Dynamic Representation of Barriers for Adopting Building Information Modelling in Malaysian Tertiary Education

Abstract

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is deemed to shape the future of the construction sector across the world. At present, the lack of BIM in tertiary education has been the rising concern around the world as the demand for BIM talent increases. The current landscape suggests that few pedagogic researches have been undertaken to advance BIM education, particularly in Malaysia. BIM implementation could only be possible by identifying the potential barriers, which is a basic pre-requisite for successful adoption of BIM. Unfortunately, previous studies on the barriers of BIM adoption have often based on theoretical constructs, which are deterministic in nature. The methodology used could not portray a conclusive correlation of causal relations among the variables, creating difficulty in developing holistic and workable solutions. Therefore, this study aims to develop a methodology that provides a dynamic representation of the barriers in implementing BIM in tertiary education. The methodology combines both the deterministic (feedback from questionnaire survey) and dynamic approach (causal loop diagram). Data was first collected and analysed through a questionnaire survey administered among lecturers from selected Malaysian universities. Following that, a dynamic systems approach (causal loop diagram) was used to demonstrate the complex nature and interrelationship of the barriers for a more holistic representation. Results from the deterministic analysis has suggested barriers that relate to technology, while findings from the dynamics has identified the people aspect as the core barrier for BIM adoption. This study has contributed in establishing a methodology that integrates the dynamic approach with the deterministic data towards providing a more holistic representation of a system that further enables the identification of holistic solutions that would address the core barriers inhibiting the implementation of BIM education, particularly at Malaysian Universities.

Factors affecting BIM implementation in post-conflict low-income economies: the case of Afghanistan

“…Understanding the factors provides useful information to avoid project failures from unsuccessful BIM implementation (Liao and Teo, 2017). Furthermore, understanding the affecting factors can be considered a prerequisite for implementing BIM (Belayutham et al, 2018).…”

“…Understanding the factors provides useful information to avoid project failures from unsuccessful BIM implementation (Liao and Teo, 2017). Furthermore, understanding the affecting factors can be considered a prerequisite for implementing BIM (Belayutham et al , 2018). In addition to understanding the factors, highlighting the critical and non-critical factors is of great importance because it allows project stakeholders to develop the most appropriate strategies (Zhou et al , 2019).…”

Barriers to Building Information Modeling (BIM) Deployment in Small Construction Projects: Malaysian Construction Industry

“…EFA was a suitable test in this case because the sample size was between the 150 and 300 range, and the BIM barriers were found to be 23, which was in the acceptable range of 20 to 50. Furthermore, the sample size (166) should be greater than the product of the number of responses ( 5) and the number of survey questions (23). For this pilot survey questionnaire, 166 was greater than 23 × 5 = 115, which qualified the data for EFA analysis.…”

“…The aforementioned facts provide a rationale for this study, and the scope has been narrowed down to small construction projects. No specific study, such as Taat et al [21], Manzoor et al [22], Belayutham et al [23] and Chen et al [13], has targeted the small construction projects from Malaysia indicating BIM barriers. For effective identification of barriers relative to any subject variable, there is always a need for non-parametric statistical evaluation and structural equation modeling (SEM), as indicated by Ringle et al [24] and Wang and Rhemtulla [25].…”

BIM Education in Higher Learning Institutions: A Scientometric Review and the Malaysia Perspective

“…A shortage of BIM-trained professionals is the current global driving force for BIM deployment in institutions. BIM education in Malaysia is still in its early stages, according to a report by Belayutham and Ibrahim (2018). BIM education is defined as a "process of learning that covers BIM knowledge that an individual must be capable of as well as having an understanding of BIM processes" (Ana Karina et al, 2020).…”