A framework for building information modeling implementation in engineering education

Universities are facing many challenges to their efforts to introduce building information modeling (BIM) in engineering education. Many research efforts have been dedicated to the subject and addressed some specific aspects of the issue. Thus, there is no comprehensive framework to provide decision-makers with practical and neutral guidelines. The framework proposed in this paper identifies the main challenges to address. A case study from a Canadian engineering school is used to evaluate and to validate the proposed framework, and to illustrate the challenges. The strategy of integrating BIM in engineering education should be based on the specific skills the students are expected to acquire. It is then possible to define the appropriate teaching approaches. An effective implementation strategy should be gradual to progressively raise community awareness, learn from mistakes, and identify best practices. A particular emphasis should be placed on the needs of the local industry.