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Ray Perreault Constructing “Real Learning” |
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“When I built my dream retirement castle—I finally got
around to it after 30 years—I used ICF from footings to roof trusses,” Ray
Perreault tells his Construction Documents class. A polite silence ensues.
Then a student wonders, “What’s ICF? I’ve never heard of it.” Dr. Perreault,
Jr., professor of manufacturing and construction management in the School of
Technology for some 18 years, remarks, “You and a good number of others in
the construction industry. ICF is short for Insulated Concrete Form, and
it’s the latest technology promising to construct better, more efficient
homes.” Then in keeping with his philosophy of education to “make it real” by using actual examples and experiences so students can better understand concepts, Perreault describes the home he built. “In my unconventional, passive solar-heated, 2,300 square-foot home, I chose ICF because it doesn’t have the inherent problems of wood frame homes,” he says. “ICFs are forms for poured concrete walls that stay in place as a permanent part of the wall assembly,” he explains. “The forms are made of varying types of foam insulation.” For maximum heating and cooling |
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efficiency, Perreault used ICF exterior walls and built
the electric house into the side of a hill to moderate heating. Assignment: House of the Future Since the class is assigned a “house of the future” project, Perreault has brought in a series of digital photographs documenting progressive construction of the home over a five-month period. Soon ideas begin percolating for creating a house of the future. Two-member teams start to design the structure; then they will complete specifications for concrete, framing, insulation, heating, and cooling; next comes completion of Housing of Urban Development forms, writing up subcontracts, and developing bid packages. Perreault, an expert in project management, believes most Construction Management graduates will work as project managers, in field operations (as superintendents directing trades people), or in estimating. “A lot of our students hope to own their own construction companies, and I’d say about one-third of them already are in the construction business. A good number are returning for a formal education.” Students already in the construction workforce “bring a lot to the table.” When a student in his Project Management class describes having fallen off an unsecured ladder at a construction site, Perreault turns the discussion to worker safety data. To make teaching “real,” Perreault plans site visits. Construction Planning class students walk through the halls of Charter Oak College, examine construction progress photos of this building, and then devise a work schedule that would typically be used to monitor the progress of the project. Computer Gurus in Construction Perreault says one of his goals for School of Technology graduates is for them “to hit the ground running so they can perform their duties and responsibilities well.” He takes pride in one of his key outcomes: “Our grads often become the computer gurus for construction companies, because we provide them experience with the latest software in the industry.” Ken Woodward ’96, now director of the Estimating Department at Petra Construction Corporation in North Haven, CT, remembers a particular construction scheduling class. He says, “First, Ray taught us the old-fashioned way. We each created a critical path schedule with all tasks linked together by hand. My schedule was about 30 feet long! It was a great way to learn what construction scheduling was, what the computer program was doing, and how the program made construction scheduling more efficient—versus only learning how to use the computer program.” “Upfront,” is the way Woodward sees Perreault’s teaching style, which is peppered with humor and with a tough-minded commitment to his students’ learning. Growing up in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, Perreault was inspired by an industrial arts high school teacher who, he says, “really enjoyed coming to work and genuinely liked teaching kids. I thought I’d like to do that myself.” Perreault went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in manufacturing/construction from the University of Southern Maine and the master’s and doctorate in industrial education from the University of Maryland. He was a secondary school teacher, held construction management industrial positions, and taught at North Texas State University and at Temple University before joining Central in 1989. For more than a decade, he’s also been a consultant to scores of companies, conducting project management and software training workshops. Originates ASC Competitions Perreault boasts that the Construction Management program at CCSU is accredited by the American Council for Construction Education and is the only one from a publicly supported university in the Northeast with this distinction. He prizes having originated in 1990 the Construction Management Student Competitions of the Associated Schools of Construction, in which he later served in numerous leadership capacities. “Teams of our construction management students have excelled in ASC competitions. Since 2000, we’ve won in the commercial building category, with teams twice having competed nationally.” Perreault was presented the 1999 Construction Outstanding Educator Award by ASC, which numbers some 100 universities nationwide. Throughout his academic career, Perreault has received industrial grants to conduct research, made presentations at professional meetings, and published his findings in industry journals. Of late he has published in The American Professional Constructor on issues facing women in the construction industry. Senior Jennifer Vigneault, who works part time for a female-owned company doing basement finishing, feels she “may not ever be on a level playing field” with men. But she holds Perreault’s conviction that “women can bring a lot of knowledge and skill to an ever-growing and changing industry.” Her goal? To follow Perreault’s advice: “Network and meet industry leaders.” Perreault himself values his far-flung network based, he says, on “the hundreds of students I’ve taught. Many are successful entrepreneurs or managers. And, I’m proud to have taught them and to be able to count on them as my valuable contacts.” — Geri Radacsi |
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