Integration of Virtual Technology as a Pedagogical Tool in Construction Knowledge Transfer

The construction sector in the United States (US) is facing a shortage of employees due to high and disproportionate rates of retirement. Experienced professionals are leaving the industry to pave the way for inexperienced recruits lacking implicit or experiential knowledge. This loss of knowledge contributes to annual financial losses as novices cannot gain experience at the required rate to combat the "knowledge drain." Combining traditional tools with innovative technology such as virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) have the potential to bridge this gap in construction management (CM). VR is now being rapidly used in CM due to the ease it provides in information modeling, safety training, and knowledge management. This paper proposes a theoretical framework to understand whether tacit knowledge can be delivered using VR to improve students' situational awareness in the context of CM education and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) components. It utilizes VR in information transfer from an expert to novice, and then measures whether their knowledge is enhanced using such hybrid teaching methods instead of more traditional classrooms. The framework brings VR hardware into CM education and gives undergraduate students an opportunity to exploit its full worth. This work has the potential to create more experienced CM graduates before they join the industry and will enable improved tacit knowledge transfer from experts to novices.