PBL methodologies: BIM and 3D scanning applied to teaching in construction engineering projects

Abstract

The rising need among university graduates for technical education to achieve comprehensive, complete, and up-to-date training in the use of current technologies and advanced equipment, as well as the acquisition of skills related to collaborative abilities and the interrelationship between disciplines, requires the review of teaching and learning methodologies to university students. The current research includes the study carried out in a third-year subject of the Degree in Building at the University of Seville, on a total of eighty-two students, belonging to two academic years. It implements an innovative learning system, applying the principles of continuous assessment, encouraging collaborative work, participation in proposals, and the impact on their training resulting from their own experimentation with advanced technological equipment and BIM systems (Building Information Modelling) present in contemporary professional work, with verification of results, always following the PBL problem-solving-based learning method. The results of this study indicate that the understanding and implementation of the BIM methodology and the use of a 3D scanning tool, combined with the methodology based on the PBL are very useful for the development of projects in the field of building engineering. The data obtained after the surveys in relation to the students' assessment of their learning are very positive and a large majority of them state that after this course they have learned to work collaboratively, and it has helped them to overcome the fear of working with BIM and 3D scanning tools.