A New Graduate Course on Modular Construction: University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Abstract

Modular construction has been highlighted as one of the key technologies which can significantly improve the construction industry by major professional conferences (i.e., 2017 CII (Construction Industry Institute) Annual Conference, Autodesk University (Las Vegas 2017), CONEXP- CON/AGG) held in 2017. It is now evident that practitioners in the construction industry recognize and pay more attention to the value of modular construction, and consider implementing it. One of the enablers that can accelerate higher levels of modularization across the industry is changing project stakeholdersäó» stick-build paradigm to modularization. However, as most of the engineering schools in the U.S. teach courses based on the stick-build approach, students do not have an opportunity to learn the modular approach. Due to this reason, when they become owners, designer, and contractors, they are captured by the stick-build paradigm and more likely become reluctant to expand their modularization äóěcomfort zones.äóť To accelerate higher levels of modularization and meet the need of students and the industry, the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, led by Dr. Jin Ouk Choi, recently created a new graduate-level course on Modular Construction in 2017 which covers an overall understanding of modular construction concepts including, advantages, disadvantages, impediments, industry status, business case process, execution plans, critical success factors, and standardization strategies of modularization. This paper will introduce the course in terms of its vision, learning objectives, development procedure, structure, contents, and students' feedback who took the course in Spring 2017.