1.

In your experience, what communication practices best help

civil engineering students in building trust and collaboration
with their peers and instructors?
 When it comes to classroom set-up which involves peers and
instructors, we actually mean that what's being discussed here is
what's happening inside the classroom. Very important to me when
it comes to communication practices is your ability to
comprehend. Because many people, when they are talking to
someone, they are just waiting for that person to finish what they
are saying. Even before that person finish speaking, they already
have a prepared answer. That is why, communication does not
become that effective, because your desire to respond is more
dominant than answering what they ask. So, I suggest, one of the
communication practices is your ability to comprehend. Take
some time, there's no rule that after they speak, you have to
answer immediately after that second. And even with lawyers,
whenever they have arguments inside the court, they first listen to
the other side's counterargument, so that they know how to dissect
what was being discussed. So, in my opinion, one of the
communication practices is the ability to really comprehend
what is being said.
 Communication practice is having an open communication. The
instructor gives them time to ask and raise their question so that
the students can share their thoughts. This can also be applied not
only in the classroom but also outside and through social media
platforms. In this way, they can share their ideas with other people.

2. What common difficulties do you observe among students

when it comes to expressing ideas or applying communication
skills in your classes?
 One of the common difficulties that I can tell when it comes to
expressing ideas is "personal.” Because, there are people grown in
a set-up that they are usually not being heard. There are times that
they are not open. But, when somebody is feeling okay, as well as
their environment—the next difficulty that I see is “confidence.”
Because, sometimes, there are children that have good ideas, but
maybe because they have grown up thinking, "Maybe what I'm
saying is not right or okay,” that confidence alone is closing off the
opportunity for them to communicate better. When it comes to
 difficulties, one thing that needs to be developed is the children’s
confidence. Those are the common difficulties that I noticed—which
are beyond teachers’ control. The difficulties are not something that
are always the teacher’s fault for communication problems,
sometimes it is down to the person's personal preference. There are
people who are really not into socializing, even though that is
actually part of what you are supposed to do. You have to mingle
and communicate to people, that is personal preference. My
short answer to the common difficulty is people's personal
preferences.
 They lack communication because they are afraid to voice out their
ideas for fear of being judged by people.

3. How does effective communication influence students’ ability

to work on group projects, especially those related to real-
world civil engineering problems?
 If you are a civil engineer, one of the main ways to push through a
project is through communication—which will play a huge role in the
success of the project. You can see, those who are in construction,
they will not work if the people inside are not talking. For
example, you did not ask someone at home to remove the plug of
the rice cooker when they arrived. If you did not communicate it
with them, there will be a big chaos inside the house. Effective
communication is like a flow of water, wherein the flow of
message is continuous from one person to another, which will make
everything in sync and organized. Another example, in your
classroom set-up, there will be no class tomorrow if the authorized
person does not mention it to you. Naturally, you will not be
informed. When it comes to real world scenario in civil engineering
field, if a civil engineer did not instruct the workers on what to do,
there will be a possibility that what should be done will not be done.
 Effective communication is really helpful, especially in group
projects, to have a successful collaboration. If they know how to
work in a group, this can prepare them for the reality of civil
engineering problems. Being in the office or on a construction site,
communication is really necessary for the professionals and the
workers. If effective communication is not practiced, this can affect
their performance in the future.
4. What strategies or activities do you believe can further
strengthen communication skills among civil engineering
students?
 When you are being called to do a task, it strengthens your
communication skills. An example for this is when you are being
tasked by your teacher to do a reporting in class. This is one avenue
to build your confidence. Because, it is easy for us to speak in public
when the person you are talking to is somebody you know. It is
more difficult in the field wherein the people you are talking to are
engineers, guests, and supervisors that you do not work under or
know personally. Personally, the alignment of why I teach even
though I am a civil engineer, comes from my past experiences,
wherein I was invited for a talk and was assigned to report. That is
when I discovered that my communication skills or the way I discuss
things were something that could benefit other people. Another
example, there is one thing I have learned, then when I discuss it, in
my humble capacity, I think I have the ability that others can easily
understand what I am discussing. It seems like the transfer of the
communication is so effective. In your case, the strategy that I think
will work for you is to be called out or to be assigned to do a
task that involves communication, like reporting. During my
college years, civil engineering had subjects in higher years wherein
they tackle about civil engineering laws, like how to create a
contract, and what you would do if there was a scenario where your
client did not pay. Those civil engineering subjects develop your
communication skills. Because, you can use them when you
negotiate or when you sign a contract. You cannot close a contract
without talking to the client—you have to establish scopes about
what would they expect on the project. Therefore, the effective
strategy was to be assigned to discuss or to talk about
something in front of other people.
 Student engagement, like I mentioned earlier, is when the teacher
or instructor allows students to express their thoughts in class, such
as when they have a question or a suggestion. That’s the strategy I
thought of. You can also apply it within groups by giving students
time to brainstorm and share their ideas with one another.
5. How do you see communication contributing to the preparation
of students in promoting sustainable practices and solutions in
civil engineering?
 For this question, it is like a compilation of the first-four asked
questions. Communication is very important—especially in the field of
civil engineering, since it is not the kind of job where you are the only
one working. There is an hierarchy wherein there is a client, and the
client will tell you what they want. As the contractor, you are obligated
to execute it. But, it does not mean that just because you are the
contractor, you will do the job for hammering the nails and for pouring
the cement. You have to hire people to do the job and let them know
what you want to happen. Because as a contractor, you are like a
middle man. You have a client and a worker, but you are not the only
one who actually works on the job. That is why, communication is
important. You will never be able to close a deal without
communication. You have to at least establish your credibility as a
person—that you know what you are doing. One effective way for
people to recognize you as someone who knows what you are doing, is
for them to communicate with you. Because, you know a person if they
are doing something, or they are just trying to make it look like that
they are doing something. You can already tell from the very beginning
that the person knows what they are doing, because of the type of
communication skills they have. From the way people speak, it has
something to do with their ability to communicate things. Therefore,
when it comes to communication—contributing to the preparation—our
ability to answer and comprehend is important. Especially in the
construction industry—it is a complex and complicated type of field.
But, with proper communication, there will be no problem. I have
already worked on a lot of projects, even until now, I have projects that
I am still working on. In terms of being present, physically or not, one
thing that made it possible for me to make things work is that I was
able to communicate well. As long as people know what to do, when I
say that the plastering should be done tomorrow, and they know the
word plastering, then their work can be easily done. Because, when I
say, "I'm going to plaster that wall," then you did not say what
thickness, what wall, and when would you like to do it—without the
proper communication—you will not be able to do any project.
 Possessing good communication skills, helps students to develop their
future careers. This can also help in solving problems in civil
engineering field. For example, if they’re assigned to propose a project
and don’t communicate well, this can affect their performance in
explaining to the panel, thesis advisers, or investors. By learning
proper communication, our future civil engineers will be more
confident and successful in their field.