Students’ Awareness and Use of Digital Technologies: Accelerating Progress in Digital Preparedness among Future Construction Practitioners in Nigeria

Digital technologies are revolutionizing the way construction work is done. Presently, digital technologies are being incorporated in construction globally, thereby replacing conventional construction methods with Construction 4.0 processes. With rapid technology adoption in the construction industry, the digital preparedness of upcoming construction professionals is critical to ensuring the sector’s continuous growth and competitiveness. Therefore, this research aims to assess the awareness and use of digital technologies, as well as the determinants of their adoption, amongst future construction professionals in Nigeria. The quantitative research method was used with a questionnaire administered to 125 undergraduate students. Descriptive analysis was conducted on the data obtained using IBM SPSS Statistics 27. Findings indicate that respondents exhibit moderate-to-high awareness but low use of construction-relevant digital technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), drones, robotics, and mobile applications. Factors inhibiting adoption of digital technology were predominantly knowledge- and skills-related, thereby hindering participants’ digital preparedness for future professional practice. This study concludes that measures should be put in place to bridge the gap between students’ awareness and adoption of digital technologies. The recommended measures are reform of construction curricula, improved digital infrastructure, capacity-building for lecturers, and effective collaboration between the university and industry stakeholders. Quantity Surveying Students as future industry leaders: Competencies requirements in the era of Artificial Intelligence in an emerging economy Emmanuel Eze1*, Onyinye Sofolahan2, Olayinka Omoboye3, Rex Ugulu4 Department of Engineering, School of Computing, Engineering & Digital Technologies, Teesside University,