Jonathan W. Elliott

Identifying the Most Effective Factors in Attracting Female Undergraduate Students to Construction Management

Despite initiatives to recruit and retain females in construction management (CM), women are underrepresented in both CM education and the construction industry as a whole. This study explored the factors that are most influential in attracting female students to CM degree programs. The study sample comprised female students (n = 90) enrolled in CM education programs at five universities. Data were used to investigate the factors, identified through a review of previous research, that were most influential in female student decision making to pursue a CM degree program. Sixteen factors were identified. The research supported these factors as positively influential, however, as expected, some factors clearly had greater positive influence than others. The two most influential factors in female selection of a CM degree program were identified as: internships and awareness of career opportunities. Having a father in the industry and non-internship work experiences were also seen as two highly positively influential factors. The results suggest these factors should be the emphasis of efforts to recruit female students as they are most likely to positively influence them.

An Evaluation of Factors for Retaining Female Students in Construction Management Programs

ABSTRACT The under-representation of women in construction necessitates academia’s understanding of what influences a female’s decision to remain in a construction management (CM) program. Many factors that retain women in CM programs have been identified. Understanding which of these factors are most influential is an important step towards increasing the number of women in CM. This study used a quantitative approach to explore the factors that have been previously identified to retain female students in CM programs; however, qualitative methods were also used to identify additional retention factors. The research was completed through a self-administered, researcher-designed survey of female CM students at five major universities. The results provide a prioritized ranking of the factors identified to retain female students. They indicated that the most positively influential factors for females to remain in a CM undergraduate degree program are: the community of students, lab classes, internships, innovation in the classroom, and student organizations. Job/Career opportunities also emerged as a positively influential factor for retention of female students that was previously not identified in the literature.

Mentors, Role Models, and Observed Differences in Students’ Construction Education Self-Efficacy and Motivation

ABSTRACT Perceived self-efficacy, motivation, and the presence of mentors and role models can influence occupational and academic behavior, pursuits and success. These constructs were adapted to the construction-education domain in a quantitative survey administered to 587 students enrolled in construction management courses at three universities. Mentors and role models were defined as individuals who influence a respondent’s academic decisions; mentors give advice and support, whereas role models provide inspiration. Students with a person of influence (i.e., mentor or role model) reported higher self-efficacy (p < .001) and motivation (p < .001) toward successful performance in, and completion of, construction education. In total, 80.6% of construction management students reported having a person who influenced their academic decisions, and family members were reported most frequently as the person of greatest influence; a higher percentage of female students reported having a person of influence compared to male students. This article provides insight regarding the influence of others on students’ self-efficacy and motivation towards academic performance within the construction-education domain. Study limitations and areas of further research are discussed.

Attracting Students to Construction Education Programs: An Exploration of Perceptions by Gender

ABSTRACT Demand for construction managers is considerable and is projected to grow through the next decade. To meet the demand for construction managers, construction management programs will have to produce enough graduates. However, to produce graduates, programs must first attract students to their programs. This study collected data from students enrolled in a construction management (CM) degree program at multiple universities to learn about their perceptions of factors that attracted them to a construction management degree program. A comparative analysis was performed to identify differences in influential factors by gender. The results indicate that very few differences exist, in regard to the factors that attract students to construction degree programs, between male and female students. It was also found that while all factors identified were positively influential, there are substantial differences between the factors regarding how many students they reach and their level of positive influence. Career opportunities was found to be the most influential factor in attracting students of both genders to CM programs, followed by, internships, non-internship work experience, and fieldtrips to job sites. Factors were also identified for CM programs trying to increase their female enrolment to focus on.

Role of Gender and Industry Experience in Construction Management Student Self-efficacy, Motivation, and Planned Behavior

ABSTRACT The construction management (CM) profession is projected to grow over the next several years and a bachelor’s degree coupled with industry experience produces the best CM employment prospects. Many CM undergraduate programs boast job placement rates of 90% to 100%, suggesting an unmet demand for graduates. Females are the largest untapped source of labor for the construction industry, yet are underrepresented at 6% to 10% of CM professionals and undergraduates. A young adult’s decisions regarding career pathways and college attendance depend on several factors, including one’s sense of self-worth. Self-efficacy and motivation are predictors of students’ educational pursuits, persistence, and performance. This study investigated undergraduate CM students’ (n = 587) construction education domain-level self-efficacy (CESE), motivation (CEM), and planned behavior (CEPB) by gender, as well as level of hands-on and management-based construction experience. Results of the t-test revealed the female CM students had higher CEM than their male counterparts (p = .025). ANOVA indicated student with hands-on and management-based construction experience reported higher level of CESE than those without experience (p = .002 and p = .027, respectively). ANOVA post-hoc analysis, study implication and limitations, as well as opportunities for further research are discussed.

Validating electric use intensity in multi‐use buildings

Purpose – In the Poudre School District of Northern Colorado, USA, Fort Collins High School (FCHS) and Fossil Ridge High School (FRHS) have similar square footages, mechanical systems, and architectural capacities. While FRHS (built 2005) is leadership in energy and environmental design (LEED)‐Silver and Energy Star (2009) certified, FCHS (built 1995) is not. Despite the sustainable features of FRHS, the whole‐building electric use intensities (EUIs) were comparable for the schools. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate electricity consumption and use patterns at these schools.Design/methodology/approach – To investigate whole‐building EUI and identify areas of high consumption, the buildings were divided into workspaces for which workspace‐specific EUIs were calculated and compared. Further, workspace EUIs were partitioned into their heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), lighting, plug load, food service and residual components for analysis.Findings – Significantly, more electricity is used...

Student perceptions of model-based estimating

ABSTRACT The use of building information modeling (BIM) is well established in architecture, engineering and construction. However, previous studies note a lack of BIM expertise in academia, leading to slow adoption and limited knowledge on which to base BIM-related content. To improve course development, it is important to understand students’ perceptions of BIM-related subject matter. This study exposed estimating students (n = 214) to a model-based quantity takeoff (QTO) tutorial using Revit. Students’ perceptions of a Revit-based BIM’s usefulness for easily providing reliable and accurate material quantities were measured using a pre-test, tutorial and post-test design. Results revealed significant differences in students’ mean levels of agreement that an accurate QTO is completed for an estimator with the click of a button when a design team generated BIM model is available. Results also revealed significant differences in students’ level of agreement that a Revit-based BIM makes performing QTO by hand obsolete. This study provides educators’ insight into students’ perceptions of BIM use in QTO. Understanding student perceptions is paramount for construction management educators when designing a course and attempting to convey the value of foundational estimating skills while acknowledging the existence of more technologically advance estimating methods. Limitations and opportunities for further research are discussed.

Offsite construction in education: A survey of prefabrication in design and construction academia

Foreword Chris Sharples Introduction Ryan E. Smith and John Quale Part 1: Offsite Theory 1. Industrialized Building System Categorization Roger-Bruno Richard 2. System Structures: Theory of Industrialized Architecture Kasper Sanchez Vibaek 3. Constructing Dialogues: On Architectural Potentials of Montage Charlotte Bundgaard 4. Industrial Relevancy Today: Suggestions for Offsite Construction Industrys Future Trends Marjorie P. Callahan 5. Mapping the Modular Industry Ivan Rupnik 6. Prefabricated Housing in Architectural Culture Mathew Aitchison and John Macarthur Part 2: Offsite Practices 7. Offsite Construction Industry Meta-Analysis: Industry Survey Results Talbot Rice and Ryan E. Smith 8. Permanent Modular Construction: Construction Performance Ryan E. Smith and Talbot Rice 9. Off-site Construction in Education: a survey of prefabrication in design and construction academics Ryan E. Smith, Jon Elliott, and Kevin Grosskopf 10. Onsite vs. Offsite: Comparing Environmental Impacts John Quale 11. High Performance Affordable Modular Homes: A University and Modular Industry Collaboration John Quale 12. A Case Study of Multi-Trade Near-Site Factory Assembly Kihong Ku and Paul Broadstone 13. Prefabricated Housing In Japan Dana Buntrock 14. Offsite Construction in Sweden: from Technology to Integrated Process Helena Lideloew 15. A Scottish Perspective on Timber Offsite Construction Robert Hairstans and Fausto Sanna List of Illustration Credits Glossary of Terms Index

The Role of Supportive Others in Academic Decisions; Differences in Construction Management Students by Gender

ABSTRACT This study examines the influence of supportive others on male and female undergraduate construction management (CM) students’ academic decisions. Specifically, we measured perceived levels of influence by inspiration/modeling (IM) and support/guidance (SG) and compared these with construction education domain-level self-efficacy (CESE) and motivation (CEM) to pursue CM education. Students (n = 587) in CM programs at three Midwest universities participated in this quantitative study. Results showed that students who report higher IM and SG have significantly (p < .001) higher CESE and CEM toward construction education and vice versa. Students with a mentor or role model working in the construction industry reported significantly (p < .001) higher levels of IM compared with students whose mentor or role model does not work in the construction industry. Data were stratified by gender and the results showed that female students’ self-efficacy and motivation had stronger correlations with inspiration/modeling than with support/guidance from supportive others; the opposite was true among male students. This article suggests that recruitment efforts for construction education programs should utilize persons working in the construction industry and be tailored to male or female students. Study limitations and areas of further research are discussed.

Measuring Undergraduate Students’ Construction Education Domain Self-Efficacy, Motivation, and Planned Behavior: Validation of a Concise Survey Instrument

ABSTRACT Reducing attrition in education and training is an important strategy for addressing unmet U.S. construction industry workforce demands. This study investigated the psychometric properties of a more concise construction-domain specific survey instrument, the Construction Training Attitudes and Intentions Scale (CTAIS), using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Results yielded an abbreviated 28-item instrument and 4-factor model. CTAIS factors; Construction Education Self-Efficacy (CESE), Motivation (CEM), Planned Effort (CEPE) and Perceived Completion Value (CECV) were tested for convergent, discriminant, and known-groups validity. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was conducted initially to confirm the instrument’s factor structure. CFA was employed to compare the hypothesized four-factor model to a single-factor model; fit indices were acceptable with nine items removed given discrepancies. Based on the demonstrated instrument reliability and validity, the abbreviated CTAIS provides a useful quantitative metric that can be completed quickly by participants while still assessing the constructs shown to predict education performance and attrition within the specific domain of construction training and education.