General-Purpose Situational Simulation Environment for Construction Education

The traditional construction education model based on precise well-defined problems and formal definitions is not satisfactorily fulfilling its mission of educating the decision makers of tomorrow. This realization has moved several researchers to explore alternatives where problem solving is carried out in conjunction with the environment, and concepts are embedded in the context promoting learning within the nexus of the activity. Several efforts have been undertaken to develop these environments resulting in a variety of special-purpose situational simulations. However, special-purpose situational simulations exhibit inherent limitations related to their application breadth, flexibility, and promotion of collaborations. These limitations cannot be resolved within the framework of special-purpose learning environments. A general-purpose environment is required to overcome these shortcomings and take full advantage of the situational learning paradigm. This paper describes the conceptual framework and pilot implementation of such an environment called the Virtual Coach.     

Multi-Agent Framework for General-Purpose Situational Simulations in the Construction Management Domain

The need for contextually rich education environments in construction management suggests the development of a general-purpose situational simulation framework that can be used by independent developers to build effective training environments. Design and implementation of such a framework involves an understanding of the reasoning processes underlying the construction management domain. These reasoning processes can be isolated using a conceptual classification of problems in the construction management domain into constraint satisfaction and planning. Such a classification allows us to distribute the different reasoning processes to autonomous agents that comprise the foundations of a multi-agent framework for building general-purpose situational simulations. The Virtual Coach is an implementation of the proposed framework. Experimental results from preliminary studies have shown the efficacy of the Virtual Coach as an educational tool.     

Modeling the Construction Management Process to Support Situational Simulations

Construction managers are decision makers who administer nontrivial processes. The replacement of highly experienced construction managers and other construction professionals is a laborious process for the industry. This paper introduces a conceptual framework for the construction management practice that serves as the foundation for the development of situational simulations. Situational simulations are temporally dynamic clinical exercises with the objective of exposing participants to rapidly unfolding events and the pressure of decision making. The application of situational simulations provides construction managers and other decision makers the opportunity of experiencing and responding to risky events without endangering the success of real projects, further enhancing their decision-making skills. The construction management conceptual framework includes a process, a product, and an information model. The analysis of a basic mathematical representation of the process model is the focus of this paper.     

Temporal Logic Representation Schema for Intermediate Function

There are temporal relationships other than the precedence ones between construction activities. Many of these relationships are related to the perspective of intermediate function requirement. The construction industry still lacks a representation schema for capturing the temporal logics residing in this kind of construction requirement. This study presents a schema for representing these temporal logics from three perspectives, namely the construction life cycle of a single product component, the functional interdependencies between two in-progress components, and the availability conditions of an intermediate functionality. In this way, the concurrency relationships among the construction processes can be identified and evaluated, and the intermediate function analysis can be conducted more efficiently, thus contributing to improvement of the executability of construction schedules. Additionally, the temporal logics have been formulated in the format based on temporal interval algebra, which provides a richer semantic representation compared to the traditional precedence relationship types. Finally, using a four-dimensional simulation prototype, a case study of constructing the deck of a bridge by the balanced cantilever approach is modeled to demonstrate the representation of the three perspectives of intermediate function requirements.     

Macrolevel and Microlevel Frameworks of Experiential Learning Theory in Construction Engineering Education

The experiential learning theory is one of the best-known learning theories in education and has been explored and developed for decades through various studies in higher education. This learning method is expected to provide a significantly better learning environment for engineering subjects, such as construction techniques and design methods and alternatives, which may occur in most of the construction engineering disciplines. Nevertheless, the theory has hardly been used in construction engineering courses. In this study, the authors perform an in-depth review of the learning theory and present a case study, formwork design example, wherein the theory can be explicitly applied in construction engineering education. Research findings reveal students’ responses to the learning theory and lessons learned. Correlation analysis is conducted to explore how students’ performance in learning can be influenced by this learning theory.     

Pioneering Construction Engineering Education

In the 1930's, a small number of educators and contractors began to advocate that colleges and universities develop programs in construction engineering. Through the Great Depression and World War II, they debated what the nature of construction engineering education ought to be. Following World War II, the climate among educators and contractors was receptive to the ideas which the pioneers in construction engineering education had been advocating for 15 yr. Colleges and universities began to offer construction engineering options in their civil engineering curricula.     

Educating Professional Construction Managers

The management of construction has traditionally been the function of the civil engineer. The civil engineer is no longer educated to hit the ground running in an entry level position in the construction industry. To better serve the traditional needs of the industry, two year and four year construction technology programs were developed. The curriculum emphasis has generally been toward the general contractor as the employer. However, the construction industry is undergoing change. Innovative contracting systems such as design‐build and construction management have become increasingly popular. There are new leadership requirements. The potential for future high level positions can be enhanced to meet these requirements by augmenting engineering capabilities with business and construction management theory. This can be done within civil engineering curriculums leading to an advanced degree.     

RISim: Resource-Interacted Simulation Modeling in Construction

Discrete-event simulation is an effective approach to analyze construction operations. However, it is usually time-consuming and knowledge demanding to develop a practical simulation model, and thus not cost-effective due to the uniqueness and relatively short life of construction projects. The capability of discrete-event simulation modeling has not been popularly recognized by site managers until recently. A clear and explicit solution is to simplify and speed up the model development cycle, so as to enable users without much knowledge of simulation technology to easily generate a model in a relatively short period of time. In this paper, a resource-interacted simulation (RISim) modeling approach is presented, which adopts a resource oriented methodology to promote an intuitive feel to simulation modeling. In RISim, an operation is modeled in two abstraction levels—namely, the resource level and process level. An operation is viewed as a collection of resources and their interactions. Complex resources and simple resources are used to respectively represent resources with or without their own processes. The operation logic is mainly represented with internal complex resource flows, which are integrated by simple resource flows between complex resources. Resource flows can be easily conceived by site managers, enabling them to build up the logic naturally and simply. A resource library is used to implement resource reusability. Finally, an example in concrete delivery operation illustrates the methodology of resource-interacted simulation modeling and its potential for “plug-in and simulate.”     

Construction Engineering Today

The factors that are considered in analyzing technical solutions and the tools used to obtain technical solutions have changed for construction engineers over the past 30 years. This paper discusses these changes and their impacts. It then outlines a process that several heavy civil contracting firms use to generate work plans for their field operations, using the details of the process at Granite Construction as an example. The paper concludes by identifying the key factors in the success of a work plan and providing some thoughts on what construction engineering education should emphasize.     

Runtime User Interaction in Concurrent Simulation-Animations of Construction Operations

Current state-of-the-art tools allow for the accurate modeling of complex construction operations using discrete-event simulation and their realistic postprocessed three-dimensional animation. Due to the postprocessed nature of these animations it is not possible to interact with them so as to affect the remaining course of actions. The next logical step in the evolution of simulation modeling and visualization in construction is for simulations and animations to run concurrently and in a manner that allows interaction with the animation to affect the course events in the simulation. This effectively enables the creation of virtual environments with logic based on discrete-event simulation. This paper presents the user interaction architecture that accomplishes this. In particular, the paper presents: (a) the conceptualization developed to design the components for user interaction and (b) the design of the components with a focus on (i) empowering model developers to enable user interaction in their models and (ii) extensibility to enable the development of more advanced user interaction techniques.     

Application of Fuzzy Logic to Simulation for Construction Operations

This paper describes the application of fuzzy logic to discrete event simulation in dealing with uncertainties of construction operations. The uncertainties in the quantity of resources required to activate an activity are modeled with fuzzy sets in linguistic terms. The fuzzy logic if-then rule is built to control the activation of activities. The duration of the activity that varies with the quantities of resources involved is determined through the fuzzy logic rule-based model. The fuzzy logic control of activities is incorporated with the activity scanning simulation strategy to implement the fuzzy simulation system for construction operations. In addition, the fuzzy activity element is adopted in the graphical modeling process. Examples are given that illustrate uses of the fuzzy simulation system and the impact of flexible demand of resources on productivity.     

Undergraduate Research Mentoring Model in Construction Engineering and Management

The construction industry is a major player in the nation’s economy. The complex nature of the construction industry, coupled with the challenges of global competitiveness and changing regulatory requirements, has created the need for providing higher levels of education, experience, and training for construction professionals. An essential and integral component of the required education and training must be the research training of undergraduate civil and construction students, encouraging them to pursue advanced education and research careers in this area. With this in mind, the writer developed a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) summer program at Western Michigan University that focuses on construction engineering and management issues and problems. This construction-oriented undergraduate research training program is the first REU site in the United States to be funded by the National Science Foundation. This paper will describe the structure of the REU program, the types of activities undertaken by the REU participants, and the results of the program evaluation and assessment.     

Excavation Game: Computer-Aided-Learning Tool for Teaching Construction Engineering Decision Making

This paper reports on an interactive computer-aided-learning (CAL) tool that was developed for the education of construction engineering students: the excavation game. It builds on the large potential of using CAL in education. CAL tools could offer a better learning environment for students, as they provide an excellent opportunity for applying and testing the management skills learned in classroom, but are difficult to implement in reality. In this research, the CAL tool focuses on improving students’ decision-making skills in the aspects of excavation and related activities. These are excavation equipment, dewatering, and soil-support methods. It also covers mobilization, surveying, safety, overtime shifts, and reporting. Students compete with regard to time, cost, and quality of construction of a given project. The game flow is nonlinear as it depends on students’ decisions. Wrong decisions deviate the construction flow to a path that costs money and time, while reducing quality. This must be corrected costing extra money and time. The game was tested by senior practicing engineering and university professors. Then, it was tested by senior undergraduate construction students. Both groups agreed that the game responds, to a great extent, to the characteristics of effective CAL software, and that the information provided could not be easily assimilated or practiced through the usual tutorial or demonstration educational format. 18% of the professionals and 72% of students indicated the usefulness of the game in applying management and decision-making skills. 60–70% of students believed that it improved their technical skills in dewatering, soil-support, and excavation activities. In addition, 80% of the professionals found the game presenting realistic soil-support and excavation situations, while 72% of students became more appreciative of the interdependencies between activities.     

Productivity Analysis of Construction Operations

An interactive system for analysis of construction operations is proposed. The analysis is carried out in the context of various work modules which address quantity development, resource definition, and production and cost analysis. The quantity work module generates quantities based on information available in the design documents. The resource definition module receives and stores data regarding the labor∕equipment combination to be used to execute work tasks. This module provides the user with a set of standard useful construction process models. For each construction operation to be analyzed, the terminal describes the standard models. The user makes input of a set of parameters for process keyname, quantity, work task durations, number of resources, production capacity of each unit, and cost per hour of each unit to the standard model to be used. Using input from the resource definition module, the productivity and cost analysis module generates production rates and unit costs based on process simulation using CYCLONE methodology.     

Teaching and Learning: The Critical Balance in Effective Education

This lecture addresses the balance between teaching and learning and explores the notion that “we teach too much and our students learn too little.” Research in the areas of teaching and learning, in addition to personal experience in construction education, are used to show how appropriate teaching styles and a learner centered approach can be combined to improve learning and reinforce the belief that the true goal of education should be to produce self-motivated, independent lifelong learners. Data from an informal study of student perceptions are presented to show that much is achieved when faculty make it possible for students to be independent active learners and accept responsibility for their own learning.     

Integrating Ethics into the Engineered Construction Curriculum

Equality, life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, security, civic duty, justice, honor, and the rule of law are some of the widely held values in society. These are the values engineers must adopt to comply with regulations. Unfortunately, there is a lack of awareness in construction education regarding how to integrate social awareness and ethical behavior into professional practice. Several challenges facing construction engineering educators are how to develop strategies that will raise the awareness of students regarding ethical issues related to construction and how to provide a framework to make ethical decisions. Social values should serve as the basis for university-level ethics instruction. The objectives of this paper are to discuss the various disciplines that are available for use in developing course material and classroom presentations, and to describe a framework for making ethical decisions. Problem solving in ethics is a skill that is very much needed by students, but is quite difficult to teach. The approach described herein uses real world construction ethics cases and invited guest lectures from the construction industry plus multiple required and elective courses explore ethical theories, concepts of critical thinking, and major ethical issues related to the construction industry.     

Iconic Animation for Activity-based Construction Simulation

This paper discusses the development of an animation tool for the activity-based construction (ABC) modeling and simulation system. The tool uses an activity-based network diagram, i.e., ABC simulation model, as the animation background image, and uses precreated two-dimensional (2D) iconic images for simulation entities (e.g., resources). The animation process displays the queuing status and dynamic movements of 2D iconic images on the background. It also distinguishes active and idle states of resources and activities. Dynamic reports are available for selected activities with graphs including the production rate and utilization of involved resources. From visualizing the change of status of a simulation process and dynamic interaction between simulation entities in the process, the user can better understand the dynamic nature of the construction process. Animation provides an avenue to demonstrate how dynamic operations are simulated. It also provides an effective tool for the user to verify a simulation model and to validate the obtained simulation results. Compared to other systems, the ABC animation does not require any extra effort in addition to the ABC simulation model constructed for simulation purposes. Therefore, the presented technology greatly reduces the time and cost for achieving animation. A variety of useful information can be observed through animation, and is illustrated using two construction examples.     

Fifty Years of Progress in Construction Engineering Research

This paper provides insight into how and why construction has developed as a research based discipline over the past 50 years. The writer presents anecdotal information about certain critical events which played a role in shaping the thrust of construction research in the United States. The acceptance of construction engineering and management as a university level program and discipline is strongly tied to research and the publication of scholarly work.     

Integrating Construction Operation and Context in Large-Scale Construction Using Hybrid Computer Simulation

This research proposes a hybrid simulation approach based upon the principles of system dynamics (SD) and discrete event simulation (DES), which facilitates a better understanding of complex interactions among various processes in large-scale construction. The significance of the construction context that interacts with construction operations is highlighted, and a hybrid SD-DES approach is proposed as a means to capture the feedback between the two. In particular, this paper focuses on how to seamlessly integrate SD and DES within the framework of a modeling perspective. For the purpose of substantiating the discussion, a pipeline installation process is modeled using the proposed hybrid approach, with specific consideration given to how the approach can serve to address complex interactions between operation and context.     

Construction Management Program

The typical limitations of the existing construction management programs are the lack of an integrated approach to managerial decisions in real life construction environment, not enough emphasis on engineering design, construction methods and communication skills, and poor coordination between the undergraduate and the graduate studies. An effective construction management program should. integrate teaching on undergraduate and graduate levels and research. On the undergraduate level it should provide the students with a good insight into all managerial tasks in civil engineering projects. On the graduate level it should allow specialization in the various areas of interest both to the practicing engineers and also to students who wish to pursue an academic career. The program should strongly interact with research and engineering practice.