Abstract:

This paper focuses on effectiveness of student questionnaires as feedback for shaping course curricula, content of classes and teaching methods in engineering education. Dynamic changes in real world require universities to react quickly to both dynamic market demand and students expectations. An adaptive approach to shaping educational offer for new generations of university candidates can be based on students feedback. However, designing an effective student questionnaire is not a trivial task. There are opinions that student surveys are a waste of everyone's time. In this paper results of different surveys carried out on regular basis as well as dedicated surveys ending educational projects are discussed. Some surveys assisted implementation of active learning methods such as “case teaching”, “learning by doing” and “project based learning” within pedagogical evolution programme adopted by the KIC Innoenergy Master School at the Silesian University of Technology. Our findings show significant differences in effectiveness of the questioning actions. There were surveys with almost no respondents and laconic responses and well attended surveys with deep students commitment. This paper sums up our experiences. It also discusses present expectations of new generations of students in fast changing world.

Keywords:

Teaching methods, engineering education, student surveys, pedagogical evolution.