Remote teaching in construction engineering management during COVID-19

Abstract

[EN] This paper describes the impact of the change from face-to-face classes to non-face-to-face classes with students of a postgraduate course at the Universitat Politècnica de València. This study is carried out in the subjects of installation, organization and quality assurance in construction and construction procedures of both degree in public works engineering and civil engineering. This course develops the student's skills to integrate into the studies department of a construction company, as Site Manager or Production Director, from a journey through the different phases of the project-construction process. As part of this topic, the methods of scheduling activities on site are discussed. In the traditional face to-face method, several problems are solved, requiring that students have previously learned programming techniques: arrow networks, precedence networks, and how to apply the PERT method to statistically obtain the probability of completion of a building or the completion of activities related. Due to the current situation of the pandemic caused by COVID-19, face-to-face teaching has changed virtual classes in a very short time. This has required a radical shift towards distance education. This paper explains how this change has been made, what new methods have been used to teach the contents corresponding to the scheduling of assignments, and what the students' perception has been. The quality of the education received and the difficulties encountered in obtaining the knowledge and skills attributed to this subject are analyzed.