Teaching (Meta) Competences for Digital Practice Exemplified by Building Information Modeling Work Processes

Abstract

Extensively digitized workplaces require advanced competence profiles from employees, not least due to new options for teleworking and new complex digital tools. The acquisition of advanced competence profiles is to be addressed by formal education. For example, the method of Building Information Modeling (BIM) aims at digitizing the design, construction, and operation of structures and as such requires advanced competence profiles. In this study, two educational scenarios based on teleworking and complex digital tools are compared, each with one cohort and consisting of two learning activities. The first cohort initially completes, as the first learning activity, a semester-long course that aims at BIM-domain competences. The semester-long course of the second cohort fosters meta competences, such as communication, collaboration, and digital literacy. At the end of the semester, both cohorts solve a BIM practice task in a second learning activity. The research questions are: (1) Do the two educational scenarios promote the competences to be addressed? and related: (2) What is the impact of the initial course that fosters domain competences or meta competences? Methodologically, the learning outcomes are assessed by measuring the domain competences three times during the educational scenario using online tests in the two cohorts (n = 11). Further, students’ perceptions are surveyed in parallel, using online questionnaires. In addition, semi-structured interviews are conducted at the end of the educational scenarios. The quantitative and qualitative results of the study—designating the training of meta competencies partly as a substitute for imparting domain competences—are presented. Further, the influence of both educational scenarios on competence development for extensively digitized workplaces is discussed.