Construction Management Alumni Assessment of Digital Technology Importance, Impact, and Enablers

10 pages•Published: June 2, 2026

Sushmit Sharma Bhattarai, Sabin Bhandari, Mithil Mazumder and Hyunhwan Kim

Abstract

Digital transformation is advancing in construction, yet evidence on how early-career professionals prioritize specific technologies and adoption conditions remains limited. This study surveyed alumni (2014-2024) from an undergraduate construction management program (58 complete responses) to examine perceived current importance of key digital technologies, expected five-year impact, and perceived barriers and deterrents to adoption, with comparisons by experience band and skill-acquisition pathways. A cross-sectional Qualtrics questionnaire collected Likert ratings of technology importance and barrier frequency, plus multi-select items on future high-impact technologies, sources of digital skills, and valued software features. Analyses included descriptive statistics, Relative Importance Index (RII) rankings, an exploratory Horizon Gap Index (HGI) contrasting normalized current importance with “top three” future salience, and point-biserial correlations linking barriers to discouraging factors. BIM/VDC ranked highest in current importance, while AI showed the largest positive horizon gap; most other technologies exhibited negative gaps, indicating stronger current embeddedness than future salience in the selection format. The most frequently reported constraints related to training, time, cost, and organizational support, with barrier–discouragement associations suggesting co-occurring resource and capability limitations. Alumni most often reported self-directed learning and prioritized integration and mobile accessibility, supporting implications for targeted training, mentorship, workflow standardization, and curriculum alignment with practice needs.

Keyphrases: ai in construction, bim/vdc adoption, cm perception analysis, construction education, digital technologies in aec

In: Wesley Collins, Anthony Perrenoud and John Posillico (editors). Proceedings of Associated Schools of Construction 62nd Annual International Conference, vol 7, pages 773-782.

Links:	https://easychair.org/publications/paper/cfwr
	https://doi.org/10.29007/bn1h

BibTeX entry

@inproceedings{ASC2026:Construction_Management_Alumni_Assessment,
  author    = {Sushmit Sharma Bhattarai and Sabin Bhandari and Mithil Mazumder and Hyunhwan Kim},
  title     = {Construction Management Alumni Assessment of Digital Technology Importance, Impact, and Enablers},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of Associated Schools of Construction 62nd Annual International Conference},
  editor    = {Wesley Collins and Anthony Perrenoud and John Posillico},
  series    = {EPiC Series in Built Environment},
  volume    = {7},
  publisher = {EasyChair},
  bibsource = {EasyChair, https://easychair.org},
  issn      = {2632-881X},
  url       = {/publications/paper/cfwr},
  doi       = {10.29007/bn1h},
  pages     = {773-782},
  year      = {2026}}

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