Effectiveness of SDG 6-Aligned Assignments on PO4 and PO6 Attainment in a Water Engineering Laboratory Course

Sustainability has become an important element of graduate competency, especially with the Malaysian Qualifications Framework (MQF) emphasizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). One of the key goals, SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), is closely related to the ECW341 Water Engineering Laboratory course in Civil Engineering at UiTM. However, its practical application in laboratory courses remains limited. This study was conducted to explore the impact of embedding SDG 6 in a laboratory-based assignment on Program Outcome (PO) attainment in this course. Two Programme Outcomes (POs) were assessed: PO4, evaluated through laboratory observation and testing, and PO6, assessed through written reports and assignments. Before the implementation of SDG 6 (October 2022–February 2023), 59%–75% of students achieved grades in the A range, with most of the remainder in the B range. After SDG 6 was introduced, grade distributions varied across campuses but remained consistently concentrated in the A–B ranges, with only a small proportion (≤20%) in the C range and no grades below C. Improvements in PO4 and PO6 were particularly evident in the October 2024 to February 2025 semester, with mean attainment ranging from 75% to 82% (PO4) and 75% to 80% (PO6). These findings suggest that SDG 6-themed assignments not only enhance students’ technical investigation skills but also increase their awareness of environmental and societal responsibilities. The results also highlight the importance of integrating sustainability into laboratory teaching, contributing to both student learning and broader educational goals, although the study is limited by the absence of student feedback and the lack of controls for cohort and instructor variations.