Essay construction management

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BCN 2210

CONST. MATERIALS & METHODS

BCN 2210 CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS & METHODS

TERM PAPER (INDIVIDUAL) INSTRUCTIONS

I. Instructions  Each student is expected to select one innovative/unconventional construction

material/method and write a journal paper-style essay about the selected material.

 The essay should highlight the characteristics of the selected material/method and compare it with the characteristics of the more commonly used alternatives.

 The students are also expected to make a short presentation videos (5-7 minutes) of their essays. Please find the Term Paper and Presentation due dates on Syllabus Review.

II. Grading  Term paper will be graded out of 100 and weighs 10% in your final grade.

 The paper itself holds 80% of the term paper grade and should include the following components:

1. Cover page and the Table of contents - 2 pages – (0 points, mandatory! Not having a

cover page or a table of content causes 5-point penalty)

2. Abstract – (summary is written after the work on the paper is completed) – 1 page

(5 points)

3. Introduction – about 2 pages (10 points)

Why this topic? Explain the importance of the material/method that you selected. What are

going to be covered? Describe organization of the report.

4. Main body – about 8 to 12 pages (including tables, graphs, figures – each taking not

more than half a page) – (50 points, see breakdown below). The way you organize the main

body of your paper depends on the choice of your topic.

a. Suitable headings/ subheadings/ organization (10 points)

b. Effort in research using multiple sources (10 points)

c. Quality and value of information (10 points)

d. Quality of Tables, Figures, Graphs (10 points) (total space devoted to these should not

exceed 20% of the paper)

e. Quality of your own analysis based on the information (10 points)

5. Conclusions – 2 pages (10 points)

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BCN 2210

CONST. MATERIALS & METHODS

compare the selected material with other alternatives, explain when and where you think the

selected material could (not) be used, important considerations when working with this

material, prospect of future use of this material in the construction industry, etc.

6. References (alphabetical order) in correct format – 1 to 2 pages (5 points)

Must have been cited in the introduction, body, and conclusions of the paper properly. Must

use correct and consistent format.

 The presentation holds 20% of the term paper grade and will be graded according to the following criteria:

 Flow: 5 points  Orderliness, clear citation of sources (1)  Purposefulness, clear identification of topics to be addressed (2)  Smoothness of flow (2)

 Style: 10 Points  Holding audience’s attention (3)  Facilitation of discussion (2)  Responsiveness to audience’s questions (2)  Spontaneity (sparing use of notes, with no reading aloud) (3)

 Mechanics: 5 Points  Eye contact with entire audience, facial expressiveness (2)  Fluency (complete sentences, with no filled pauses (uh, like, well, okay?) (1)  Hand and arm gestures, body movement, with no fidgeting (1)  Voice control (pitch, loudness, speed, clear enunciation) (1)

III. Other Specific Formats

 Font and Spacing:

 Times New Roman No. 11 regular font with Double Spacing should be used for the entire manuscript except for the following:

 Title of Paper: Times New Roman Font, Size 14pt, All Cap, Bold Face, Center

 First Heading: Times New Roman, 12 pt, All Caps, Bold face

 Second Heading: Times New Roman, 11 pt, Title Case, Bold face

 Third Heading: Times New Roman, 11 pt, First letter capital, Bold face

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BCN 2210

CONST. MATERIALS & METHODS

 Table Captions: Times New Roman, 11 pt, Bold Face, Center

 Figure Captions: Times New Roman, 11pt, Bold Face, Center

 Text should be fully justified. Section headings should align on the left-hand margin. Place a full page of text and figures on each page.

 References

 In the text, cite publications by listing the last names of the authors and the year, i.e. author-date method of citation; e.g. (Sadri and Zhu, 2014). If authors are more than two,

use “et al.” with the name of first author, e.g (Sadri et al., 2013).

 All references should appear at the end of the paper in chronological order as follows:

Duan, L., Loh, J.T., and Chen, W.F. (1990). “M-P-F based analysis of dented tubular

members”. Journal of Structural Engineering, Vol. 21, No. 8, pp 34 - 44

Fang, T.C. (1987). “Network resource allocation using an expert system with fuzzy logic

reasoning”, Ph.D. thesis, University of California at Berkeley, California, USA

Hong Kong MTR Corporation. (2001). Passenger Data for 1990 - 2000,

http://www.mtr.com.hk, mm/dd/yy (date accessed)

Paulson, B.C., and Barrie, D.S. (1992). Professional Construction Management, 3rd

edition, Mcgraw-Hill International, Singapore

Peter, J. (1998). “Development of a risk management model for international joint

ventures”, Proceedings of Second International Conference on Project Management,

Editors: L.R.K. Tiong, National University of Singapore, Singapore, pp. 55 - 67

IV. Submission

Please submit an electronic copy of the paper in Microsoft Word (Name the file as:

YourLastName_YourFirstName_Term Paper.docx, e.g. Sadri_Arif_Term Paper.docx) through the

link “Term Paper” on CANVAS.

V. Disclaimer In case of any ambiguities or conflicting information in the term paper instructions, the students

should seek clarification from the instructor in a timely manner. Lack of understanding of the

requirements of the term paper does not entitle students to extra credits or extension of deadlines.