Introducing a new ict tool in an active learning environment course: Performance consequences depending on the introduction design

This paper presents a case-study, quasi-experiment in the framework of Architectural Engineering (AE) Bachelor (BA) degree in the United Arab Emirates University(UAEU)and the Architecture (Arch)BAat the American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK). To analyze the best approach to introduce Building Information Modelling (BIM) tools into Academia, we evaluated three different approaches by introducing a new BIM tool (Revit) into a construction course. These ICT tools (Information and Communication Technologies), are currently required by the Architectural, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry. We tested the students' performance, submissions and opinions of the course methods in order to evaluate these approaches. In this study, we compared the students' performance in the Building Components course (BCC) atUAEUand in the Construction III course (CIII) at AURAK, analyzing how these new course designs affected the students.Wetested theBCCcourse during six semesters and the CIII for two semesters. To achieve a better understanding of the impact of the course on the students, we used the grades of the students to quantify their performance, compared their submissions and interviewed three random students from each semester. There are few studies on the architectural introduction of Revit and BIM into the Architectural curriculum, even though these tools are currently necessary in the Architectural, Engineering and Construction industry. Based on the data obtained from the academic files, the interviews with the students and the analytic study of the data, we created a set of recommendations to introduce Revit into construction courses in the AEC curriculum while preventing a drop in the performance, skills and knowledge acquisition of the students.