2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Connecting Classroom and Industry through Project-Based Learning in Construction Management Education

Presented at CONST 3 - From Classroom to Jobsite: High‑Impact Industry Partnerships

Project-based learning (PBL) is widely recognized as an effective approach for engaging students in authentic industry practice. This paper presents an industry-informed PBL framework implemented in an upper-division heavy civil construction management course that intentionally connects classroom instruction with contemporary construction project pursuit processes. The framework centers on a term-long, team-based project modeled after RFQ/RFP pursuits common to Construction Manager / General Contractor (CM/GC) and Construction-Manager-At-Risk (CMAR) delivery methods.

Student teams complete a coordinated sequence of deliverables, including a statement of qualifications, a detailed cost estimate, and a critical path method schedule, supported by lectures, guest speakers, and applied in-class exercises. Technical content is introduced incrementally and applied immediately, allowing students to experience estimating, scheduling, and means-and-methods planning as interdependent components of a single project. The framework is flexible and scalable, allowing instructors to adapt project scope, delivery method, and optional safety, quality, and risk deliverables to meet specific course outcomes. The paper focuses on curriculum design and instructional implementation rather than reporting formal educational research methods or empirical assessment results.

Authors

Mr. Enrique A. Ivers P.E. California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo [biography]

Enrique Ivers is an Adjunct Faculty member at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. He teaches a near full-time course load across the Architectural Engineering, Construction Management, and Civil Engineering departments. In addition to teaching, he has extensive private sector experience helping deliver infrastructure megaprojects across the continental United States and Hawaii. His experience covers all phases of the project life cycle, including proposal management, preconstruction management, construction management, field supervision, claims management, and project closeout. He continues his work within industry as a full-time designer for the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 5, a position that allows him to continue teaching. Professional interests include undergraduate research / senior projects, STEM outreach, engineering education, engineering psychology, mental health in the construction trades, water resource management, and infrastructure project delivery.
David VanMuyden, P.E. California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Dr. Elizabeth A Adams P.E. California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo [biography]

Dr. Elizabeth Adams is an Assistant Professor at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California. She a civil engineer with a background in infrastructure design and management, and project management. Her consulting experience spanned eight years and included extensive work with the US military in Japan, Korea, and Hawaii. In 2008 Elizabeth shifted the focus of her career to education and academia, later receiving her Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Arizona State University. Prior to her position at Cal Poly Dr. Adams taught engineering for 13 years in community colleges in Arizona and California. Her work highlights a commitment to undergraduate engineering education and its improvement through best teaching practices. Her research efforts are focused on increasing transfer student success.

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