Curricular BIM implementation plan: protocol proposal and pilot application in Brazil

Abstract

Abstract Incorporating BIM in the education of professionals has become a demand and a topic of high importance for higher education. Several proposals for a curricular implementation of BIM exist. However, in most cases, they are specific to a single university or domain, do not consider academic policies or simplify practice by segmenting knowledge. This work proposes a protocol for the curricular implementation of BIM similar to the industry, considering aspects of process, technology, and policies aligned with the educational institution's mission and with existing competencies. Action research was the used method. Three actions were conducted: (1) proposition, (2) systematization and (3) application. The actions were executed in cycles incrementally, resulting in (1) guidelines, (2) supporting tools and (3) implementation plans. Two Brazilian universities participated in pilot studies of Project Construa Brasil. The pilot studies inspired a network of BIM cells that have synchronously applied curricular BIM implementation guidelines on a large scale. The guidelines proved to be generic and comprehensive, guiding the transformation with an empirical basis for the academics' decision-making. Leadership of a BIM specialist was confirmed as an essential factor of success. It is observed that even with a timid introduction of BIM competence in a limited scope of engineering solutions, the impact on the BIM maturity curriculum is significant.