Course Syllabus
Contact Information
Course Details
For a list of course activities, scroll to the bottom of this page.
Course Delivery
- Asynchronous Online: Learning takes place online and asynchronously within a course site, typically hosted in a learning management system (LMS).
Assumed Prior Knowledge
A working knowledge of Word and Excel will be helpful but are not required.
Course Materials
Main Textbook: Construction Management Jumpstart (3rd Edition) by Barbara Jackson. All additional required materials can be found linked to the individual weekly modules within Canvas. They are also available at the RESOURCES: Course Materials page in the Start Here Module.
Program Learning Outcomes (PLO)
The Preconstruction Management course aligns with the program learning outcomes (PLOs) by addressing key aspects of the construction industry. The course learning outcomes (CLOs) focus on understanding business development strategies, project delivery methods, contract types, negotiation processes, bidding documents, estimating, subcontractor management, site logistics, safety planning, and the differences between public and private work (CLOs A-G). These outcomes directly support the PLOs of Contracts, Bids & Negotiations (PLO 1), Project Management & Budget (PLO 2), Pre-construction Management (PLO 3), Software and Technology (PLO 4), and Leadership & Management (PLO 5).
Through the exploration of various contract types, project delivery methods, detail needed in bidding documents, and negotiated items, this course will provide:
- Insights into the influence on business development strategies.
- Planning and managing projects.
- Best practices decision-making among the leadership and management team.
The course also contributes to developing skills in employing current technologies and concepts to make contractors effective and productive (PLO 4) as students learn to navigate the pre-construction process in the context of modern construction practices.
- Contracts, Bids & Negotiations: Identify the processes and variables that impact a contractor's efforts to get work.
- Project Management & Budget: Apply concepts of effective project management controls and interpret how they impact a contractor's efforts to execute a project.
- Pre-construction Management: Apply concepts and best practice of construction estimating, planning, and scheduling.
- Software and Technology: Employ current technologies and concepts to make contractors effective and productive.
- Leadership & Management: Differentiate between hard and soft skills in effective construction management and communication among a diverse group of stakeholders.
Course Learning Outcomes (CLO) Alignment
| CLO | Description | PLO |
|---|---|---|
| A | Identify Business Development strategy, RFQ and RFP’s, and how each project can tie into your organization. | 1, 5 |
| B | Explore how different delivery methods affect business development and estimating (design build, construction manager at risk, design-bid-build). | 1, 3 |
| C | Examine different contract types (unit price, hard bid, GMP, lump sum not to exceed). | 2, 3 |
| D | Explain the different items that are negotiated during the contracting phase (fee, contingency, liquidated damages, change order process, etc.) and their effect on your project. | 1, 2, 5 |
| E | Describe why the bidding documents are important and how the level of documents you have can impact your approach. | 2, 3, 4 |
| F | Examine Estimating, subcontractor bidding and negotiations, contracting and buyout, scopes of work, site logistics and planning, safety planning. | 3, 4 |
| G | Explain the difference between public and private work, and the processes associated with each. | 1, 2 |
Grades
Breakdown
| Activity | Description | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Participation - Discussion Boards | The purpose of each week’s discussion is to provide learners with the opportunity to voice their understanding of the given material and interact with their peers to learn from each other. | 400 |
| Quizzes | Six quizzes covering modules 2 - 7. Quiz questions are structured as multiple choice, multi-select, matching, ordering, and true/false. | 300 |
| Project (Part 1) - RFQ Response Outline | Part one of the term project requires the submission of an outline for a response to a Request for Qualifications (RFQ). | 50 |
| Project (Part 2) - RFQ Response Expanded Outline | Part two of the term project requires the submission of an expanded outline with detail for a response to a Request for Qualifications (RFQ). | 50 |
| Project (Part 3) - RFQ Presentation Draft | Part three of the term project requires the submission of a draft PowerPoint presentation for a response to a Request for Qualifications (RFQ). | 50 |
| Final Project - RFQ Response Presentation | The final project will be PowerPoint Presentation of a RFQ response with voice override as if you were sending off to a client. | 150 |
| Total | 1000 |
Scale
| Percentage | Letter Grade |
|---|---|
| 90–100% | A |
| 80–89% | B |
| 70–79% | C |
| 60–69% | D |
| Below 60% | F |
Course Components
Participation - Discussion Boards
The weekly discussions are designed to provide you with an opportunity to articulate your understanding of the course material and engage with your peers to learn from one another. Active participation is essential and accounts for 40% of your course grade. Your writing should be scholarly, with minimal grammatical or spelling errors. Engaging actively in the discussions will not only enhance your written communication skills but also allow you to benefit from the knowledge and insights shared by others. Each week, a question related to the reading assignments will be posted, along with prompts to guide your response. To receive full credit, ensure that your answers are thorough and address all the required points.
Quizzes
Each quiz will consist of 10 items, with each item worth 5 points. The quizzes will include a variety of question types, such as multiple choice, multi-select, matching, ordering, and true/false. There is no time limit for the quizzes, and students are allowed two attempts per quiz. You may consult your book and notes while taking the quizzes. Specific assessment instructions will be provided with each quiz. The combined quizzes account for 30% of the total grade.
Project (Part 1) - RFQ Response Outline
In part one of the term project, you will submit an outline for your response to a Request for Qualifications (RFQ). The outline must include all required elements in the correct format, along with 1 to 2 introductory sentences for each section. This initial step lays the groundwork for the subsequent parts of the project and ultimately contributes to the final project, which will be a narrated presentation of your completed RFQ response. The project part 1 assignment accounts for 5% of your total grade.
Project (Part 2) - RFQ Response Expanded Outline
In part two of the term project, you will submit an expanded outline with detailed information for your response to a Request for Qualifications (RFQ). The expanded outline must include all required elements in the correct format, accompanied by 1 to 2 paragraphs for each section. This second step builds upon your work from part one and continues to prepare you for the final project, which will be a narrated presentation of your completed RFQ response. The project part 2 assignment accounts for 5% of your total grade.
Project (Part 3) - RFQ Presentation Draft
In part three of the term project, you will submit a draft PowerPoint presentation for your response to a Request for Qualifications (RFQ). Ensure that the presentation slides include all required elements, arranged in the same order as your outline from the previous project assignments. This third step builds upon your work from earlier stages and prepares you for the final project, which will be a narrated presentation of your completed RFQ response. The project part 3 assignment accounts for 5% of your total grade.
Final Project - RFQ Response Presentation
For the final project, you will create a PowerPoint presentation of an RFQ response with voice narration, as if you were presenting it to a client. Incorporate the feedback provided on your part 3 assignment and add voice narration to enhance the slide presentation. This project allows you to showcase your mastery of the course content while leveraging your creative skills. The final project accounts for 15% of your total grade.
Course Policies
Communication
If you need to contact me, please e-mail me directly at dtphillips@ou.edu. Canvas messaging is unreliable, please only use OU email for communication with me. I will do my best to respond within 24 hours, 48 hours max. Please note that work-life balance is very important to me, and I make an effort to avoid checking e-mail on the weekends if at all possible.
How will we address each other? In terms of titles, Dr. or Professor Phillips works just fine. If you go by a name other than the one listed in Canvas, please tell me how you prefer to be addressed. Additionally, if I mispronounce your name, do not hesitate to correct me. Respecting another's preferred pronouns, titles, and pronunciations is an easy way to show respect to your colleagues and is something I take very seriously.
Feedback
Assignments will be graded within one week of submission. If you would like a deeper dive into any feedback or grade you receive, I am happy to set up individual Zoom meetings to discuss further.
Late Policy
Late work will be accepted with a grade penalty as specified in the assignment rubrics. All assignments must be submitted by the due date. Extensions must be arranged prior to the deadline. Late submissions will incur a 10% grade reduction per day, and assignments submitted 3 or more days late will receive zero points. Late work will be graded as soon as possible, but preference will be given to grading on-time submissions in the current week of the course.
Faculty members are not obligated to initiate contact with you before giving assignments or final grades. If you have several outstanding/late assignments, your grade may be seriously impacted. Students are expected to abide by the guidelines in the OU Student Handbook. Failure to abide by these guidelines can lead to sanctions as outlined in the OU Student Rights and Responsibilities Code.
Additional Support for Learning
The College of Professional and Continuing Studies provides links to writing resources. If you have questions about assignment requirements or would like to request feedback on a rough draft, you are encouraged to communicate with your course instructors while giving them enough lead time to respond before assignments are due.
The OU Writing Center is a wonderful resource available to all students and is funded in part by your student course fees. The Writing Center is equipped to help students both online and in-person.
OU Libraries resources are available to all PACS students, including the ability to live chat, e-mail, and/or call a reference librarian with questions you may have about finding and evaluating sources for research papers. Students also have access to PACS Library Guides.
Technical Support
Offered through Canvas Student Support and OU IT.
College of Professional and Continuing Studies Teaching Philosophy
We in the College of Professional and Continuing Studies (PACS) believe that higher education is a crucial ingredient in becoming a successful, personally fulfilled human being and an actively engaged citizen of the state, nation, and world. Further, we operate with the foundational assumption that a University of Oklahoma education should be available to all qualified students regardless of their age, geographic location, or life circumstances.
Acting on these assumptions, PACS strives to create significant and meaningful learning experiences through online and accelerated course delivery methods. All PACS courses incorporate interdisciplinary perspectives and provide students with a well-rounded, life-enriching liberal education combined with specialized study in selected program areas, thus preparing them for ever higher levels of learning. PACS faculty members provide instruction, encouragement, timely response, and constructive feedback to broaden and deepen the student's understanding of course materials.
We understand that adult learners prefer and have the best achievement within a collaborative and interactive learning environment while functioning on their own personal schedules. We also believe that all students are capable of learning, and we aspire to enable students' self-agency in attaining their personal learning goals.
College of Professional and Continuing Studies Expectations and Policies
You can expect instructors to:
- Challenge you to think about and understand the material in this course.
- Encourage you to learn the material in the course and become a lifelong learner.
- Be available to return e-mails in a timely fashion, within 48 hours.
- Engage you in discussions.
- Provide feedback.
As the student, you are expected to:
- Accept responsibility for your learning.
- Have all textbooks and course materials before the class starts.
- Be engaged in the course by logging in to the course early each week, checking online discussions for replies and questions related to your postings, reading course announcements, knowing when assignments are due, and turning in all assignments on time.
Many PACS courses are offered in compressed formats, so the time devoted to each class per week should be adjusted accordingly. Set aside enough time to read and understand assigned course materials early in the week, actively participate in class discussions, and successfully complete assessments such as quizzes, projects, written assignments, and research papers.
Read and apply feedback from your instructor. Reach out to ask your instructor any questions you have about the feedback.
Use only your OU email address for all OU correspondence and assignments.
Ask your advisor if you have questions about your degree program or other questions not related to a specific course.
Have a reliable computer and a reliable Internet connection. Do some pre-planning and have a backup plan ready in the event you should have computer or Internet problems.
Submit all assignments and communications related to your coursework in the Canvas online class; do not email assignments to the professor.
Practice your writing skills. Use tools to edit and proofread your papers prior to submission for grading.
Assignment Completion Policies
The College of Professional and Continuing Studies expects students to complete all assignments to earn a final grade in a given course.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the most common form of academic misconduct at OU. There is no college-level assignment that can be satisfactorily completed by copying. OU's basic assumption about writing is that all written assignments show the student's own understanding in the student's own words. That means all writing assignments, in class or out, are assumed to be composed entirely of words generated (not simply found) by the student, except where words written by someone else are specifically marked as such with proper citation. Including other people's words in your paper is helpful when you do it honestly and correctly. When you don't, it's plagiarism.
For more information about plagiarism, watch this video and then take this short course offered by University Libraries.
Errata and Changes
Errors and omissions to this syllabus or class presentations will be revised as observed and do not constitute incomplete or late work from students. Students are responsible for bringing the professor’s attention to any and all possible errata they encounter. The instructor reserves the right to make changes to the syllabus and content based on course pacing and current events that may be relevant to the material.
University Academic Policies and Student Support
Access the University Academic Policies Document.
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|