Chapter
Nov 9, 2020
Construction Research Congress 2020

An Automated Grading Method for Activity-on-Node Calculations to Support Construction Management Education

Publication: Construction Research Congress 2020: Safety, Workforce, and Education

ABSTRACT

Construction management education encounters challenges in delivering timely feedback to students given the current significant growth in students’ population. How to provide detailed feedback while finishing the grading efficiently is a question that needs to be addressed. For example, activity-on-node (AON) is a precedence diagramming method to denote schedule activities using boxes. The calculation of AON parameters is an important skill for students. Such calculation must be performed following the logical sequence of activities. The grading of AON calculations is a time-consuming and labor intensive task, especially when the graders have to avoid penalizing students more than once for cascaded errors. In this paper, the authors developed an Excel-based automated grading method for AON calculations, which identified cascaded errors and avoided penalizing students multiple times for cascaded errors. Two case studies grading tests showed that the results of using the proposed method achieved 100% accuracy while reducing manual grading efforts. The proposed automated grading method opens a new door to improving grading efficiencies in construction management education, without penalizing students for cascaded errors or harming the level of details in feedback to students.

Get full access to this article

View all available purchase options and get full access to this chapter.

REFERENCES

Daramola, M. O. (2015). “Application of critical path method scheduling to research plan and management of graduate students’ research project in engineering education.” Proc. QSci., Hamad bin Khalifa University Press (HBKU Press), 20-20.
Lu, M., and Li, H. (2003). “Resource-activity critical-path method for construction planning.” J. Constr. Eng. & Mgt., 129(4), 412-420.
Li, K., Shao, B., and Zelbst, P. (2012). “Project crashing using excel solver: a simple AON network approach.” Int. J. Mgt & Info. Systems (Online), 16(2), 177-177.
Moder, J. J., Phillips, C. R., and Davis, E. W. (1983). Project management with CPM, PERT and precedence diagramming, Van Nostrand–Reinhold, New York.
Moder, J. J., and Crandall, K. C. (1985). “Precedence diagramming: time computations, anomalies and remedies.” Proj. Mgt.: Methods and Studies, 11, 95-110.
Mantel, S., Meredith, J., Shafer, S., and Sutton, M. (2011). Project management in practice, John Wiley & Sons Publishing, Hoboken, New Jersey.
Muñoz, M. A., and Guskey, T. R. (2015). “Standards-based grading and reporting will improve education.” Phi Delta Kappan, 96(7), 64-68.
Moriarty, B., Held, B., and Richardson, T. (2018). Microsoft excel functions and formulas, Stylus Publishing, LLC, Sterling, VA, 1-1.
Nordquist, P. (2007). “Providing accurate and timely feedback by automatically grading student programming labs.” J. Comput. Sci. in Colleges, 23(2), 16-23.
Wiest, J. D., and Levy, F. K. (1977). A management guide to PERT/CPM with GERT/PDM/DCPM and other networks, Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.
Wiest, J. D. (1981). “Precedence diagramming method: some unusual characteristics and their implications for project managers.” J. Ops. Mgt., 1(3), 121-130.

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Construction Research Congress 2020
Construction Research Congress 2020: Safety, Workforce, and Education
Pages: 733 - 742
Editors: Mounir El Asmar, Ph.D., Arizona State University, David Grau, Ph.D., Arizona State University, and Pingbo Tang, Ph.D., Arizona State University
ISBN (Online): 978-0-7844-8287-2

History

Published online: Nov 9, 2020
Published in print: Nov 9, 2020

Permissions

Request permissions for this article.

Authors

Affiliations

Automation and Intelligent Construction (AutoIC) Laboratory, School of Construction Management Technology, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN. E-mail: [email protected]
Jiansong Zhang [email protected]
Automation and Intelligent Construction (AutoIC) Laboratory, School of Construction Management Technology, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN. E-mail: [email protected]
Yunfeng Chen [email protected]
Construction Animation, Robotics, and Ergonomics (CARE) Laboratory, School of Construction Management Technology, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN. E-mail: [email protected]

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Citations

Download citation

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

View Options

Get Access

Access content

Please select your options to get access

Log in/Register Log in via your institution (Shibboleth)
ASCE Members: Please log in to see member pricing

Purchase

Save for later Information on ASCE Library Cards
ASCE Library Cards let you download journal articles, proceedings papers, and available book chapters across the entire ASCE Library platform. ASCE Library Cards remain active for 24 months or until all downloads are used. Note: This content will be debited as one download at time of checkout.

Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
ASCE Library Card (5 downloads)
$105.00
Add to cart
ASCE Library Card (20 downloads)
$280.00
Add to cart
Buy Single Paper
$35.00
Add to cart
Buy E-book
$180.00
Add to cart

Get Access

Access content

Please select your options to get access

Log in/Register Log in via your institution (Shibboleth)
ASCE Members: Please log in to see member pricing

Purchase

Save for later Information on ASCE Library Cards
ASCE Library Cards let you download journal articles, proceedings papers, and available book chapters across the entire ASCE Library platform. ASCE Library Cards remain active for 24 months or until all downloads are used. Note: This content will be debited as one download at time of checkout.

Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
ASCE Library Card (5 downloads)
$105.00
Add to cart
ASCE Library Card (20 downloads)
$280.00
Add to cart
Buy Single Paper
$35.00
Add to cart
Buy E-book
$180.00
Add to cart

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

Share

Share

Copy the content Link

Share with email

Email a colleague

Share