Driving Student Engagement and Motivation with the Cloud-based Flipped Classroom Model in BIM Education

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way of teaching and learning, and they are undertakenremotely on digital platforms. This sudden shift away from classrooms to online learning platformshas created a new study mode that may persist in the post-pandemic period. Thus, students areconfronted by an uncertain and increasingly complicated future. To prepare them for these challenges,the flipped classroom can offer a new learning experience to students. The flipped classroom is astrategy to replace the traditional approach to teaching and learning. It is a new pedagogical modelthat encourages active learning, student engagement, and self-directed learning. In the architecture,engineering and construction (AEC) industry, Building Information Modelling (BIM) is an emergingtechnology, and its adoption has evolved substantially in recent years. The growing popularity of BIMhas led to considerable demand for competent BIM professionals in the industry. Thus, BIMeducation, which has the primary objective of equipping students with necessary BIM skills, preparesnew generations of industry professionals. As such, this proposal presents how the CityU BIM expertteams up with the cloud engineers and programmers to develop a cloud computing platform byemploying the flipped classroom approach. By utilising cloud-based technologies, students can accesslearning materials whenever is convenient for them and control over the learning pace to suit theirschedule. Cloud gaming can also provide solutions to particular problems seen in traditional classroomenvironments, for example, lower cognitive outcomes and poor attitudes towards learning. Eventually,it is expected that the cloud computing platform enhances student’s learning performance, producesenhanced learning outcomes, and increases student motivation in BIM-related courses.