Learning Online: Community Collaboration and Connection
Create career advancing opportunities with CEI’s commercial construction courses.
PROVIDING ONLINE CONSTRUCTION COURSES & CERTIFICATIONS SINCE 1994
Since 1994, Construction Experts Inc. (CEI) has offered well-recognized commercial construction courses online to professionals across the United States and around the world.
Our founder, Bob George, recognized the opportunities and possibilities of online learning for students and teachers alike as it rose in popularity in the mid 1990’s.
21
23,200
6
The main benefits of offering CEI’s commercial construction courses for blueprint reading and estimating are:
Virtual classrooms that do not require a car or a campus map to reach a physical location.
Time flexibility for busy full-time construction professionals who prefer independent study to better fit into their tight schedules.
Access to course materials, industry experts and discussion forums for support, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
We partner with universities, organizations and trade institutes, to make our commercial construction courses and certificate programs available and accessible to our global audience.
Check out our student reviews to take a sneak peak of CEI’s online experience.
THE 5 BEST PRACTICES FOR ONLINE LEARING
CEI incorporates 5 best practices to enhance the online learning experience as outlined in the book, The Online Teaching Survival Guide: Simple and Practical Pedagogical Tips © by distance learning expert, Dr. Judith V. Boettcher. They include:
- Be present in the course
- Create a supportive online course community
- Set clear expectations for students as to how to communicate in the class and how much time students should be working on the course each week.
- Prepare discussion posts that invite questions, discussions, reflections and responses.
- Combine core concept learning with customized and personalized learning
EXPECTATIONS OF THE STUDENT
The hallmarks of quality online education are collaboration, communication, and creativity. Students are expected to read, understand, review and construct responses, and apply what they learn to common workplace challenges.
It is critical in an online environment for our commercial construction courses to communicate with the instructor as questions arise and login throughout the week to keep up to date with the ongoing conversations.
EXPECTATIONS OF THE INSTRUCTORS
Instructors are expected to communicate the learning material, class objectives and expectations, provide resources for students to engage with the content and answer questions that arise along the way. Instructors are not expected to dominate student discussions but to allow opportunities for leadership and thought development. Providing students with feedback to support their understanding and application of the subject matter is crucial in the learning process.
EXPECTATIONS OF THE ONLINE CLASSROOM
The online classroom provides personalization via the discussion boards as students choose the questions that are the best fit for them to craft their response.
Students are encouraged to refer to each other by first name and include a profile picture to create a more face to face feel in the virtual environment. Grades are awarded based on thoughtful response to the questions asked and to the responses given to others. In addition, objective grading takes place with weekly quizzes and self-tests.
Expectations for students need to be outlined prior to the start of class, which is why CEI students start class with an orientation module.
This gives students an opportunity to orient themselves to the online environment and locate the communication tools and class resources they will need to use. Upon enrollment students are placed in a cohort, an online learning community, and expected to maintain ongoing weekly group discussions related to the week’s topic based on the questions provided by the instructor.
CONSTRUCTION EXPERTS INC CREATES COMMUNITY IN THE CLASSROOM
While there are many ways to create community, the students enrolling in online commercial construction courses with Construction Experts Inc look forward to connecting and reconnecting with new faces and those treasured from previous classes. The Orientation week provides a common ground for all to introduce themselves and reflect on what truly want to get out of their education.
Construction Experts Inc. takes the mid level skill sets of blueprint reading, estimating, materials and processes, in addition to the skill sets required for supervision, project management and civil site work and breaks it down into 10 week courses. Each course provides scaffolds via instructor lectures and our Info Highway with links to articles, resources, and examples of the week’s topics to experienced industry workers and those new to construction.
Are You Ready to Start Your CEI Student Experience? Sign Up for Our Commercial Construction Courses Today!
STUDENT REVIEWS
“The instructor wrote this course with simplicity in mind. Even little encouraging popups when you would select answers based on examples provided. That is a nice touch."
“This course provides a firm footing to build a sound understanding of construction cost estimating. Looking forward to the next course."
“I appreciated the step-by-step homework solution hints. They kept me on track as I worked toward a solution for the homework problems. Without the hints, I think I would have gotten lost from time to time."
