Improving Teaching and Learning Effectiveness Through Customer's Feedback

The Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, offers two master programs, namely: Master of Science in Industrial and Technology Management; and Master of Engineering in Manufacturing Systems using the executive (i.e. part time) mode for practicing engineering managers in the manufacturing industry. The aim of both programs are to provide higher degree learning opportunity for engineering managers to advance their knowledge in manufacturing processes, industrial and technology management. This program has high demand from potential students due to rapid technological advancement and stiff international business competition in selling products and services. This new competitiveness business environment had made it crucial for engineering managers to enhance their technical and managerial skills in performing their daily tasks. These programs were first offered during the 1998/1999 academic session. In this paper, the authors would like to present the analysis of customer's (i.e. students) feedbacks in 2008/2009 academic session with respect to the programs relevancy and appropriateness. The main aims of presenting this paper are to identify the programs’ strengths and weaknesses with respect to the course contents and mode of delivery. Having done that the authors’ would like to use these students’ feedbacks to update; improve the course contents and mode of delivery for both program so that they are at par with other well established universities. The results of this study show both programs still have many weaknesses in terms of course contents and mode of delivery, thus need some attention from the department to alleviate these shortcomings.