PERCEPTIONS OF SELECTED PARTICIPANTS CONCERNING PERFORMANCE INDICATORS OF QUALITY OF COLLEGE PROGRAMS IN ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY.

摘要

A major problem of universal concern to employers of recent graduates in all technical fields is the length of the training period required before the employees can earn their salaries once they are employed. It is therefore essential that the colleges obtain the best teachers available and develop the best curricula possible to satisfy the needs of both the academic and industrial communities through effective teaching and a shortening of the training period.;Copies of a juried questionnaire were used to determine the perceptions of four relevant groups concerning the importance of 54 selected indicators of quality of college programs in Electrical Engineering Technology. Three of the groups consisted of administrators, teachers and students in twenty-one selected colleges located in four geographic areas of the United States. The fourth group consisted of industrial administrators representing twenty companies located in the four geographical areas.;The data contained in the completed questionnaires were analyzed using several statistical techniques in order to determine the perceptions of the four groups concerning the indicators of quality, thereby suggesting guidelines for the employment of teachers and for the establishment of curricula in Electrical Engineering Technology programs.;Seventeen indicators of quality were perceived as being "important" with reference to the scale used in answering the questionnaire, having average mean values of between 5.0 and 6.0. These indicators were used as the basis for a questionnaire suitable for being sent to listed references of other people knowledgeable about a prospective teacher's competency in a faculty selection process. In addition, five indicators of quality were suggested as guidelines for use in developing Electrical Engineering Technology curricula.;The study was undertaken using the field of Electrical Engineering Technology as being typical of most technical career oriented programs.;It is possible that the implementation of the suggested guidelines may provide a means for shortening the training period for graduates of Electrical Engineering Technology programs in industry by employing more competent teachers and developing better curricula. The study is perceived as a first step, and suggestions for follow-up research are made.