Reimagining built environment education in Malaysia: an AI-enhanced BIM teaching and learning framework

Building Information Modelling (BIM), with growing links to artificial intelligence (AI), is creating new requirements for built environment education. However, BIM curriculum integration remains uneven internationally and in Malaysia, with implementation shaped by staff capability, infrastructure, institutional support and industry engagement. This conceptual study proposes the Digital Built Environment Education Framework (DBEEF) for integrating BIM and AI within built environment programmes. The framework was developed through a structured supplementary literature search and interpretive synthesis of 78 studies, supported by policy analysis and an illustrative institutional analysis of Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TAR UMT). DBEEF comprises five pillars: Adaptive Learning and Personalisation, Intelligent Content Delivery, Collaboration and Communication Enhancement, Ethics and Governance in AI Use, and Curriculum Alignment and Industry Relevance. The included evidence was concentrated on curriculum alignment, collaborative learning and technology-supported delivery, while evidence relating to AI-enabled personalisation and comprehensive AI ethics and governance was comparatively limited and indirect. The TAR UMT analysis indicates that existing curricula, infrastructure and industry relationships may support pilot implementation, while gaps remain in AI-enabled pedagogy, governance, staff capability and outcome assessment. The institutional analysis does not validate DBEEF or demonstrate improvements in student or graduate competencies. DBEEF provides an evidence-informed basis for pilot implementation and empirical evaluation of integrated BIM–AI education in Malaysia.