Development of 3D Model Using 2D Site Layout as Self-Assisting for Construction Management Course: A CDIO Approach
Nurul Aishah Abd Rahman1*, Noor Safwan Muhamad1*, Ahmad Amzari Yaccob1*, Noorul Iqhlima Najwa Ismail1*
1 Faculty of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA Pahang, Bandar Tun Abdul Razak Jengka, Pahang, Malaysia
*Corresponding Author: [email protected]; [email protected]; amzari@uit m.edu.my &
iqhlima87@uit m.edu.my
Accepted: 1 June 2020 | Published: 15 June 2020
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Abstract: CDIO (Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate) based teaching method is a style of pedagogy which integrates teacher's research-based teaching and student's research-based studying together; in-class instructing and outside-class practicing together; textbook explaining and extensive reading together; teacher's guiding and student's self -studying together. Generally, the implementation of CDIO is an approach to assist teachers in measuring the students’ performance with respect to the psychomotor and affective domain.
This is aligned with the course outcomes (CO) and programme outcomes (PO) requirement which is part of the Outcome Based Education (OBE) standard. In this paper, a CDIO approach has been implemented in Construction Management Course where the students are required to develop a 3D Model based on 2D site layout for the construction site. This course is offered to Diploma in Civil Engineering students, UiTM with the aims to strengthen their engineering management skills related to pre-construction activities with implementation of good management practices during construction. The students’ achievements are based on the PO11 and PO5 attainment mapping with CO2 and CO3 assessments to measure student’s presentation performance that apply for one’s one work, as a member or leader in a technical team related to managing projects in multidisciplinary environments. They also require demonstrating knowledge and understanding about engineering management skills.
This approach uses to ensure students ‘engagement in project management activities, engineering activities and hands-on projects are incorporated into the learning process.
Keywords: Construction management, management skills, assessment, students’
performance
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1. Introduction
CDIO is an innovative education framework of engineering education developed to aid teachers in planning the content of the course or any learning process in general (Thomas Haavi et al. 2018). The vision of the CDIO approach is to educate students who understand how to Conceive – Design – Implement – Operate complex value-added engineering systems in a modern team-based engineering environment, [Erik Bruun and Claus Kjærgaard, 2011], or more simple: “Engineers who can engineer”.
Since 2017, the higher learning institutions (IPT) in Malaysia which offering diploma programmes in engineering are encouraged to obtain accreditation from the Engineering
Technology Accreditation Council (ETAC). In the era of Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0), to ensure that engineering education are still relevant, it require innovation to the way of teaching delivery and more systematic and practical assessment method. The revolution begins after the observation to the traditional approach that practices in Malaysia found existing limitation in student learning process. The students become less encouraged to be more productive with one-way communication or lecture-centered learning system.
One of the important courses in engineering is construction management. The construction management field is rapidly growing, and it is always described as a complex and high-risk field which involved variety of stakeholders. It is important for the field to integrate with technology towards IR 4.0 in helping the field to be more effective and can save in terms of cost, time and budget [Thee Zin Win et al. 2018]. However, the graduates nowadays are lacking with fundamental knowledge about the construction management and indirectly it gives bad impression to employers if the graduates are recruited. It is also a reason why engineering institution needs to revise the learning process with the implementation of CDIO to improve students learning experience.
In the Faculty of Civil Engineering, UiTM Pahang Campus Jengka, Construction Management Course is offered to a fourth semester students in the new plan ID. This course is offered to the second-year student to ensure they are well prepared before their final year project and industrial training. This course also is designed to stimulate students’ passion and strengthen motivation to further engineering studies, as well as to enhance their technical knowledge and relevant professional skills. Along the learning process, CDIO is implemented to direct engage the students in project management activities, engineering activities and hands-on project rather than focus only on the theoretical part.
The big challenges face in this course is how to enhance the students’ ability to meets the actual needs of industry with the latest technology practiced at construction site towards IR 4.0 demand. Due to this challenge, the students are assigned to develop a 3D Model for the construction site based on 2D site layout drawing. The evaluations are reflecting to PO11 and CO3 as regards to OBE requirement.
2. Literature Review
The Construction Management
The construction management is a key in handling the construction project to avoid any delay or unsolved handicaps issue during construction. For this reason, the construction management course must be learned thoroughly by considering construction life cycles and its activities. The major issues related to the students can be classified as a) working in team to make project activities, b) collaborating with team members, c) communicating with project stakeholders, and d) concluding activities at deadlines. The issues can be solved when good communication exist between team members with stakeholders and they are able to share information with critical thinking when require decision making. These abilities may be gained for the construction management when project-based learning approach applied as student centred framework. Project based learning is student centered approach and used for acquiring skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and problem solving (Hafize Keser and Dilek Karahoca, 2010).
Teaching and learning process
The teaching and learning of construction management course is challenging due its complex, abstract nature and involve real practice in industry. Diminishing resources (e.g., continuous funding cut, frequent professional/academic staff career movement, lack of competent professional staff, inadequate laboratory infrastructures) are affecting the learning process of engineering courses. As a result, students cannot achieve effective learning outcomes. To overcome these challenges, a three-step teaching approach has been developed to enhance students’ learning outcomes. This approach is cost effective, user-friendly and attractive. The method comprises a real laboratory demonstration video clip, conducting a real laboratory experiment and a computer simulation/modelling. The developed three-step teaching and learning approach can be applied to any engineering courses.
The emphasis on the OBE has greatly influenced the learning trends of IPT students. In fact, the assessment and evaluation on the student’s achievement has shifted and focused based on the learning and program outcomes. One result of the changes introduced by the new outcome based on ETAC is that design, communication skills, managerial skills, working in multidisciplinary teams and life-long learning have been given increasingly important treatment in undergraduate engineering curricula. Through this OBE implementation, students can work more autonomously to construct their own learning experience and end up with a realistic, student generated product (Siti Aminah Osman et al. 2012).
The revision of teaching approach started to transforming engineering education from a conventional knowledge-based to the competencies-based approach as a response to long- term engineering competencies. The changes were made to overcome some issues of the employability of engineering graduates in Malaysia or fulfil workforce demand from professional engineers, who according to the construction industry, are lacking skills despite their academic excellence. The implementation of CDIO as part of our syllabus is to achieve OBE requirement which works towards sustainable development of education. According to OBE approach, teaching content require integrating “teaching - learning - practice” with skills to enhance participation of students in class. The improvement in quality of teaching and learning experience can be achieved with evolution of knowledge delivery and assessment to fulfil the needs of the stakeholders (students, parents, alumni, employers and nations) and industry. (Nurul Aishah Abd Rahman et al. 2015).
The CDIO Skills
The CDIO skills correspond to sections 2, 3 and 4 of the CDIO syllabus with expression that used as a short form for personal, interpersonal, product and system building skills. (T.
Svensson and S. Gunnarsson, 2005). The development of CDIO skills can be achieved from the modules with design build projects at the advanced levels. This experience learning process takes place through the creation of a product or system. The final product requires a thorough evaluation to verify that it meets the standard requirement and to identify the possibility of improvements. (Ho Teck June Tan and Helene Leong, 2009). In generating and realizing solutions to a client’s requirements, students apply the skills of conceiving, designing and implementing new products and systems while developing personal attributes like creative and critical thinking, initiative, perseverance and successful time and resource management. Besides that, it also exposes students to work methods used in industry and provide students with the opportunity to make connections between the technical content they are learning and their professional and career interests. In this course, students are required to familiarized with current problems and new professional trends by determining the key factors of their projects through engineering reasoning, problem solving, systematic thinking,
knowledge of social, business and skills practices as a modern engineer. Generally, the experience learning process allows students to develop interpersonal skills for teamwork and communication by dealing with the government officials, community groups or private companies in the region along the way the students handling the case study assigned to them (Dante Guerreroa et al. 2014).
Designing the Rubric Assessment for Modelling
To ensure that this project meet the standard, key stakeholders such as engineers from the government and private sectors were appointed as judges as shown in Figure 1. Feedback from industry is seen as a key success factor in implementing CDIO in this course. The rubric prepared for the evaluation considering the elements of affective and psychomotor domain related to the construction itself. Some of the elements to be measured based on the rubric is the scale use for the model must be reasonable, the items shown in the 2D drawing must be available in the model and the material used to construct the model must be taken from used or recycle material. The purpose of encouraging the students to use recycle materials is to train them about the business and financial matters that is crucial for any business entities including contractors. The evaluation by stakeholders also considered the communication and teamwork among the team members where all members are required to participate in the presentation and defend their idea through a role play as contractor, developer, architect, design engineers etc. as designated earlier. The preparation of final product must based on feasibility study analysis that consider all relevant factors including economic, technical, legal and scheduling considerations to ascertain the likelihood of completing the project successfully.
Figure 1: The presentation model session with judges
3. Methodology
Presentation of Case Study
In the course of Construction management, the students are required to prepare the design of site layout during construction and post construction by using AutoCAD software for the designated location. They are working as a team with the maximum of 4 members consist of different roles such as contractor, design engineer, etc. in order to understand their roles in
real practice. It is because, the construction related industries include construction companies, construction plants, consulting companies, material suppliers, construction machinery equipment trading or leasing industries, etc., different companies will have different roles but completing each other towards the completion of project. The performance characteristics may varies due to department type or different project type and return requirements (Yu-Tsung Hoa et al.2019).
All the lecturers teaching this course must ensure that the theoretical part through lectures for the consecutive 14 weeks aligned with the case study and model preparation progress. The case study with CDIO component constitutes approximately 60% from the total course assessment. All elements of detailing that is required in site layout based according to different type of development are carried out with some references given by lectures for clear objective of construction. For the first step, the students were asked to obtain copy of designated site plan from the nearest land and district office. The location must have a detail address, coordinate and size to ease the process transferring in AutoCAD. The case study was presented in model pattern for both during construction and after completion based on the design provided using AutoCAD as shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3.
Figure 2: The model for the case study during construction
Figure 3: The model for the case study after completion
During presentation session, students starting to promote their product as a proposal to the client based on the given area. The group was presenting as a contractor who construct the project with reasonable price and considering the technical factors during construction phase until handover back to the client. The judges were acting as a client and give their comment based on their working experience in the industry and the real work scope applied in the construction industry. In this process, the students will be more detailed, and complex during preparing the product within 14 weeks classes compared to the traditional discussion for accomplish this task and OBE requirement.
Analysis for Project Based Learning (PBL)
Construction management course has some obstacles for both teachers and students to achieve due to understanding and relating the theoretical and reality. For surpassing this obstacle, this course must design by considering the project-based learning approach.
According to (Noor Ezlin Ahmad Basri et al. 2012), problems that are given to students should be the issues or situations that happened in real-life, sequential and must be appropriates for students to undertake the problem in a group that lasted for a week or more.
This learning process requires all students to be actively participate in the classroom with working in small groups to ensure they can exchange knowledge and mutually help each other.
Requirements analysis questionnaire is constructed to survey students’s perception towards the implementation of CDIO in their course assessment. The design of survey questionnaire also can assist in correlating between analysis of student’s attainment based on CO2 mapping with PO11 and CO3 mapping with PO5 and important of implementing CDIO.
Questionnaire on Students Perception
For the Construction Management Course, the quantitative method was conducted through a survey questionnaire on the significance of changing the traditional method of assessment where instead of presenting their findings using a 2D site layout of a construction site, they have to present it in the form of a 3D model. 812 students from UiTM Jengka who took this course for the Semester March – July 2019 are selected as the respondents for this study. The data were then analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software to come out with the mean and standard deviation for each item.
Results And Discussion
A 5-point Likert-Scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree was used to know the student’s feedback on the transition of assessment from a 2D site layout to a 3D model. The data was analysed using descriptive analysis to obtain the mean score and standard deviation, Table 1 shows the level of effectiveness based on the mean score.
Table 1: Level of effectiveness based on mean score
Mean Score Level of Effectiveness
5.00 Strongly agree
4.00 – 4.99 Agree
3.00 – 3.99 Neutral
2.00 – 2.99 Disagree
1.00 – 1.99 Strongly disagree
To protect the privacy of the respondents and to ensure that the responds are genuine, analysis on demographic are not conducted because all the respondents are from diploma in civil engineering students at UiTM Jengka. The first part of the survey is to know whether the students feel burdened with the implementation of CDIO activities in their assessment as shown in Table 2.
Table 2: Acceptance of students on the implementation of CDIO activities
Item Mean Std.
Deviation
Level of Effectiveness
1. I understand what is CDIO 4.41 0.824 Agree
2. I understand why the assessment must include CDIO elements
4.41 0.824 Agree
3. I feel that CDIO is not important 4.03 0.832 Agree
4. I feel burden with the implementati on of CDIO activities
3.87 0.912 Neutral
The findings show that majority of the students aware the importance of CDIO and why CDIO is introduced in the course activities with the mean score of 4.41 for both. However, majority of the respondents still thinking that it is not important, maybe because of their mindset are still with the traditional methods of learning. The additional work to come out with a 3D model for the project instead of just stop at preparing a 2D side layout previously seem not really bothering the students as they are neutral with the requirement. To prepare for this, the lecturers must ensure that the modules are prepared according to the student’s learning time (SLT) as specified in the syllabus to ensure that it will not overly consume the students time thus burdening them with unnecessary works.
To know the perception of students about the enhancement of psychomotor and affective skills through the implementation of CDIO activities by making them present their findings using a 3D model, some questionnaire was design as shown in Table 3 for psychomotor and Table 4 for affective domain.
Table 3: Psychomotor skills
Item Mean Std.
Deviation
Level of Effectiveness By conducting CDIO activities, I believe that:
1. I can conduct investigation, locate, and search for relevant codes and standards (including conduct visit to construction sites for confirmation of data)
4.60 0.889 Agree
2. I can apply appropriate techniques, resources and tools to solve problems (including to use appropriate tools and technique to prepare the 3D model based on 2D site layout)
4.72 0.912 Agree
The findings show that the students agree that they can apply psychomotor skills in completing the project. This finding agrees that the implementation of CDIO activities in students assessment are actually essential to be included because it can enhance the psychomotor skills.
Table 4: Affective skills
Item Mean Std.
Deviation
Level of Effectiveness By conducting CDIO activities, I believe that:
1. I can demonstrate knowledge of the societal, health, safety, legal and cultural issues, and the responsibilities relevant to engineering practice
4.41 0.889 Agree
2. I can understand and evaluate the sustainability and impact of engineering work in societal and environmental context.
4.41 0.847 Agree
3. I can understand and commit to professional ethics and responsibilities of engineers
4.38 0.812 Agree
4. I can function effectively as an individual and as a member in a team
4.88 0.923 Agree
5. I can communicate effectively with my team members and with society through proper medium
4.78 0.881 Agree
6. I can demonstrate knowledge and
understanding of engineering management principles
4.67 0.823 Agree
7. I value information management and lifelong learning by continuously eager for new skills and knowledge
4.12 0.857 Agree
From Table 4, majority of the respondents are positive that CDIO implementation can utilize and enhance affective domain skills. Effective communication and teamwork are essential in every aspects of life, especially career. Other than technical aspects, those with good communication skills and able to work in teams are normally easier to get a job and they enjoy interpersonal relationships with friends and family. By giving PBL type of project where they must work together for a longer time span, it creates more positive attitudes towards the importance of teamwork. This can be seen where the mean score for communication (Item 5) and teamwork (Item 4) are the highest with 4.78 and 4.88, respectively. However, Item 7 score the lowest with a mean of 4.12 maybe because the software is easily accessible, and the lecturers are always around to facilitate them in completing the tasks.
The feedback also shows that our society is committed in answering the questionnaires, during the execution of the survey. For recommendation of future research, individuals with Malaysian Certificate of Education (SPM) or foundation qualifications or respondents from different positions in a department could also be involved.
4. Conclusion
As a conclusion, development of case study, the experience, quantitative interview and acceptance survey were conducted through the feedback from the 812 students. The learning process design for the construction management course is designed based on the CDIO syllabus. This course is aimed at preparing the students well to study and engineering programme of their choice in a hand on a project-based environment. The general overview of the study program is suitable to serve as a guide to an exhibition of students’ projects, since reasoning behind activities are outlined in this paper.
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