‘BIM-Hub’ – A learning hub for international problem-based learning

1. ‘BIM-Hub’ – A learning hub for international problem-based learning • The Project • Explore an innovative approach to international problem-based learning in the Built Environment (BE) education using a real-time online collaboration platform, in order to enhance employability skills. • Demonstrate and test methods, practices, technologies to support the international collaboration using Building Information Modelling (BIM) platform. • Final year students from Loughborough, Coventry and Ryerson (Toronto) Universities form multidisciplinary design teams and use BIM to develop a building scheme in the initial stages of design. • Develop a guidance of effective practice for international collaboration in BIM and to disseminate the findings via BIM-Hub website. • Anticipated Impact • The project has the potential for large-scale impact: • Guidance and lessons learnt from the virtual teamworking process and the organisation of international collaboration, via website. • The basis of a community of learning for a large number of educators and students. • Wider adoption of the approach within curricula of BE courses across the globe. • Redefine the collaboration within a real-time online platform, with a far-reaching impact on construction education and industry practice and policy, particularly in supporting businesses become BIM level 3 compliant. • Data • Focus groups/ interviews with all three participating universities, reviewing their experience of collaboration and barriers and factors promoting success. • Pre- and post-implementation questionnaires, looking at experience of online collaboration, relevant technologies motivation and employability. • Recordings of virtual meetings held in GoToMeeting, viewing students’ improvement in collaboration, use of technology. • Personal reflections from students and staff involved. • Interim Findings • Empirical evidence gathered so far: • Improved project management skills of participating students. • 17% increase of student satisfaction level from the previous year. • Analysis of data has identified: • Factors that support and impede students’ learning, collaboration and interaction in various online environments. • Interim models for learning in online collaborative learning . Dissemination Activities Project website created, Project Twitter account established, blogs from academic staff set up Webinar - 26th February 2014, in conjunction with ELESIG. HEA seminar, Social Media, Changing the Learning Landscape, 24 April 2014, University of Warwick. Workshop – CHOBE Innovation in BE Education Annual Conference, 15-16 May 2014, Nottingham Trent University. HEA STEM workshop, 22 May 2014, University of Salford. Paper presentation at the EDEN Annual Conference, 10-13 June 2014 in Zagreb (Croatia). Workshop – HEA Annual Conference on 2-3 July 2014 in Aston University, Birmingham. Paper presentation at the 8th International Conference on e-Learning 2014, 15 -18 July, Lisbon (Portugal). Project Team Loughborough University: Robby Soetanto, Mark Childs, Jacqui Glass, Zulfikar Adamu Coventry University: Stephen Austin Ryerson University: Paul Poh, Dmitri Knyazev Project evaluator: Harry Tolley, Helen MacKenzie Further information http://bim-hub.lboro.ac.uk/ Twitter: @oc4d1 LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Online-Collaborative-Design-7469178 Contact: R.Soetanto@lboro.ac.uk