Educators worldwide are working hard to shift to remote learning environments while preparing students for current and emerging industry technologies. When delivering courses virtually, it becomes even more important to keep students engaged. Educational institutions traditionally participate in competitions such as the WorldSkills UK BIM Competition to enable students to put their skills to the test and build their CVs and extracurriculars. However, due to COVID-19, many onsite competitions were postponed or cancelled. To support educational institutions and students, and in collaboration with New College Lanarkshire, Autodesk recently launched the first Virtual Autodesk Digital Construction Challenge where over 25 students from 10 leading institutions in the United Kingdom put their skills to the test from their homes.
In this 4-hour live competition, students completed over 30 tasks using Autodesk Revit, Navisworks, and BIM 360. The students produced, coordinated, and managed a BIM Model following ISO 19650 processes. All tasks were developed together with industry professionals such as Baker Hicks, and reflected a real-world working environment aligned with the WorldSkills UK BIM Competencies Framework.
Celebrating the achievements of the students, Autodesk hosted a Virtual Award Ceremony inviting industry professionals from Baker Hicks, WorldSkills UK, and Prodigy Learning to share the importance of an industry aligned competition.
Students and Educators went above and beyond in this competition and showcased what’s possible despite the current situation. We would like to congratulate the winners of the competition: 1st Place – Pawel Kudoz (New College Lanarkshire), 2nd Place – Brouk Anteneh (Oxford Brookes University), and 3rd Place Desislava Veleva (Middlesex University). We would also like to thank all students who have participated in this challenge.
The UK Virtual Digital Construction Challenge mirrored many of the projects and activities these students will undertake in the future during their construction careers. We had the opportunity to speak with participating students and educators to find out how they’re preparing for a digital future in construction. Here’s what we learned.
Competition Builds Time-Management and Preparation Skills
It’s often said, you don’t know what you don’t know; recent graduates face a world of unknowns when embarking on the working world. While there’s no substitute for on-the-job experience, students can equip themselves to succeed by participating in industry scenarios and activities.
Getting Insights Firsthand on How Students Solve Industry Aligned Problems
In today’s largely remote learning environment, professors and students often miss the chance to explore problems together at a close level. The UK Virtual Construction Challenge was hosted on Zoom where students shared their webcams and screens. This allowed educators to proctor but also watch students as they encountered and worked through problems independently using the skills acquired during their courses.
Rethinking Traditional Ways of Teaching
Remote teaching has disrupted the way how software is taught at universities. Many educators leveraged a flipped classroom approach where students were watching prerecorded sessions and practiced exercises at their own pace to later discuss the learning outcomes in group work. For the Digital Construction Challenge, New College Lanarkshire has developed a set of Video Tutorials to enable to Students to practice from the comfort of their home.
Digital Construction increases Diversity and Equality in the Construction Industry
The Construction Industry is still perceived as a “muddy Boots” industry, through digitization over the last decade many new digital job roles have and will be created. Construction companies embrace an entrepreneurial spirit and are eager to hire students equipped with digital skills such as BIM modelling, coordination, and data management. Competitions like the Digital Construction Challenge enable students to showcase their skills not dependent on gender, ethnicity, or backgrounds, and help promote the opportunities within the industry.
Fast Track the Implementation of Digital Construction Workflows in Education
COVID-19 has accelerated the use of innovative technologies in the construction and engineering industries as well as in the educational institutions that teach the emerging workforce.
Competition Reflects a Fast-Paced Work Environment
The tasks during the competition certainly reflected future activities students will face, and the environment also reflected an on-site building experience.
Equipping the Next Generation of Builders with the Tools to Succeed
The acceleration of technology in the construction industry shows no sign of slowing down. The new workforce must be prepared to apply the skills and best practices they’ve learned to emerging tools. As educators model thought processes and problem-solving approaches, they help students build the foundation needed to succeed in the next phase of the construction industry.