CEE 698 Course Requirements: Hard Hats and Work Boots

About 25 students participated in the spring semester course. (37K JPG)

Above: J.P. Cullen and Sons Project Engineer Jason Jones leads students through the ECB construction site. (26K JPG)

It's the only classroom on campus that houses a towering crane, cement mixers and hard-hat clad workers, and it's taking "hands-on learning" to a whole new level for CEE students.

During the spring semester, 25 students were enrolled in a one-credit course that enabled them to learn about design and construction up close and personal. For one hour each week, the Engineering Centers Building (ECB) construction site became an outdoor classroom unlike any other.

This living laboratory allowed students to witness every aspect of building construction. While enrolled in the course, they had full access to the site via a photo identification card. They could visit on their own at any time during the week to check out activities that might not coincide with class.

Jeffrey S. Russell and Awad Hanna, class instructors, explained that the course is working so well, they anticipate holding it over the next two semesters.

"We start every class by meeting with the project engineers," said Russell. "They give the students a quick update of the project, then introduce the subject matter for the day."

Then, the students followed the engineers through the site, learning about everything from foundation construction to wiring.

Russell pointed out that a class like this is possible only through cooperation with J.P. Cullen and Sons, the construction company managing the ECB project.

During a class period in March, students learned about a concrete pour in the building's north mezzanine that took place that morning. Jason Jones, the project engineer from J.P. Cullen, first explained how the process worked from beginning to end, and then he took students on a tour of the newly finished area.

While the ECB site might be the noisiest classroom on campus, Russell and Hanna's students know it's an important one.

Besides, how often do you get to wear a hard hat in class?