Southern Utah University

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Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

Commercial Construction Materials (Face-to-Face)

CM 2030-01

Course: CM 2030-01
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: ET
CRN: 10672

Course Description

This course will cover mostly commercial construction methods and materials. It is designed to expose the student to principles, materials, systems, methods and terminology related to the facets of commercial building construction and how they integrate with one another.

Although the basic practices for commercial building construction has generally remained the same for decades, improvements at every level have increased bringing essential improvements and knowledge to the industry.

Required Texts

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION
Principles, Materials, and Systems 3rd Edition
(Mehta, Scarborough, Armpriest)

Learning Outcomes

ABET Student Learning Outcomes
  • An ability to develop and conduct experiments or test hypotheses, analyze and interpret data and use scientific judgement to draw conclusions.
  • An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
  • An ability to understand ethical and professional responsibilities and the impact of technical and/or scientific solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
Course Objectives

Expose the student to and have them obtain a general knowledge of the principles, methods, and terminology related to materials and systems as they pertain to commercial building construction.

Course Requirements

This course is designed as a lecture style presentation discussion & potentially STUDENT BASED PRESENTATIONS based on assigned topics, readings, homework, practical theory, terminology, projects, quizzes (scheduled and unscheduled) and exams. Attendance is key and required for this course.

Assigned Homework

To be determined. NOTE: The instructor reserves the right to substitute and/or add quizzes and/or assignments as applicable.

What you will turn in

Assignments may accompany material discussed in class from each chapter and possible real life, practical examples.

Evaluation

Student assignments will vary if value from 10 to 100 (Student Project/Presentation) points.

All chapter/topic quizzes will range in value from 10-50 points each.

Midterm Exam is anticipated to be worth 100-250 points.

Final Exam is anticipated to be worth 100-250 points.

Student Presentation is anticipated to be worth 100-250 points.

Midterm

The midterm exam will be given during class time. Date of the midterm exam will be announced at a later time.

Final

The final exam time will be announced at a later date.

Assessment

Assessment will be performed under the following criteria:

100 - 94% = A   73 - 70% = C-

93 – 90% = A-   69 – 67% = D+

89 – 87% = B+   66 -64% = D

86 - 84% = B   63 -60% = D-

83 - 80% = B-   59 – 57 = F+

79 – 77% = C+   56 – less = F

76 - 74% = C

Course Outline

Tentative Schedule

Chapters and other corresponding course work covered this semester will be revealed prior to class discussion and may consist of, but may not be exclusive to, the following.

  • Chapter 1: An Overview of the Building Delivery Process (How Buildings Come Into Being)
  • Chapter 2: Design and Constructions Regulations
  • Chapter 3-4: Loads on Buildings & Load Resistance (brief structural highlights)
  • Chapter 7: Fire-Related Properties
  • Chapter 8: Acoustical Properties of Materials
  • Chapter 9: Principles of Joints and Sealants
  • Chapter 10: Principles of Sustainable Construction
  • Chapter 11: Soils & Excavations
  • Chapter 12: Below-Grade Construction (Foundations Systems & Basements)
  • Chapter 19: Structural Steel Construction
  • Chapter 20: Cold-Formed Steel Construction
  • Ch. 21-23: Concrete (Basics, Background, Formwork, Reinforcement, Site-Cast, Precast)
  • Chapter 33: Roofing – I (Low-Slope Roofs)
  • Chapter 37: Ceilings

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Please do not come and ask what your grade is before grades are posted. The grading process is long and tedious. For this class your instructor will review and/or grade all papers, quizzes, and exams. Graders may or may not be used for this course. First assignments have to be examined as a whole. Then assignments must be graded. Then those grades must be entered, calculated, and finally submitted. Your grades will appear as soon as they are submitted.

Late Assignments and/or makeup work

Make up work or extra credit work may be possible. Late work will be accepted but for less than full credit unless prior communication and arrangements were made. For extra credit work come see me. Any extra credit not directly related to a course assignment will not be included in Canvas records but will be included in your final grade.

Late quiz will only be allowed with prior communication with the professor and if taken prior to the return of graded quizzes. Late quizzes may be worth half credit.

Final Exam Policies

The final exam will ONLY be administered during that time. Do not ask to take the final exam early. There will be NO make up if a student misses the final exam.

Mentoring Statement: COMMUNICATION IS OF KEY IMPORTANCE

If by chance you start falling behind through no fault of your own, PLEASE communicate with me and do not drop the class at the first sign of turbulence, I understand that life is also a test. The sooner you come see me, the sooner we can develop an intervention plan to get you back on track. I am available to work with any student willing to put forth a little extra effort. If for some reason you are feeling bad about life in general come and see me, I may be able to provide some insight that will help you feel better about everything.

Attendance Policy

Attendance Credit

Attendance is mandatory for passing this course. Your attendance will be calculated into your final grade using the following criteria.

Attendance is only taken once per class period at the beginning. Students receive 10 points of attendance/participation credit for each class period they attend providing they are not late. Arriving to class late can result in NO attendance/participation credit. If you are late to class you will lose 1 point of attendance credit for each minute you are late. If you are 10 minutes or later to class you will not receive any attendance credit for that day. This does not mean you have to leave class, is simply means that for that day, you will not receive any attendance credit.

Class participation

Students are required to bring text books and all other materials to each class meeting. Any student who attends class without a text book and other materials will receive an absence. Any student who does work from another class in class will be given an absence.

Classroom Conduct

There will be none of the following:

  • Vulgar jokes or comments said to other students of the same sex or of the opposite sex, or to the instructor.
  • Chewing tobacco

Violation of any of these policies will result in an absence.

Course Fees

Content for this section will be provided by the instructor.

Course Prerequisites

Desire to learn and ability to join in course work.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.