An evaluation of the impact of COVID-19 outbreak on education and research in civil engineering in Iran from students’ viewpoint

Around the world, various activities were restricted following the outbreak of the Corona virus. Among these changes was the situation of university activities. In order to pursue educational and research affairs, electronic communication was considered. Using a survey form, this article evaluates the status of education and research in the field of civil engineering of Iran during the Corona outbreak based on the opinions of students. The results show that undergraduate students were not satisfied with the quality of learning in this period (about 66% below the average), but graduate students assessed the quality of learning in a virtual way as appropriate (about 21% below the average). In the coming years, there is expected to be a decline in civil engineering graduates from a practical standpoint due to the problems created for the practical course of the undergraduate course (less than 5% were classroom learning) and the collection of data for postgraduate dissertations during the period of Covid-19 pandemic (about 23% had serious problems). The spread of examination fraud (about 40%), as well as the difference in internet access and the systems needed to participate in virtual classes (about 42% were unsatisfied), challenged the issue of educational equity (about 50% were unsatisfied). Generally, virtual education and research in civil engineering cannot completely replace face-to-face methods, but some of its capabilities can complement conventional methods in the future.