Measures to Motivate and Prepare Students Taking the AC Exam: A Survey of University Department Heads

摘要

ABSTRACTPassage of the Level 1 Associate Constructor (AC) exam is certification that entry-level professionalshave the skills and knowledge necessary to manage the process of construction. The exam is alsoused by university-level construction management (CM) programs in their accreditation. This paperpresents the findings of a CM department head survey issued during the fall 2016 AC exam cycle.Data were compiled from 23 institutions that accounted for 67% of the students who took the exam inthe fall of 2016. The majority of the departments surveyed use the AC exam in their accreditation andrequire students to take the exam; however, there is a great deal of variation as to how departmentsincorporate the exam into their curricula. The most common method was to include the exam as anassessment in a required course weighting it between 20 and 30 percent of the final grade. Mostdepartments assist students in preparing for the exam in some fashion, but techniques vary. In general,department heads were satisfied with the exam and its logistical administration (two 4-hour sectionsgiven on a Saturday). Support was found for moving the paper-based AC exam to a computer-basedformat, but logistical barriers would need to be overcome.