working with the local contractors throughout the entire design, bidding, and construction period. (MLF)

Children are naturally fascinated by mechanical things, and simple machines can be used to teach them how things work and how complex machines are made up of simple ones. (SK)

Managing complex capital construction projects provides formidable challenges to school leaders. Increasing enrollment, new state mandates, aging schools and the need for technology-rich environments are issues that require both more space and better quality facilities. Short-handed district leadership teams already find themselves more than fully…

If the pace of construction, the size of projects, and the money spent on public library buildings represents how well libraries are regarded in America, then libraries are prized. "LJ" has been compiling data on new and renovated buildings for 34 years now, and through thick and thin libraries get built and revitalized. Overall, the average…

This article explains how a project owner can be an active participant during the design and construction of his/her facility. The author discusses the two levels of participation the project owner needs to actively work with the design and construction team. And he further states that a project owner can enrich his/her personal experience and…

The Campbell County Parks and Recreation Department discovered that higher costs, more details, insurance difficulties, and longer construction periods were the rule when a water slide was planned and constructed. The project is described. (MT)

Describes a model boat building project for architectural design studios. Working from traditional sailboat designs, students study the "lines" drawings of boats, make full-size drawings from scale drawings, and then construct model wooden boats. Available from Carfax Publishing Company, P.O. Box 25, Abindgon, Oxfordshire OX14 1RW…

This article describes the folk music instrument, the dulcimer: its historical background, tuning, playing techniques, and maintenance. Instructions are provided for constructing a dulcimer from a pattern or kit. (SJL)