Defining a BIM-Enabled Learning Environment—An Adaptive Structuration Theory Perspective

Theophilus Olowa,Toni Teittinen,Caterina Morganti,Irene Lill,Emlyn Witt

doi:10.3390/buildings12030292

Abstract

Digitalization of the AEC-FM industry has resulted in the reassessment of knowledge, knowledge management, teaching and learning, workflows and networks, roles, and relevance. Consequently, new approaches to teaching and learning to meet the demands of new jobs and abilities, new channels of communication, and a new awareness are required. Building Information Modelling (BIM) offers opportunities to address some of the current challenges through BIM-enabled education and training. This research defines the requisite characteristics of a BIM-enabled Learning Environment (BLE)—a web-based platform that facilitates BIM-enabled education and training—in order to develop a prototype version of the BLE. Using a mixed-methods research design and an Adaptive Structuration Theory (AST) perspective for interpreting the findings, 33 features and 5 distinct intentions behind those features were identified. These findings are valuable in taking forward the development of the BLE as they suggest a BLE requires the integration of functions from three existing types of information technology application (virtual learning environments, virtual collaboration platforms, and BIM applications). This study will inform the design of a web-based BLE for enhanced AEC-FM education and training, and it also provides a starting point for researchers to apply AST to evaluate the use of a BLE in different educational and training contexts.

Highlights

Digitalization of the construction industry is driving changes in the required knowledge, skills, and attitudes of construction industry professionals, motivating the adaptation of their education and training
Witt and Kähkönen [58] had been applied in a Building Information Modelling (BIM)-enabled learning intervention that was trialed at Tallinn University of Technology within an existing course taught to fourth year civil engineering students
Matrix of of functional functional categorization. These findings suggest that, when asked to specify the functionalities that would be necessary in a BIM-enabled Learning Environment (BLE), the interview participants have collectively drawn on their educational/training experiences of existing Advanced Information Technology (AIT) ( BIM, virtual collaboration, and virtual learning environment (VLE) technologies) and identified relevant functionalities from these familiar AITs to incorporate into the new, proposed AIT

Summary

Introduction

Digitalization of the construction industry is driving changes in the required knowledge, skills, and attitudes of construction industry professionals, motivating the adaptation of their education and training. Building Information Modelling (BIM) is central to this digitalization, and it offers opportunities to address some of the current challenges through BIM-enabled education [1], i.e., using BIM as a vehicle for knowledge creation, sharing, transmission, and evaluation. BIM education curricula generally and BIM-enabled education curricula . The need for an integrated, BIM-enabled Learning Environment (BLE) in which educators and trainers can effectively carry out BIM-enabled education and training was identified [2,3]. A BLE is expected to provide a web-based platform through which new and existing BIM-enabled approaches can be conveniently deployed for teaching and learning activities for the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Facilities Management (AEC-FM) disciplines. This study aims to define the characteristics of a BLE and applies an Adaptive Structuration Theory (AST) perspective to achieve this

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion