ABSTRACT
The possibility of simulating structural behavior and developing the mastery of structural design can be achieved with the introduction of digital technologies in education. This research intended to obtain data concerning students' perceptions regarding the design and structural analysis using BIM. An action-research experiment was carried out through a teaching-learning practice in a Brazilian Public University. Each student proposed the structural design of a social housing unit in BIM. To assess the students' perception, two questionnaires were applied, before and after each experience. The main results showed that the factor that most influenced the learning process was the three-dimensional visualization of the structure and resulting efforts, and the greatest challenge was the solution of the structural flaws after processing the structure in the BIM software. The contribution of this paper is the presentation of the students' perceptions regarding the adoption of BIM tools in the teaching and learning of structures.
