Course instructor, Michael Block, felt a tour of a local manufacturing facility would be valuable for his students to see first-hand how concrete construction materials are manufactured. Block reached out to County Materials to inquire if his class could tour the company’s Marathon, Wis. facility. On October 12, only a few weeks later, Block and 15 of his students visited County Materials’ concrete block and ready-mix production facility, learning first-hand how the materials they will be specifying during their career are made.
“As an instructor, I feel it is very important that we utilize opportunities to tour so that our students get a true learning experience by seeing how many of the building products that they see and use every day are produced,” said Block. “I will be able to use the information and knowledge I received from this tour not only to go back and use for this class, but for many of my future students as well.”
The tour was a way for setting students up for success. During the tour students witnessed the full production and operation of manufacturing concrete construction materials. Seeing how the products they may use are made allows them to have a better understanding of key course goals including structural analysis, building to code, sustainability, and presentation to their customers.
“It was awesome that we could tour the facility during operation and see the whole process from production to truck dispatch and delivery. Now we have a better understanding of not only how the materials are made, but how they get to the customer,” one student commented. Another student mentioned, “I found it amazing how many products are actually made from concrete; the tour opened up a whole new world of design opportunities I wasn’t aware of.”
When students finish the course, some will immediately enter the construction field, while others may transfer to 4-year programs to further their education.