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Comparisons of students’ perceptions on BIM practice among Australia, China and UK

Ruoyu Jin (Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Brighton, Brighton, UK)
Patrick Xiaowei Zou (Department of Civil and Construction Engineering, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia)
Bo Li (Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China)
Poorang Piroozfar (Department of Environment and Technology, University of Brighton, Brighton, UK)
Noel Painting (University of Brighton, Brighton, UK)

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management

ISSN: 0969-9988

Article publication date: 4 June 2019

Issue publication date: 4 September 2019

1108

Abstract

Purpose

University students are the future driving forces in and leaders of the architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) industry advancement. Although BIM pedagogical studies have been performed in different institutions, there has not been sufficient research providing a global perspective of BIM education and students’ perceptions toward BIM practice and application following their learning progress. The purpose of this paper is to adopt student samples from Swinburne University of Technology (SUT, Australia), Wenzhou University (WZU, China) and University of Brighton (UK) as three case studies to investigate the BIM practice and application-related perceptions and motivations.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the thorough understanding of the BIM pedagogical delivery including teaching contents and assessment methods among the three institutions, a questionnaire survey approach was adopted to collect AEC students’ perceptions of BIM. Within each selected case, statistical analysis was conducted to investigate both the overall sample and subgroup differences regarding students’ opinions on BIM’s functions (e.g. as a 3D visualization tool) and BIM usefulness in various industry professions, their motivation in BIM-related jobs and their perceptions of challenges encountered in BIM practice and application. Multiple factors influencing BIM learners’ perceptions were discussed, such as pedagogical assessment approach, and individual factors (e.g. disciplines).

Findings

The results showed that students were able to discern the latest industry practices and critical thinking in BIM movements. For example, SUT students perceived more challenges from the government legislation or incentive policies, which was consistent with Australia’s BIM policy movement. WZU students tended to have less positive views on BIM usefulness. The results also indicated fewer differences regarding perceived challenges among students from these three institutions.

Originality/value

This study contributed to the body of knowledge in managerial BIM by focusing on learners’ perceptions from the perspective of students’ understanding, motivation and individual views of BIM, which were insightful to both BIM educators and employers. By initiating the framework of BIM learning process and its influence factors, the current study serves as a point of reference to continue the future work in strengthening the connection between institutional BIM education and industry practical needs worldwide.

Keywords

Citation

Jin, R., Zou, P.X., Li, B., Piroozfar, P. and Painting, N. (2019), "Comparisons of students’ perceptions on BIM practice among Australia, China and UK", Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Vol. 26 No. 9, pp. 1899-1923. https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-07-2018-0275

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited

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