  Workplaces of the future require advanced competence profiles from employees,
not least due to new options for teleworking and new complex digital tools. The
acquisition of advanced competence profiles is to be addressed by formal
education. For example, the method of Building Information Modeling (BIM) aims
at digitizing the design, construction, and operation of structures and as such
requires advanced competence profiles. In this study, two educational scenarios
based on teleworking and complex digital tools are compared, each with one
cohort and consisting of two learning activities. The first cohort initially
completes as first learning activity a semester-long course that aims at BIM
domain competences. The semester-long course of the second cohort fosters meta
competences, such as communication, collaboration, and digital literacy. At the
end of the semester, both cohorts solve in a second learning activity a BIM
practice task. Research questions are: (1) Do the two educational scenarios
promote the competences to be addressed? And related: (2) What is the impact of
the initial course that fosters domain competences or meta competences?
Methodologically, the learning outcomes are assessed by measuring the domain
competences three times during the educational scenario using online tests in
the two cohorts (N=11). Further, students' perceptions are surveyed in parallel
using online questionnaires. In addition, semi-structured interviews are
conducted at the end of the educational scenarios. The quantitative and
qualitative results of the study designating the training of meta competencies
partly as a substitute for imparting domain competences are presented. Further,
the influence of both educational scenarios on competence development for the
workplace of the future characterized by telework and digital tools is
discussed.
