Residential Construction Curriculum

HBI offers a wealth of curriculum information please visit our Website at www.residentialacademy.com.    

Based on national standards set by the residential construction industry, the Residential Construction Academy Series is the result of a partnership between Home Builders Institute and Thomson Delmar Learning. This series is the perfect way to guide learners to development of essential workplace skills, in the areas of carpentry, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, and facilities maintenance. The goal is a skilled, knowledgeable workforce able to meet the needs of the industry today and into the future. 

Residential Construction Academy Series

• Basic Principles for Construction                     
• Carpentry             
• Electrical Principles
• Housing Wiring
• HVAC
• Plumbing
• Facilities Maintenance (will be avail. Fall 07)

Basic Principles for Construction
The text contains a comprehensive set of training materials that help users learn the work skills, functions and soft skills determined by NAHB industry leaders to be helpful to anyone seeking a career in the construction industry.  The books five sections follow:

• The Construction Industry
• Safety
• Construction Math
• Tools and Fasteners
• Print Reading

Trade Specific Textbooks
The textbooks that are trade specific are based on industry standards.  The standards were created by construction professionals and educators and follow guidelines from the National Skills Standards Board.   

Skill Standards establish national standards for the residential construction industry that reflect industry skill requirements.  The Standards are a source for developing program and curriculum and evaluating the outcomes of training programs. 

• Standards are useful to educators for designing curriculum and evaluating a student’s training outcomes.
• Standards provide a basis for training of workers.
• Standards provide employers with objective benchmarks for selecting employees and evaluating training needs.

Testing

• A set of practice tests and final exams has been created for each craft-skill area in the series. This online testing series provides many features that will help students successfully complete their trade program: Note:  there is a certificate issued when the final exam is completed – see the Website RCA National Testing section for more details.
• Practice Tests
• Study Tips
• Final Exam
• Flexible Testing Options
• Automatic Grading
• Student Certificate of Achievement 

e.resources

Tools and instructional resources are available on CD-ROM.  The contents of the e.resource materials link directly to the text to provide an integrated instructional system.  The e.resources provide materials that correlate to the text such as

• PowerPoint Presentations with lecture outlines.
• Computerized Test Bank with various levels of difficulty.
• Image Library that contains numerous images and figures from the text that can be used for slide shows, transparencies and custom PowerPoint slides.

Program Credentialing

The institution is credentialed as a result of using the RCA Series curriculum as outlined in the information that follows:  Note:  Students receive a program completion certificate.  See the Program Credentialing section of the Website for additional details. 

All education and training programs utilizing the new skill standards and Residential Construction Academy materials are eligible for program review and credentialing. Program credentialing will occur after the following three criteria are met:

1. Training program utilizes NAHB's Residential Construction Skill Standards.
2. Training program teaches with Residential Construction Academy materials.
3. The Home Builders Institute receives and approves the completed Application for Credentialing. (The application is available on the Website)

Upon completion and approval of this Application, instructors or training directors will receive a credentialing packet, which includes:

1. Credentialed Program certificate for department.
2. Information about National Registry and NAHB Job Bank, to distribute to students.
3. Program Completion certificates for students.
4. Contact information for local Home Builders Association for networking purposes if appropriate.