An edifying strategy for sustainable building information modelling integration to higher education

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a project delivery development in the construction industry that has a growing need for competent workforce and its production. The literature confirms that only a small fraction of stakeholders in the construction industry are aware of BIM and are willing to adopt its culture, despite its relevance and benefits. Also, the appraisal of higher education, its globalisation and challenges of technology integration to higher education is overriding, this explains the inadequacy of BIM-competent workforce for employment in the industry. In order to have a constant supply of adequate BIM workforce for the construction industry, knowledge and skills of BIM must be integrated into higher education academic programs. This study researched educational theories that might facilitate a sustainable BIM integration to education. Some of the theories reviewed include: Problem Based Learning (PBL); Didactic Transposition (DT); Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and 21st Century Learning and Skills Frameworks (P21). The relevance of each of these theories for the integration were discussed and therefrom a theoretical framework for the integration of BIM to higher education was developed.