Part One – "Review syllabus & Introduction"

The study guide does not replace reading the textbook and checking the discussion group for updated information. Rather, it is intended to serve as a guide to focus attention on specific areas. While the workbook activities are not assigned as material to be submitted, the Instructor STRONGLY RECOMMENDS completing the activities as an invaluable study method.

Read over the syllabus and take notes on the grading procedures. Discuss one topic to be covered in the class you have any prior knowledge of. If you have no knowledge of any of the topics that will be covered in this course then discuss a topic that you think will be beneficial for you.

Discussions and questions in the on-line environment are not necessarily between the instructor and the student; rather, conversation is between the student and the entire class. Therefore, when a question is presented, all class members are encouraged to respond. Every week this will be a requirement. The instructor is a facilitator of the information; students are required to participate in each discussion. The instructor will initiate conversation, participate in ongoing discussion, and provide all the necessary tools for student success. However, the real learning process takes place in the discussions with the entire class.

Overview of what the blueprint is: it is a set of documents that will guide the tradesman about the structure that is going to be constructed. Blueprints will also lay out all the specific materials (specs) and grade that will be used during the building process. A blueprint is not a single piece of paper containing all the data about a building but rather many different prints for each system that will used in the final structure. Some examples of this would the electrical, mechanical, and plumbing systems.

All blueprints will not be the same, but will have many of the same characteristics such as: title block, border, revision block, legend, and the actual drawing. Each member in the construction trade needs to understand the blueprint along with how to interpret and extract the needed information to complete their portion of the project on time and within budget.

The new blueprint is no longer being hand drawn but rather generated on a computer. CAD (computer-aided drafting) allows the draftsman to update and make changes to the print with greater accuracy and less time than hand drawing. CAD would allow a potential client the ability to see several different floor plans while utilizing the same building and simply modifying the lay out the internal frame or walls.

1. What is the grading procedure for this class, along with what counts as a valid discussion topic?
2. Blueprints are a set of drawings that enable us as construction trade members to do what?
3. List at least three items found on a blueprint and discuss its importance.
4. How can CAD aid the modern carpenter when changes or "change orders" are made to the structure?