Challenges in teaching environmental engineering : a case study in Australia

![CDATA[Water is one of the most vital substances for all living creatures on earth. Access to safe water is the primary requirement for survival of human being. Water pollution is caused by multitude of factors including both natural and anthropogenic ones. To build a sustainable world, water/wastewater needs to be well managed and in many cases need to be treated to remove the undesirable pollutants before human consumption or release to natural environment. To that end, water and wastewater treatment is regarded as an important subject in the study of engineering. Subjects related to wastewater treatment are taught in Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering at undergraduate level in Australia which requires fundamental understanding of Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics. It is incredible to see that many of the undergraduate students who have completed their higher secondary studies from different Australian high schools and enrolled in these engineering courses at various universities do not have sufficient prerequisite knowledge on these subjects. As a result, they often struggle to learn the concepts and science involved in the water and wastewater treatment process. This paper highlights and discusses the level of knowledge required to understand water and wastewater treatment processes. It also proposes a strategy which could be useful to struggling students in grasping the concept of water and wastewater treatment processes.]]