Sharing My Passion for Educating Future Construction Professionals
My teaching philosophy is grounded in the belief that effective construction education requires intentional instructional design, high expectations, and meaningful alignment with professional practice. As a faculty member in the Nieri Department of Construction and Real Estate Development at Clemson University, my responsibility as an instructor is to create structured learning environments that challenge students intellectually, prepare them professionally, and support their growth as ethical decision-makers in the built environment.
I approach teaching as an act of guided leadership. Courses are deliberately organized around clear learning objectives, scaffolded assignments, and progressively complex problems that mirror the realities of construction practice. Rather than emphasizing rote memorization, I prioritize conceptual understanding, application, and professional reasoning — ensuring that students understand not only what to do, but why decisions matter.
My courses integrate current industry tools, documentation, and workflows to maintain academic rigor while remaining professionally relevant. Students work with real construction drawings, specifications, estimating methods, and project constraints, learning to communicate clearly, justify decisions, and manage ambiguity. Expectations are high, but support is structured and consistent, reflecting the standards students will encounter in professional environments.
I view the classroom as a collaborative but accountable space. Students are expected to engage actively, take ownership of their work, and contribute thoughtfully to team-based problem solving. In return, I provide clear guidance, timely feedback, and opportunities for revision and reflection. Assessment is used not only to evaluate performance, but to reinforce learning and professional growth.
Ultimately, my teaching philosophy emphasizes clarity, structure, and purpose. I aim to create courses that are challenging but fair, demanding but supportive — environments where students build confidence in their abilities and leave prepared to contribute meaningfully to the construction industry.
CSM 2030: Construction Systems and Professional Practice is a descriptive study of the materials and methods fundamental to building construction, specifically focusing on sitework, foundations, wood, masonry, and residential finishes. The course bridges academic concepts with professional application by requiring students to utilize real-world documentation from reference projects like the Nieri Family Alumni & Visitors Center and the Habitat for Humanity Homecoming Build. Students participate in a professional workflow consisting of mini-lectures and collaborative in-class labs that simulate project engineer responsibilities, such as navigating complex drawing sets through Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) and interpreting technical specifications and building codes. Furthermore, the curriculum emphasizes modern industry skills by integrating a custom CSM Course GPT, which teaches students to use artificial intelligence responsibly for study assistance and professional prompt engineering. By synthesizing material science with site-specific data and enclosure strategies, the course prepares students to accurately interpret and coordinate the manufacture and assembly of modern buildings. To help visualize the role of technology in this learning process, the course treats the AI assistant like a “hard hat for your brain”: it is a professional piece of equipment meant to help you perform your work safely and effectively, but it cannot do the actual labor for you.
CSM 2050: Materials and Methods: Concrete & Steel Construction provides a descriptive study of commercial construction systems, focusing specifically on the nomenclature, building materials, and assembly of steel, concrete, exterior enclosures, and interior finishes. Building on the foundation of CSM 2030, the course uses the Nieri Family Alumni & Visitors Center as a consistent anchor project to help students develop drawing literacy and professional reasoning by applying textbook concepts to real construction documents. The curriculum explores complex building systems, including structural steel framing, cast-in-place and precast concrete, and various cladding and roofing systems, while emphasizing their coordination and constructability. To prepare for modern industry expectations, the course integrates Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) for professional document management and introduces a custom Course GPT to foster responsible AI use and professional prompting skills. Students participate in a structured workflow consisting of mini-lectures and in-class labs that simulate the responsibilities of a project engineer or assistant superintendent, ensuring they can navigate commercial drawings and interpret technical specifications effectively.
CSM 3990: Creative Inquiry in Building Affordable Housing I is a professional decision-support laboratory and the first course in a two-semester sequence focused on the preconstruction planning and evaluation of real-world affordable housing. Operating in partnership with Pickens County Habitat for Humanity, students investigate energy-efficiency and durability standards—such as ENERGY STAR and FORTIFIED Gold—to establish evidence-based recommendations that align with the mission of affordable, volunteer-driven construction. The curriculum utilizes a systemic pod-based logic to develop repeatable and scalable housing configurations, which are refined through Revit modeling, Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) quantity takeoffs, and collaborative class-wide "convergence" sessions. Beyond technical analysis, the course emphasizes professional accountability and service-learning, requiring active membership in the Habitat student organization and on-site volunteer work to ground design decisions in construction reality. Ultimately, the semester culminates in the delivery of a professional Habitat Handoff Package and a Creative Inquiry poster, providing a vetted foundation for the subsequent semester's leadership and execution phases.
In essence, the course functions like a professional staging area, where every blueprint and cost estimate serves as a sturdy foundation for the actual home to be built in the future.
CSM 4540: Construction Capstone is a culminating simulation where students operate as a professional design-build firm, integrating technical and managerial knowledge from their entire curriculum to solve a realistic construction case study. Throughout the semester, participants assume specialized roles—such as Project Manager, Preconstruction Manager, Superintendent, or Product Development Manager—and are held individually and collectively accountable for navigating a project's lifecycle from initial client discovery through preconstruction services and final execution readiness. The course utilizes industry-standard platforms like Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) and Revit as the "single source of truth" for managing 3D models, quantity takeoffs, and project documentation. Students must move beyond isolated tasks to demonstrate professional judgment, iteratively refining estimates, schedules, and risk mitigation strategies to ensure all project components are coordinated and defensible. The experience concludes with a Final Capstone Presentation, where firms must professionally communicate a cohesive narrative that proves they are prepared to deliver the project on time, within budget, and with high quality.
Analogy: Much like a flight simulator for pilots, this course provides a controlled yet high-stakes environment for future construction professionals to "fly" a project from takeoff (firm formation) to landing (final presentation), ensuring they can navigate the turbulence of real-world risks, budget shifts, and coordination challenges.
This two-part course immerses students in the complete process of planning and developing a residential construction project through a series of interconnected, team-based assignments. Students gain hands-on experience in all aspects of residential development, including market research, financial planning, and risk management, ultimately producing a comprehensive proposal. The course culminates in a presentation of their project proposal to a panel of industry professionals at the annual National Home Builders Association's Student Competition during the International Builders Show, providing invaluable real-world experience and industry exposure.
This project-based course immerses students in real-world construction management by working on an industry-sponsored project. Teams will develop a full profile for a mock construction company, including financial data, organizational structure, and operating philosophy. Students will create budgets, schedules, cost estimates, and plans for safety, quality control, project start-up, and project closeout while addressing RFIs, submittals, cost control, and site logistics. The course emphasizes practical application, requiring teams to present status reports, prepare payment applications, and develop site-specific strategies. It culminates in a multi-university competition where students present their comprehensive project plans to industry professionals, with assessments based on project deliverables, presentations, and participation.
This studio course immerses students in managing a real-world construction project case study, allowing them to synthesize their knowledge from the Construction Science and Management program. Working in teams, students establish a mock construction company, including financial data, organizational structure, and market positioning, and act as the general contractor for an assigned project. Teams develop budgets, schedules, cost estimates, and plans for safety, quality control, RFIs, subcontractor management, and project closeout. A major focus is site logistics, including site utilization, safety, and environmental concerns. The course culminates in a competition where teams present and defend their comprehensive project management approach to industry judges, with assessments based on deliverables, presentations, and participation.