E-Engineering Drawing : a web based system for teaching and learning engineering drawing for upper secondary school

Engineering drawing is a combination of geometrical and building, mechanical and electrical drawing. It relates between theory and picture of reality. Engineering drawing will provide an accurate and complete picture for every object in terms of shape and size. Individuals involved in the world of engineering must be able to read and interpret an engineering drawing. This is an important pre-requisite. Many researches showed that those who learn Engineering drawing encounter difficulties to see an image in 3-dimension, in other words, visualization. In Engineering drawing, information and specifications from the real object must be transferred to a drawing; likewise,interpretation of information from a drawing to produce a real image. The transfer from reality to a drawing and vice versa is not an easy task. Thus, a web-based system for teaching and learning Engineering drawing was developed based on the Visualization and Constructivist Model. EEDTM is tailored for several topics of engineering drawing such as Orthographic Projection; Sectional View; Isometric and Oblique drawing at the secondary level. The learning strategy consists of multiple phases beginning with orientation, elicitation of ideas, reconstruction, application of concept and reflection. For example, in the orientation phase, students will be exposed to an overview of the topic followed by learning of specific concepts. Other phase involved eliciting of ideas reconstruction of concept and application of knowledge. This system also provides a learning environment that allows learners to view objects from different angles; such as third angle projection and first angle projection as well as views of plans, side and front elevations. The learners will be guided through the various steps in drawing methods for each topic via animations and simulations. Learners are able to view any section repeatedly. Examples of real application of engineering drawings will be also given using graphic, animations and video. To evaluate students understanding, exercises will be given at the end of each session. The effectiveness of the system will also be evaluated using students’ interactive patterns while working at the interface. (Authors' abstract

An Interactive Visual Approach to Construction Project Scheduling

Sound project management is an important pillar of success for a construction company. Project schedules are the primary tools for communicating the thinking and planning by the management team to all the stakeholders in a construction project. Traditional project scheduling software have become an indispensable tool for managers in various project oriented industries for tracking the schedule, the budget and resource requirements of a project as well as for preparing reports, providing on-line access to project information and communication with the members of the project team. However, these benefits are realized only after the project information is entered into the computer and updated periodically. Setting up a computer schedule for a construction project requires entering into the computer not only all project activities and their durations and resource requirements but also organizing and sequencing of project activities. This requires considerable time and effort and consequently a full-scale time study is not usually performed for all projects. New parametric CAD software is revolutionizing the way architects, engineers and contractors work and can significantly increase construction management productivity by substantially reducing the manual work necessary for computerized construction scheduling. The data model of new parametric CAD software allows easy exchange of building design information among various software systems during design, construction and service life of projects. Research is underway at Marquette University to investigate how new parametric CAD software such as Autodesk Revit can improve construction scheduling and project control functions. The main objective of the research is to find a simple and intuitive way for transferring the necessary project information from an architectural CAD model to scheduling software and streamlining sequencing and organizing project activities. Achieving this objective will eliminate one of the most tedious and time consuming steps in creating a construction project schedule. The study proposes a visual approach to extracting project information and transferring them to scheduling software. In this approach, first a 3D model of the project is created using project\u27s digital Revit CAD files. Extraction, organizing, sequencing and transferring of project elements to scheduling software is performed during a walkthrough of the 3D model. During a walkthrough, the user can select a building element by pointing to the element. This capability allows the user to select both an element and its predecessors before executing a command that sends the information to the scheduling program. This approach reduces the tedious task of listing, organizing, sequencing, and transferring construction project information to scheduling software to a simple expedition inside the building