Our Approach to Redesign and Redefine Heavy Civil Construction Materials and Methods

Project Challenges

• If you only had 60 seconds to explain to someone what heavy civil construction materials and methods are within the context of State DOT items of work, what would you say?
• Would you consider knowledge of construction materials and methods to be essential foundational knowledge in construction?
• What features and skill sets should be considered when evaluating construction materials and methods content?

Project Context and State-of-Practice

Understanding how a mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) wall is constructed involves knowing its different parts, the materials and products that those parts are made of, and also the methods used for incorporating those materials and products into the project. This knowledge, along with the contract requirements and project conditions, helps practitioners determine what is needed for planning, cost estimating, scheduling, or construction.

With our experience in the construction industry, we understand the importance of knowledge of construction materials and methods.

As educators involved in preparing the next generation of construction professionals, we have firsthand experience with how courses on construction materials and methods are taught in CE, CM, and ConE programs in the US.

For construction-related programs, a course on construction materials and methods is essential for upper-division courses such as cost estimating, project scheduling, capstone, and others. We also know that students in CE, CM, and ConE programs are better prepared for internships, and recent graduates from these programs are more equipped for a construction career when they have a solid understanding of construction materials and methods.

We understand some of the challenges that arise from young professionals not having basic knowledge of construction materials and methods.

This is why we wrote the webbook on Heavy Civil Construction Materials and Methods.  

Specific Solutions from Our Webbook

The features of the webbook, as presented below, highlight the essential knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to effectively plan, estimate, schedule, and build a construction project.

We believe that the webbook will help to better prepare students, young professionals, and seasoned professionals in the heavy civil construction sector.

For educators with a focus on heavy civil construction, we hope that the framework presented here will serve as the basis for evaluating which textbook to use when teaching the construction materials and methods course in CE, CM, and ConE programs.

In today’s world, with short attention spans, no one wants a textbook written from a 50,000-foot view that requires other resources to fill in the gaps.

With this book project, we have redesigned and redefined the content of heavy civil construction materials and methods. We aim to make a difference in how we prepare the next generation of construction professionals.