Integrating building information modelling (BIM) into engineering education: an exploratory study of industry perceptions using social network data

An exploratory analysis was conducted by using a qualitative analysis of the data obtained from a popular online social network platform for professionals – LinkedIn. Data in the form of discussion posts and comments associated with BIM in education were captured from a BIM-specific discussion group using NVivo 10 software. To carry out the analysis, discussion posts and comments were coded to identify important themes emerging from the data. These themes were then examined, interpreted and discussed. OUTCOMES The results showed that the themes emerged from the selected discussion posts were concentrated on the recommendations on how BIM can be integrated into a curriculum and the barriers to the integration. The need to teach BIM as a collaborative process rather just a software tool was highlighted, with the difficulty in bridging educational silos identified as one of the main barriers. CONCLUSIONS BIM is an innovative concept that can help improve the efficiency of the AEC industry. To successfully integrate BIM into education, the industry perceived that there is the need for universities to be more innovative in developing a collaborative curriculum that requires integration across different educational disciplines. This represents a major challenge to be overcome not only for engineering education, but also other related disciplines within the AEC context.

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