Implementing a Vertically Integrated BIM Curriculum in an Undergraduate Construction Management Program

Abstract

The popularity of Building Information Modeling (BIM) as an integral concept in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industries has motivated its necessary inclusion in Construction Management (CM) education. Implementing BIM as a mainstream, elective or integrated subject within an established undergraduate curriculum is challenging due to limitations such as available teaching time, knowledge retention in students and the flexibility of the curriculum to adapt with a fast developing technology. Pedagogy must combine fundamental learning of theory, practical experience and the use of technology in a collaborative environment to effectively implement BIM. Vertical integration is one such method that was implemented and evaluated to promote BIM education in the undergraduate Construction Management program at Arizona State University. This article discusses the evolution of the BIM curriculum and focuses on the vertical integration of upper-division and lower-division students for aSite Logistics assignment to improve upon the BIM education continuum. Evaluation and surveys revealed that this methodology increased the appreciation for learning BIM, promoted the use of BIM tools for in-class projects and created an understanding of the importance of information management.

Incorporating Building Information Modeling in Existing Courses: A Systematic Framework for Undergraduate Construction Management Programs

“…Lack of available faculty to teach BIM 5,16,35 . Due to the high demand of BIM experts in the AEC industry, CM programs may not be able to hire competent new faculty who have been specifically and extensively trained with BIM in their education or industry experience.…”

“…The results indicated that 70% of the respondents had BIM covered in their curriculum. Most of them were teaching BIM for 3D coordination (82%), about half for scheduling (4D) (46%), and a third for estimating (5D) (35%) 16,33 .…”

“…BIM is the latest and most essential paradigm that CM students are aware of and are looking forward to learning 32 . However, BIM, as a buzzword in the industry, often shifts the focus away from its benefits of sharing and simulating information and misleads students to see it as a software program or an acronym for 3D design and modeling 15,16 . Only knowing how to use BIM software to model building systems is not a true understanding of BIM.…”

“…The findings showed that 60% of the CM programs had some BIM components in their curriculum, and most of these were included in one or two elective courses 5,35 . The topics most taught with BIM were constructability, scheduling, estimating, design, and visualization 5,16 . The study also revealed that CM programs were the latest adopters of BIM among various AEC programs but had a steady growth of deployment since 2008 16,35 .…”

“…The topics most taught with BIM were constructability, scheduling, estimating, design, and visualization 5,16 . The study also revealed that CM programs were the latest adopters of BIM among various AEC programs but had a steady growth of deployment since 2008 16,35 .…”