Blended learning in engineering education : students' and lecturers' perceptions and achieving learning outcomes

In recent years the focus of university education is shifting from a teacher centred education to student centred learning. This shift is mainly due to the availability of enormous amount of educational software and the competency in computer technology of students entering universities. Also the demand for flexible learning environments is increasing because many university students nowadays work part-time or full-time while studying due to societal changes attributing to their lifestyle. In this paper Blended learning initiatives put forward by the Western Sydney University for engineering units are discussed emphasising students' and lecturers' perceptions on blended learning. One aim of this initiative is to give a flexibility learning environment for students, who may not be able to attend lectures regularly due to work commitments, utilising the technology in terms of recorded lectures and tutorials. Based on the feedback from students and lecturers, this research investigates how far we can move away from traditional face to face teacher centred education, while meeting professional competencies set out by Engineers Australia and achieving unit learning outcomes.