Abstract

This paper demonstrates the use of online survey data of students’ feedback in two civil engineering units (one undergraduate-Water Engineering 361 and one postgraduate-Environmental Engineering Management 690) at Curtin University, Western Australia and shows how it enhances the overall learning outcomes. The students’ feedback are collected for these units for two consecutive years using a university-wide online survey system known as “eVALUate”-an evaluation instrument for measuring students’ perceptions of their engagements and learning outcomes. In the first year of teaching these units, traditional method of teaching was used and the overall students’ satisfaction and the learning outcomes were found below the university or faculty agreement. All the suggestions and criticisms in eVALUate from the 1st year of teaching were taken into consideration for redesigning these units. A new blended teaching approach composed of traditional and e-learning system based on the students’ feedback was formulated and adopted. The eVALUate survey data in the 2nd year of teaching shows that the learning outcomes and the overall students’ satisfaction exceed the target of university and faculty agreement. The survey results indicate that the blended teaching approach based on students’ feedback provides better learning outcomes in engineering units.