Evaluating the Impact of Problem-Based Learning and Digital Models on Civil Engineering Education

9 pages•Published: August 28, 2025

Hamidreza Alavi, Brian Sheil and Ioannis Brilakis

Abstract

To address the increasing complexity and sustainability challenges facing civil engineering, an educational approach that integrates theory with practical experience is needed. Traditional methods of teaching often fail to equip students with the skills needed by the industry which later on hampers their job readiness and the development of infrastructure. This study investigates the use of Problem-Based Learning as an integrative feature of BIM in a civil engineering module for the purpose of increasing engagement, problem-solving skills, and comprehension of complex concepts. The research included both pre- and post-class surveys that were directed toward the students and the professor. The pre-class surveys were used for the examination of the anticipated expectations, perceived difficulties, and awareness of PBL and BIM, while the post-class surveys were designed for the estimation of the shift in perceptions, confidence levels, and contentedness. The gathered data were also examined through tools like descriptive statistics and thematic coding. The two approaches, PBL and BIM, were the most positively rated, where instead of discussing the effectiveness of these methods, 62.5% of students mentioned that BIM was the most beneficial tool for deepening structural concepts. The instructor particularly made mention of successful alliances with industry and sustainable direction but pointed to delays in permits and logistics maintenance as big threats. The integration of PBL and BIM in the civil engineering curriculum is found to be a significant aim of improved teaching as students are more motivated to complete course objectives and are more confident when they are exposed to real-life problems of the industry. It is proposed that PBL sessions be held in advance and that new digital resources be designed. Further research should be conducted to find out the effect of such methods on career readiness in the long term.

Keyphrases: building information modeling (bim), civil engineering education, curriculum development, problem based learning (pbl), professional practice, student engagement, sustainability

In: Jack Cheng and Yu Yantao (editors). Proceedings of The Sixth International Conference on Civil and Building Engineering Informatics, vol 22, pages 1080-1088.

Links:	https://easychair.org/publications/paper/CKrf
	https://doi.org/10.29007/gc3b

BibTeX entry

@inproceedings{ICCBEI2025:Evaluating_Impact_Problem_Based,
  author    = {Hamidreza Alavi and Brian Sheil and Ioannis Brilakis},
  title     = {Evaluating the Impact of Problem-Based Learning and Digital Models on Civil Engineering Education},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of The Sixth International Conference on Civil and Building Engineering Informatics},
  editor    = {Jack Cheng and Yu Yantao},
  series    = {Kalpa Publications in Computing},
  volume    = {22},
  publisher = {EasyChair},
  bibsource = {EasyChair, https://easychair.org},
  issn      = {2515-1762},
  url       = {/publications/paper/CKrf},
  doi       = {10.29007/gc3b},
  pages     = {1080-1088},
  year      = {2025}}

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