AURAK Looks into Adaptive Learning

The School of Graduate Studies and Research of the American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK) featured the research of Arch. Jose Ferrandiz, an Assistant Professor in the Architecture Department, presenting “Adaptive Learning Case Studies Implementation at Architectural BIM Construction Courses” in their Faculty Research Colloquium Series.

Dr. Jose Ferrandiz is an Assistant Professor of the Architecture Department at AURAK. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, a Bachelor’s in Architectural Technology, a Master’s in Sustainable Architecture and Urban Planning, and a PhD from Barcelona Tech University. He began his career as a faculty member in Barcelona 2007 and moved to the United Arab Emirates University in 2013 where he researched seismic construction, design, and building information modeling. In 2015, he joined the Academic Interoperability Coalition Research Group. In 2008 he created FerMak Architecture Design Studio. He received an award in 2009 in Miami Playa for “Boulevard 340” proposal at the Open Architectural and Urban Competition for the journal article, “Evaluation the benefits of introducing ‘BIM’ based on Revit in construction courses, without changing the course schedule.”

His presentation detailed the changes in two BIM construction courses of the architecture degree at the AURAK, and the process of analyzing the data collected from them. At the course level, he explained the changes effected in the grading criteria and the adaptive approach of the teaching material. At the methodology level, he described the types of data collected and the statistical analysis methods. These elements establish a clear reproducible pedagogical methodology, clarifying its benefits and establishing a scientific, reproducible, and proven analysis method.

“Academic collaboration is essential for progress,” stated AURAK President, Professor Hassan Hamdan Al Alkim. “The Faculty Research Colloquium lecture series cultivates an atmosphere critical for that academic collaboration. Dr. Jose’s research concerning adaptive learning is a prime example of research that will be beneficial in applying to various other disciplines.”