The internationalization of higher education in China started relatively late, currently both the training objectives and teaching models of international students are still in the exploratory stage, and there is still a big gap regarding the teaching effect between international and local students. In this study, initially the main difficulties encountered by international students in professional teaching activities are summarized, followed by analysis on the causes of the above problems from the perspectives of college teaching mode and methods. Secondly, combined with the professional background of civil engineering, the application scope of output-oriented method is expanded. The teaching concept, teaching hypothesis and teaching process suitable for civil engineering specialty are put forward. Furthermore, taking the engineering geology course of international students as an example, a mixed teaching mode in line with the educational concept of output-oriented method is designed, and its teaching effect is demonstrated. The teaching practice has proved that the mixed teaching mode can significantly improve the teaching quality and is widely welcomed by international students.