A COMPARATIVE OBSERVATION OF FULL-TIME VERSUS PART-TIME ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY STUDENTS WITH RESPECT TO ATTITUDES, PERFORMANCE, RELIABILITY, MATURITY, AND GENERAL PROFESSIONALISM

摘要

Educational institutions that have both day and evening engineering technology programs recruit students for these programs from a number of sources. Day students are primarily recruited from high school or vocational environments in addition to transfers from various two-year community colleges. Evening students, for the most part, have traditionally been comprised of a compendium of students who have already entered the work force and are looking to start or continue their education allowing them to move vertically within their respective companies. The quality, maturity, and behavior of these groups of students are markedly different. This paper discusses some of the differences as observed from these groups over the past several years and makes some suggestions as to how to equalize the playing field as far as curriculum is concerned due to these differences. Cooperative education programs also play a large role in molding day students' attitudes with respect to maturity and professionalism. Students, participating in such curricula, tend to acquire much needed experience and maturity during their coop experiences resulting in a more professional student in the classroom. Comparisons among these groups will be made and suggestions offered as to possible adjustments in curricula to suit these vastly different student groups.