In order to enhance students’ individual and team competency in building information modeling (BIM) project execution, this research adopts the team-based learning (TBL) pedagogy and aligns student learning outcomes in BIM with the hierarchy defined by Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives into a Civil Engineering and Management (CEM) capstone project under the framework of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) standards. By designing a series of BIM learning modules in accordance with the different phases of a typical project lifecycle, including design, tendering and bidding, construction, closeout, and handover, this research investigates and evaluates how TBL may help students develop essential BIM knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) and achieve a higher order of learning through role play in the contexts of a real BIM project. The four learning modules address both individual and team competency with core CEM program learning outcomes and are delivered through the TBL iterative process. The assessment of student learning and their achieved BIM competency through the capstone project are conducted with both direct and indirect measures using carefully designed grading rubrics and a student feedback survey. The research findings suggest that the combination of phased BIM learning modules and the TBL pedagogy may stimulate students’ enthusiasm and foster individual and team performance at a higher level of competency in BIM project execution. The use of a real BIM project and the role play conducted by students in the TBL also enhance students’ career preparedness by bridging the gap between BIM education in CEM programs and industry expectation on BIM competency of college graduates. This research contributes to the body of knowledge by providing empirical evidence on the efficacy of the TBL pedagogy in college BIM education and may become a valuable reference as more CEM programs seek to integrate collaborative interdisciplinary team experiences in BIM education to cultivate a more competent BIM workforce.

Higher education ought to support the identification of training needs for industrial building information modelling (BIM) curriculum development and sustainability education in the fields of civil engineering and management (CEM). This paper proposes a framework based on a four-phase step-by-step quality function deployment (QFD) application for CEM curriculum planning and quality management. The framework attempts to respond to requests collected from 17 professionals and professors in order to integrate BIM into the higher education curriculum in China with a specific focus on construction management programs accredited by the American Council for Construction Education (ACCE). The entropy method and a K1–K6 scale adapted from Bloom’s revised cognitive process were employed to evaluate the CEM curriculum in QFD. The proposed framework was successfully applied to CEM curriculum planning, which included two curriculums of the four main knowledge areas provided by the Chinese CEM guidelines: construction cost and flow construction. Two curriculum areas showed that content should focus on knowledge such as (a) Program evaluation and review technique(PERT) planning; (b) construction optimization in flow construction; (c) principles of bill of quantities and (d) construction consumption in construction costs. As for teaching quality management in China, the higher education curriculum should focus on three aspects to promote curriculum integration: (a) pedagogical design; (b) teaching resource and material and (c) curriculum assessment. This research sheds light on the pedagogical shift to a similar context that has established guidelines accredited by the ACCE, with respect to reviewing curriculum planning from a knowledge system perspective in order to meet industrial demands at the operational level.