BCN3027C_FAL2020_11858


COURSE INFORMATION

  • Course Title Principles of Construction Management
  • Course Prefix and Number BCN 3027C
  • Section/Class Number 0157/11858
    • 0157: 7-8 periods on Tuesday, Thursday.  Online
  • Credits 3

COURSE DELIVERY

  • Lectures  In this course, lectures will delivered live by the instructor via Zoom during the scheduled course meeting times. Attendance is encouraged and expected. No recordings of the lectures will be available.
  • Quizzes  Weekly quizzes will be given online and should be completed before class on the designated due date.
  • Assignments  In-class assignments will be given by the instructor. These assignments should be completed in-class when possible, or by the beginning of the next course meeting if additional time is required.
  • Exams  Course exams will be given online during the scheduled course meeting time.

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

  • INSTRUCTOR Bryan Franz
    • Office Location 311 Rinker Hall
    • Email Address bfranz@ufl.edu
    • Telephone Number (352) 273-1161
    • Office Hours TBA

COURSE DESCRIPTION

  • This course examines the role of various players involved in the construction and the administration of a construction project, the importance of ethical conduct in all aspects of construction business and operations, and development of advanced writing and presentation skills for construction professionals.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

  • Upon completion of the course, students will demonstrate their ability to:
    1. Recognize the nature of the building process, risk, project life cycle, the construction industry and its professional organizations.
    2. Describe the roles of the professional constructor, owner, developer, architects, engineer, construction manager, general contractor, subcontractor, and suppliers.
    3. Understand the administration of a commercial construction project, including the use of scheduling, estimating and other project controls.
    4. Recognize the skills necessary to maximize the effectiveness of their summer internship.
    5. Prepare an understanding and awareness of ethical issues in the construction industry.
    6. Compose and present on topics related to construction industry and professionalism.
    7. Recognize the importance of conflict resolution and negotiations.
  • Additional information on the BCN undergraduate learning outcomes is available at: https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/construction/ALC/building-construction.aspx. For this course, the CLOs will be evaluated according to the table below.
  • Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) Assignment(s) Student Learning Outcome (SLO) Percent students passing with a 70% or higher
     SACS ACCE  
    1. Recognize nature of building process Mid-term exam 1 4 13 70%
    2. Describe roles of project professionals Mid-term exam 1 4 12 70%
    3. Demonstrate jobsite administration Mid-term exam 2 1 4, 5, 16 70%
    4. Recognize internship skills 5
    5. Prepare for ethical issues Ethics essay paper 4 6 70%
    6. Compose and present HBR presentation 1 2 70%
    7. Recognize importance of negotiation Final exam 4 17 70%
    SACS = Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, ACCE = American Council for Construction Education

PREREQUISITES

  • Junior standing in major required.

REQUIRED TEXT(s)

  • Two textbooks are required for this course. Both are readily available at the UF bookstore or online retailers, and should be obtained prior to the second week of class.
    1. Construction Project Management: A Complete Introduction. Alison Dykstra, AIA, CSI. Copyright 2011. ISBN-13: 978-0982703496, Kirshner Publishing Company.
    2. HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Managing People. Copyright 2011. ISBN-13: 978-1422158012, Harvard Business Review Press.

REQUIRED MATERIALS/SUPPLIES/FEES

  • A materials and supply fee of $7.02 is required for this course.

RECOMMENDED MATERIALS/SUPPLIES/FEES

  • An optional, written reflection on one of the books listed below may be completed for up to 15 extra credit points applied to your final grade. Reflections should be a maximum of four pages, single spaced and should cover how your personality, values and approach to conflict compare to those of the authors.
    1. Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement without Giving In. Roger Fisher, William Ury and Bruce Patton. Copyright 2011. ISBN-13: 978-0143118756. “It is to change the way we deal with our differences: from destructive, adversarial battling to hard-headed, side-by-side problem-solving.”
    2. The Death of Common Sense. Philip K. Howard. Copyright 2011. ISBN-13: 978-0812982749. “But law cannot save us from ourselves. Waking up every morning, we have to go out and try to accomplish our goals and resolve disagreements by doing what we think is right.”

WEEKLY SCHEDULE OF TOPICS AND ASSIGNMENTS

  • A detailed course schedule, with a week-by-week topic list and due dates for readings, quizzes and assignments, is provided on the e-Learning course website: elearning.ufl.edu.
  • WEEK Topic/Assignment*
    1 Introduction: The construction industry
    Resume workshop
    2 Lecture 1: Project Players  |  Dykstra: Ch. 1, 3;  HBR: “The Discipline of Teams”;  Canvas Quiz #1
    Lecture 2: Sustainability in construction  |  Dykstra: Ch. 2
    3 Lecture 3: Stages of a project / Risk management  |  Dykstra: Ch. 4;  HBR: “Leadership That Gets Results”
    Lecture 4: Feasibility, programming and design  |  Dykstra: Ch. 5, 7;  HBR: “One More Time…”;  Canvas Quiz #2
    4 Lecture 5: Project delivery  |  Dykstra: Ch. 6
    Lecture 6: Bidding and award  |  Dykstra: Ch. 8, 9;  HBR: “What Great Managers Do”;  Canvas Quiz #3
    5 Lecture 7: Estimating, Part 1  |  Dykstra: Ch. 10
    Lecture 8: Estimating, Part 2  |  Dykstra: Ch. 11;  HBR: “How (Un)ethical Are You”;  Canvas Quiz #4
    6 Career fair company presentations
    7 Lecture 9: Jobsite administration / Midterm exam review
    Midterm exam #1  |  Covers Dykstra Ch. 1-11
    8 Lecture 10: Construction contracts  |  Dykstra: Ch. 12, 13;  HBR: “The Set Up to Fail Syndrome”;  Canvas Quiz #5
    Lecture 11: Contract documents  |  Dykstra: Ch. 14, 15, 16;  HBR: “Managing Your Boss”
    9 Spring Break (No Class)
    10 Lecture 12: Precon, mobilization and construction  |  Dykstra: Ch. 17, 18;  HBR: “Saving Your Rookie Managers…”;  Canvas Quiz #6
    Lecture 13: Creating and using schedules  |  Dykstra: Ch. 19, 20;  Extra credit paper due
    11 Lecture 14: Buying out the job  |  Dykstra: Ch. 21;  HBR: “Teaching Smart People How to Learn”;  Canvas Quiz #7
    Lecture 15: Business ethics
    12 Lecture 16: Changes in the work / Midterm exam review  |  Dykstra: Ch. 22;  HBR: “Fair Process…”;  Canvas Quiz #8
    Midterm exam #2  |  Covers Dykstra Ch. 12-22
    13 HBR presentations
    14 Lecture 17: Getting paid  |  Dykstra: Ch. 23;  Canvas Quiz #9
    Lecture 18: Claims and disputes  |  Dykstra: Ch. 24;  Canvas Quiz #10
    15 Lecture 19: Close-out and occupancy  |  Dykstra: Ch. 25
    Closing thoughts / Final exam review  |  Ethics essay paper due
    16 Guest Speaker

    * Due at the start of class. Schedule is subject to change.

METHODS OF GRADE DETERMINATION

  • Evaluation of Grades:
    One, 2-hour lecture period and one, 2-hour combined lecture and lab session will be held each week. Text readings and graded e-Learning quizzes should be done before the lecture in which they are discussed. See the detailed course schedule for due dates. Students are responsible for the content of all reading materials, whether or not the material is covered in class. We will also discuss current issues and articles may be posted to the class website for review. During weekly lab sessions, graded in-class assignments will be given to reinforce topics from lecture and guest speakers may be invited to share their perspectives on the construction industry. The lowest score for quizzes and in-class assignments will be dropped.

    Becoming comfortable presenting your ideas is a key objective for this course. Each student will prepare and give two presentations during the semester: one as a brief overview of a company attending the Rinker Career Fair (3-4 minutes) and another more detailed discussion of an assigned HBR article (4-6 minutes). Should public speaking be a concern, please contact the instructor as early as possible.

    Two midterm exams will be given throughout the semester. These exams will be held during class time, specifically during a weekly lecture period. The format may include short answer, essay, multiple choice, and/or sketches. A comprehensive final exam will be given during finals week as scheduled by the Rinker office. Note: The final exam does NOT match the University schedule.
    Final grades will be calculated based on the following weighting:
    Mid-term exam 1 100
    Mid-term exam 2 100
    Final exam 100
    e-Learning quizzes (HBR/textbook) 100
    In-class assignments 100
    Company presentations (4-minute) 50
    HBR reading presentation (6-minute) 50
    Ethics essay paper 100
    You are responsible for addressing grades within one week of the grade being posted on the course’s e-Learning website. After one week, the grade stands for the class regardless of cause or circumstance.

GRADING

  • Final grades will be assigned according to the following scale. Divide the total points you earn by the total possible points to obtain your percent. Decimal points will not be rounded.
  • Letter Grade A A- B+ B B- C+
    Numeric Grade 93-100 90-92.99 87-89.99 83-86.99 80-82.99 77-79.99
    Letter Grade C C- D+ D D- E
    Numeric Grade 73-76.99 70-72.99 67-69.99 63-66.99 60-62.99 0-59.99
  • UF grading policies for assigning grade points: catalog.ufl.edu/UGRD/academic-regulations/grades-grading-policies/
  • Class Attendance and Make-Up Policy Attendance is strongly encouraged. Extra credit points are occasionally awarded for attendance and participation in the lecture. Late quizzes, in-class assignments and essays will be accepted with 50% reduction of potential points, no later than the start of the next scheduled class. Make-up tests must occur within three days of original exam date. Only one make-up exam is allowed per semester. Requirements for attendance, make-up exams, assignments and other work in this course are consistent with UF policies found at: https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/attendance.aspx.
  • Class Demeanor It is expected that everything submitted for a grade will be professional, with correct spelling and grammar. The goal is for all work to represent what you would submit to your immediate boss in a job scenario. For in-class assignments and quizzes: 10 points are awarded for going above what is asked, 8-9 points for meeting the minimum of what is expected, and 5-7 points for quality work that may not be correct in scope. When available, use software to produce your work.
  • No work will be accepted via an e-mail submission. All assignments should be uploaded to the appropriate drop box on the course’s e-Learning website. Please try to communicate with me during office hours and before or after class periods. You are important to me as a student—I am simply overwhelmed with electronic communication and will respond to e-mails at my discretion.

GENERAL POLICIES

  • Course Specific ….
  • Cell phone use is not allowed during class time. Set your cell phones to vibrate or silent while in the classroom. Use of cell phones during an exam will result in failing the exam.
  • Course Conduct Students are expected to arrive to class on time and behave in a manner that is respectful to te instructor and to fellow students. Restrict eating to outside of the classroom. Opinions held by other students should be respected in discussion, and conversations that do not contribute to the discussion should be held at minimum, if at all. Rude and disrespectful behavior will not be tolerated.
  • Tech Support For issues with technical difficulties for E-learning, please contact the UF Help Desk at:
    • helpdesk@ufl.edu
    • (352) 392-HELP (4357)
    • https://lss.at.ufl.edu/
  • Honor Code UF students are bound by The Honor Pledge which states, “We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honor and integrity by abiding by the Honor Code. On all work submitted for credit by students at the University of Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied: “On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment.” The Honor Code (sccr.dso.ufl.edu/process/student-conduct-code/) specifies a number of behaviors that are in violation of this code and the possible sanctions. Furthermore, you are obligated to report any condition that facilitates academic misconduct to appropriate personnel. If you have any questions or concerns, please consult with the instructor or TAs in this class.
  • Accommodating Students with Disabilities Students with disabilities who experience learning barriers and would like to request academic accommodations should connect with the disability Resource Center by visiting disability.ufl.edu/students/get-started/. It is important for students to share their accommodation letter with their instructor and discuss their access needs, as early as possible in the semester.
  • Academic Resources
  • Health and Wellness
    • U Matter, We Care: If you or someone you know is in distress, please contact umatter@ufl.edu, 352-392-1575, or visit umatter.ufl.edu to refer or report a concern and a team member will reach out to the student in distress.
    • Counseling and Wellness Center: Visit counseling.ufl.edu or call 352-392-1575 for information on crisis services as well as non-crisis services.
    • Student Health Care Center: Call 352-392-1161 for 24/7 information to help you find the care you need, or visit shcc.ufl.edu.
    • University Police Department: Visit police.ufl.edu or call 352-392-1111 (or 9-1-1 for emergencies).
    • UF Health Shands Emergency Room / Trauma Center: For immediate medical care call 352-733-0111 or go to the emergency room at 1515 SW Archer Road, Gainesville, FL 32608; ufhealth.org/emergency-room-trauma-center.
  • Course Evaluations Students are expected to provide professional and respectful feedback on the quality of instruction in this course by completing course evaluations online via GatorEvals. Guidance on how to give feedback in a professional and respectful manner is available at gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/students. Students will be norified when the evalutation period opens, and can complete evaluations through the email they receive from GatorEvals, in their Canvas course menu under GatorEvals, or via ufl.bluera.com/ufl. Summaries of course evaluation results are available to students at gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/public-results.

Disclaimer

  • This schedule of work is provided as an initial guide and will very likely undergo changes as the semester progresses. For actual dates, consult the course Canvas website.

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