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Browsing by Author "Nobe, Mary, committee member"

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    A case study of barriers inhibiting the growth of information and communication technology (ICT) in a construction firm
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Andipakula, Thejasvi, author; Senior, Bolivar A., advisor; Nobe, Mary, committee member; Skiba, Hilla, committee member
    The purpose of this research is to study barriers that inhibit the growth of ICT in a construction firm operating in the state of Nevada. This paper focusses on three research objectives. The first research objective is to identify commonly used Information and communication technology tools in the selected firm. The second objective is to highlight significant barriers that hinder the growth of ICT implementation in the selected construction firm. The third research objective is to analyze strategies used by professionals of the selected construction firm for mitigating barriers that are encountered while attempting to implement ICT. Different factors were highlighted which inhibit the growth of ICT. Literature review highlighted the most important ones as financial constraints, time constraints, lack of support from top management, lack of training, the reluctance of employees to learn new technology and lack of technical support. To mitigate the barriers to ICT adoption, literature has stated different strategies. These include support and encouragement from top management, training employees for ICT tools, motivating employees for using ICT, empowering a champion to overcome resistance from employees, learning by observation and giving employees sufficient time to learn. A case study approach was used, and one firm was the center of research, thereby data collection and analysis was limited to this particular firm. Nine interviews were conducted with employees belonging to different sectors in which firm operates. A thematic analysis of interview data was conducted using NVivo. Roger's model of Innovation Diffusion (1983) was employed as a tool for considering ICT adoption attitudes in terms of the interviewees' personal preferences. The analysis showed that all interviewees had a clear understanding of importance and scope of ICT in the selected firm. However, their understanding was congruent with their stage of Roger's model (1983). The selected firm had the financial strength to adopt ICT, and top management supported new ideas and ICT adoption. Ample training was given to employees so that they can learn new technology with ease. A persistent barrier was the time available to implement ICT, as interviewees reported that they needed more time to explore the use of new technologies. The selected firm used three strategies to facilitate ICT diffusion, i.e., training employees, motivating them and creating a culture of support. It was suggested that the selected firm should use 'learning by observation'; showing employees how ICT can help with their day-to-day work will motivate them and develop their interest in using it. Furthermore, giving employees time to explore the use of new technologies can also facilitate ICT implementation in the selected firm. The implications of findings for the selected firm and other firms in the construction sector are discussed in the thesis.
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    Compressed earth block (CEB) construction: a viable building alternative for Olancho, Honduras
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Brown, Milt, author; Lopez Del Puerto, Carla, advisor; Nobe, Mary, committee member; Vaske, Jerry, committee member
    The second deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record, a category 5 Cape Verde tropical wave storm with sustained winds of 180 mph, named Hurricane Mitch, swept through the small country of Honduras in October of 1998. Across the country, the storm destroyed 33,000 houses, damaged 50,000 others, and destroyed 70-80% of the road infrastructure. Many countries and organizations responded to the immediate housing crisis to rebuild these homes in the more populated and accessible regions of Honduras. Survivors in the mountain regions, however, were left to rebuild on their own with limited resources and technology. This study investigated 30 residents of the region of La Union de Capapan to explore their acceptance of compressed earth block as an alternative building material to more conventional building methods utilized. The researcher collected participant responses through a convenience-sample questionnaire to determine attitudes, perceptions and knowledge of earth building techniques. Through this qualitative study it was expected that a theory about material selection, preferred building methods and attitudes towards them would emerge. The results indicated the majority of the survey population was receptive to CEB as an alternative method to current building practices and further expressed interest in learning more about this technology. A valid point has been made that earth construction done properly would be a viable building method in any culture for any economic class (Zumi, 2010).
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    Cost of using building information modeling (BIM) in retrofit projects
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Odhyan, Gaurav Singh, author; Olbina, Svetlana, advisor; Nobe, Mary, committee member; Skiba, Hilla, committee member
    Building information modeling (BIM) is a process that involves the creation and use of an n-dimensional model that can be used in the design, construction, and operation of a building. BIM is changing the process by which buildings are designed, constructed, and used by future generations. However, many owners require seeing quantitative measurements when discussing the benefits of BIM, and these benefits are difficult to quantify into a cost. Previous research has shown the benefits of BIM in new construction, but there is no sufficient research on the benefits of BIM in retrofit projects. BIM can assist in understanding existing buildings and executing the retrofit work. The research goal is to show owners and contractors the cost of using BIM in retrofit projects by comparing the cost benefits of implementing BIM with the fees required. This research provides a methodology to calculate and quantify the cost of using BIM on retrofit projects and evaluate whether BIM is a worthwhile investment for owners. There are three objectives of this research: 1. Identify the factors used in calculating the cost benefits of using BIM in retrofit projects. 2. Develop a systematic approach to cost analysis to quantify the cost benefits of using BIM in retrofit projects. 3. Perform a cost analysis to investigate whether there are economic benefits of using BIM compared to not using BIM for retrofit projects. A comprehensive literature review is conducted to understand the benefits of implementing BIM in construction projects. After determining the factors that could be used to quantify the benefits of using BIM in retrofit projects, a methodology is developed for the quantification of these benefits into a cost. The developed methodology is applied to a real-life retrofit project. The potential cost benefits of implementing BIM in this project are calculated based on measurable cost benefits associated with reduced change orders and reduced schedule overruns. A cost analysis has been performed using the cost benefits and the fees required for implementing BIM in a retrofit project. The research shows that the use of BIM has prevented five change orders in the real-life project. The change orders would have resulted in rework costs as well as schedule overruns. The cost of rework and penalties due to schedule overruns caused by the change orders are calculated. The cost analysis shows that in some scenarios the fee required to implement BIM is higher than the cost benefits of using BIM, and in some scenarios the fee required to implement BIM is lower than the cost benefits. In one of the scenarios, BIM has resulted in a loss of 59% of the fees required to implement BIM in the retrofit project, and in another scenario, BIM has resulted in a gain of 17%. This research attempts to analyze the cost related to the use of BIM in a retrofit project. The research results provide the owners and the general contractors with an estimate of the cost related to BIM use in the project.
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    Incorporating critical thinking: teaching strategies in Malaysian technical and vocational education (TVE) programs
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Sulaiman, Nor Lisa, author; Timpson, William M., advisor; Makela, Carole J., committee member; Wallner, Barbara, committee member; Nobe, Mary, committee member
    Teachers should be critical thinking agents who guide students to become better critical thinkers through teaching strategies (Halpern, 1999). The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which polytechnic lecturers in Malaysia incorporate critical thinking into their teaching strategies. The web-based survey, Qualtrics, was used to disseminate the teaching strategies questionnaire to 4,529 lecturers at 27 Malaysian polytechnics. A non-experimental design was employed to explore: the most frequently used and effective strategies; and the relationships and differences among frequency of use, perception of effectiveness, and knowledge of critical thinking teaching strategies relative to the highest level of education, years of teaching experience, attendance at critical thinking workshops, and teaching major. The data were analyzed using frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), independent sample t-test, one-way ANOVA, and thematic content analysis. The response rate for this study was 7.9 percent, which included 358 lecturers. The findings from rank-ordering indicated that among the 58 critical thinking strategies, open-ended questioning was rated as the most frequently used strategy and small group discussions were perceived as most effective by lecturers. From 58 strategies, EFA determined four factors within, reduced to 25 strategies. The findings from open-ended questions revealed cognitive and affective domains were used for student learning outcomes and rubrics, examinations, presentations, and lab experiments were incorporated to assess students' critical thinking. The findings of this study provide useful information to promote intellectual growth in enhancing critical thinking strategies among lecturers in Malaysia. Critical thinking training for lecturers at Malaysian polytechnics is recommended to improve the usage, perceptions, and knowledge of critical thinking teaching strategies.
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    Last Planner® system affects organizational learning
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Langerud, Brandon D., author; Senior, Bolivar, advisor; Nobe, Mary, committee member; Fugate, Brian, committee member
    To better understand organizational learning within the construction industry, this research examines the possible relationship between organizational learning and the Last Planner® System (LPS) of construction planning. The research survey was administered to construction professionals to assess their use of LPS and measure the level of organizational learning within their respective companies. LPS is a planning system that increases value and minimizes waste through focusing on collaborative communication and learning from the past; overlapping well with key factors of learning organization. Hypothesis one stated that LPS users would score higher on the Learning Organization Capability Score (LOCS). Through the data analysis it was found that the first hypothesis should be rejected due to discovery of an inverse relationship then proposed. The second hypothesis proposed that LPS users would score higher on the effective transfer of knowledge and team and group problem solving sub-scales. This was found to show statistical significance, however in the opposite direction then originally hypothesized. Hypothesis three proposed a positive correlation between an organizations number of lean production planning characteristics utilized and their LOCS, this was found to show no statistical significance. While a reverse relationship was found between LPS use and the LOCS, the review of literature suggests the opposite and further research should be done before any final conclusions can be made. This research served as a preliminary investigation of the relationship between organizational learning and the Last Planner® System, a more comprehensive and in depth research would greatly benefit the topic area.
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    Measuring perceived accessibility of students with disabilities at a public university
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Simonson, Steve, author; Glick, Scott, advisor; Nobe, Mary, committee member; Marla, Roll, committee member
    The purpose of the research was to explore the perceptions that students with disabilities had towards facility accessibility and quality of education at a public university and to determine any relationships between their perceptions of accessibility and perceptions of quality of education. Students' perceptions were measured using an online survey instrument. The survey was a thirty three question survey with questions exploring students' perceptions of accessibility of campus as a whole, accessibility of older buildings, accessibility of newer buildings, and quality of education. Students were found to perceive both accessibility and quality of education positively; however, there were numerous areas of statistically significant differences in students' opinions when they were grouped by demographic groups. The results also indicated that there was a positive relationship between perceived accessibility and perceived quality of education.
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    Using expert opinion to quantify accuracy and reliability of nondestructive evaluation on bridges
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Hesse, Alex, author; Atadero, Rebecca, advisor; Ozbek, Mehmet, advisor; Chen, Suren, committee member; Nobe, Mary, committee member
    Bridge inspection is an important phase in the bridge management process. In 2009, a joint American Society of Civil Engineers Structural Engineering Institute (ASCE/SEI) and AASHTO Ad-Hoc group was created to identify the issues to guarantee bridge safety and to study how current bridge practices could be improved for the future. This group recommended: "A more rational, risk-based approach to determining the appropriate inspection intervals for bridges is needed, as opposed to a set twenty-four month cycle for all bridges". The committee also recommended a wider use of NDE methods. The difficulty in increasing the use of these NDE methods is the increased costs and time spent using them. One way to deal with this is to implement risk based planning to determine the appropriate inspection frequency, scope, intensity, and methodology. To do this, though, the accuracy, reliability, bias, and cost of each test must be quantified. This study attempts to quantify these parameters for common bridge NDE methods. This was done by two methods. Firstly, a literature review was performed to determine common NDE methods being used and studied for bridge inspection and statistical data was found for these methods. To complement the literature, a four round Delphi method survey was conducted with experts in the NDE bridge field in order to develop a broader range of data that matches real life practices. All of the data was then analyzed and conclusions were drawn to quantify the accuracy, reliability, bias, and various costs incurred for common bridge NDE methods. Based on these results it can be seen that most commonly used bridge NDE methods tend to be under biased and relatively repeatable. It was shown, however, that while inspectors seem to have a pretty good relative understanding of the variability in different tests, they tend to not have as clear of an understanding of the absolute scale of the variability. Furthermore, the accuracy of commonly used bridge NDE methods tends to be relatively variable with the average test measuring a true response between 80% and 85% of the time. Lastly the costs associated with the NDE methods examined here tended to be highly variable making this measure difficult to evaluate. However, by comparing the rankings of each of the four categories that were examined for each NDE method, it is possible to correlate the cost of a method to the bias, accuracy and reliability. This could lead to a more reliable risk-based approach to bridge inspection in the future.