Blog 4 - Collaboration

As usual these are short writing pieces (such as a memo) in which we review the CURT Reports Collaboration, Integrated Information and Optimization or a paper on the Promises and Barriers to technology enabled collaboration. For one of the report sections or for the paper, the students consider:

Authorship (2 to 5 sentences): Who is the author - in what field(s) is she/he considered knowledgeable-are they affiliated with a university, corporation, organization that is relevant to the topic discussed/ research presented. Are they relatively new to the field or senior researchers? Is it a sole-authorship or collaborative work? Who / what funded the project?

Publication (2 to 5 sentences): What is the venue of the publication- i.e. a popular magazine, a professional journal, is it peer reviewed? Is the topic/ research question a typical theme in this journal? in the profession? Or is the article asking a new question? Is the question new to the field/ discipline or just to the publication venue (journal)? Is it challenging what is considered established knowledge or explaining known phenomena?

Sources (2 to 5 sentences): What references/ sources are cited in the article- i.e. do they rely on established sources or on personal observation/ experience? Is the article in response to or in addition to earlier publications?

Content (2 to 5 sentences): Summarize and critique ONE significant issue that this article as brought to your attention in terms of new / contributed knowledge. Is the issue clearly and thoroughly addressed? Does the conclusion suggest further research or considerations? What language (professional, popular, jargon) does the author(s) use?

Blog 3 - Case Study Examples

In this week, students are asked to find an article that presents a case study example of 4D modeling, construction planning or lean construction. Industry media or academic journals are all acceptable types of publications.

1) Citation of article

2) Short synopsis of article (5 sentences)

3) Reflect on how this technology may change the industry (2 to 5 sentences)

Blog 2 - Industry Surveys

This week we will review 3 different industry surveys. These surveys have been conducted in the last few years and relate to the industry's adoption of BIM technologies. For one of the surveys, write up you're thoughts on:

McGraw Hill SmartMarket Report on Building Information Modeling
FMI/CMAA Eighth Annual Survey of Owners
Top Criteria for BIM Solutions: AECbytes Survey Results

Sponsorship (2 to 5 sentences) Who sponsored the survey? Why was the survey conducted?



Respondents (2 to 5 sentences) Who responded to this survey? Are they self selected or a random sample? Why would someone want to participate in this survey?



Findings (2 to 5 sentences) What findings is more surprising or meaningful to you? What is the one or two main issues you think are most important to your discipline? Why?

Blog 1 - BIM and Integrated Project Delivery

This first week's blog are short writing peices (such as a memo) in which we review issues related to Building Infomation Modeling and Integrated Project Delivery. Review one of the following and address the questions below.

AIA Integrated Project Delivery: A Guide
National BIM Standard Overview
GSA 3D-4D-BIM Overview

For this blog, take one of the three above (signup in class) and consider:

Authorship (2 to 5 sentenses): Who is the author - in what field(s) is she/he considered knowledgeable-are they affiliated with a university, corporation, organization that is relevant to the topic discussed/ research presented. Are they relatively new to the field or senior researchers? Is it a sole-authorship or collaborative work? Who / what funded the project?

Publication (2 to 5 sentenses): What is the venue of the publication- i.e. a popular magazine, a professional journal, is it peer reviewed? Is the topic/ research question a typical theme in this journal? in the profession? Or is the article asking a new question? Is the question new to the field/ discipline or just to the publication venue (journal)? ?Is it challenging what is considered established knowledge or explaining known phenomena?

Sources (2 to 5 sentenses): What references/ sources are cited in the article- i.e. do they rely on established sources or on personal observation/ experience? Is the article in response to or in addition to earlier publications?

Content (2 to 5 senteses): Summarize and critique ONE significant issue that this article as brought to your attention in terms of new / contributed knowledge. Is the issue clearly and thoroughly addressed? Does the conclusion suggest further research or considerations? What language (professional, popular, jargon) does the author(s) use?

What are we blogging about?

Students from the University of Washington's CM515 class will post reflections on articles and assignments. Check in for commentary on how information technologies such as Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Web-based Project Management Systems (WPMS), as well as new project delivery mechanisms such as Integrated Project Delivery are changing the way we design and build buildings, roads and facilities.

Why are we doing this you ask? A number of reasons.

1 - It is important to develop a habit of regular writing. Check out Dr. Mary McKinney's blog

2 - It is important to learn to write for a general audience. Even an internal report, letter, memo or email can be copied, forwarded, or otherwise shared (particularly in the electronic age) and writing for a public audience is a good habit to develop.

3 - This is a way we can share our reflections and discoveries with the community.

For each blog assignment, post a COMMENT to the blog threads below.