Future of Construction Engineering Education in the Automation Era

Abstract

The Fourth Industrial Revolution in the construction industry is reshaping the work landscape for construction engineers, compelling them to acquire additional qualifications. While the construction engineering research community has increasingly focused on better comprehending the emerging demands for education and training, further transformative research on creating innovative pedagogies to address the unprecedented challenges posed by the automation era is critical. The initial step in guiding future research and investments in this domain is to comprehensively assess the current extent of knowledge and identify the knowledge gaps that will underpin future research directions. This study fulfills this need by conducting a scoping review based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis extension for Scoping Review (PRISMA-ScR). The extracted information from the identified relevant studies was synthesized and mapped using a conceptual framework for future-proof curriculum development, consisting of 24 primary and 10 secondary principles pertaining to various aspects of a forward-looking educational program. Using the outcomes of the synthesis process and the identified knowledge gaps, 38 potential research directions for future investigations aimed at developing future-proof construction engineering educational programs were identified and discussed. The future research directions cover a wide range of topics, including improving students’ required competencies for lifelong learning (e.g., curiosity and adaptability), addressing technology-induced societal issues in construction education, and designing artificial intelligence–enhanced education for adaptive and personalized construction engineering. The outcomes of this study will help researchers, educators, and industry leaders effectively and efficiently direct their efforts to transform construction engineering education in response to the technological revolution.