The Effectiveness of Problem-Based Learning in Civil Engineering Education: Evidence from Industry

Civil engineering employers increasingly expect graduates to demonstrate strong problem-solving, communication, and teamwork capabilities. Previous studies suggest problem-based learning (PBL) facilitates the development of these competencies; consequently, this study hypothesised graduates of PBL-based civil engineering programmes have developed skills that allow them to integrate more effectively in professional practice when compared to peers educated through traditional didactic methods.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fourteen employers who had experience supervising graduates from both PBL and non-PBL educational backgrounds. The Civil Engineering programme at the University of Limerick (UL), where PBL has been extensively implemented since its inception in 2008, was selected as the PBL case study. Interview questions were based on graduate competencies aligned with the Engineers Ireland accreditation programme outcomes 5-8: Professional and Ethical Responsibilities, Teamwork and Lifelong Learning, Communication and Engineering Management.
The results indicate UL graduates demonstrated strong performance across nearly all programme outcomes, with the exception of engineering management. Graduates exhibited notably high proficiency in problem-solving, communication, and teamwork skills. Comparative analysis revealed that UL graduates generally outperformed graduates from non-PBL programmes across most programme outcomes. No discernible differences were identified in the areas of lifelong learning and engineering management.
Overall, these findings reinforce the growing body of evidence supporting the educational value of PBL and further substantiate its effectiveness in preparing civil engineering graduates for professional practice.