Ball State students knew they were in for an interesting class based on the materials list: protective glasses, steel-toed boots, ear protection, hardhats and leather gloves.

The classroom is equally as interesting — an abandoned historic home near downtown Muncie. Assignments are written on scraps of paper on the walls, ceilings are crumbling, much of the floor is missing and the students' clothes are grimy at day's end. And even though the interior temperature hovers in the mid-20s, no one is complaining.

"I'd rather be hauling bucket loads of dirt out of this basement than sitting in a classroom," Alicia Thueme said with a smile. "This house is something I'll be able to drive by and point out to everyone as the one that I worked on."

The students are enrolledin Ball State University's EcoRehab course and will spend the entire semester immersed in studying ecologically sound and sustainable rehabilitation of existing housing — all while swinging a hammer in the process.

"The students are doing much more than construction and refurbishing," said Jonathan Spodek, associate professor of architecture and EcoRehab's co-founder. "They are driving the process, laying out extensive plans and preparing the entire scope of the project."

The unusual class setting is matched by the mix of 12 students involved, including students from architecture, real estate management, interior design and more. In addition to working at the construction site, the students are also keeping journals to document their learning journey, he added.

The project actually began last semester with the formation of EcoRehab, the nonprofit organization co-founded by Spodek