BIM Education for Engineers via Self-Directed, Creative Design

Disruptive technologies have found traction in the construction industry, affecting long established processes and rendering old methods of design communication and construction management increasingly obsolete. Pressure is on traditional Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) schools in academic institutions to respond to this paradigm shift in industry. Common among engineering schools is the necessity to maintain fundamental subjects as approved by accreditation boards. Hence it is difficult to create space for Building Information Modeling (BIM) given a curriculum already packed with established modules. This is a primary reason for the slow uptake of BIM in engineering. For engineering schools the question remains, how best to integrate BIM into the curriculum? This educational case study outlines the introduction of BIM into the curriculum of Civil and Structural Engineering students through an unobtrusive method that does not require curriculum restructuring and does not require module refocus. Two project-based modules, with inherent ‘design thinking’ objectives, are adapted to enable BIM tools to be used as design, analysis and communication tools. BIM Education for Engineers via Self-Directed, Creative Design