Process-Skills Testing Instrument for Electrical Machines and Power Undergraduate Technical and Engineering Students

Submitted: Jun 11, 2013; Accepted: Jul 18, 2013; Published: Jul 28, 2013 Abstract: The availability and application of testing instruments for the measurement of process-skills, otherwise referred to as ‘work-skills’ or ‘technical operative skills’ has received little or no attention by stakeholders in Technical and Engineering Education despite widespread advocacy on practical skills acquisition [1] . This study constructed and standardized an instrument for testing process-skills in electrical machines and power for undergraduate students. In essence, a Process-Skills Testing Instrument (PSTI) was standardized in two stages; firstly, a trial test for the purpose of validation and secondly, the full test to promote content assimilation and process-skill development appropriate to the changing world of work. The test study was administered to 200 level students of two faculties offering the course, Electrical Machines and Power at ATBU, Bauchi. Results obtained from the study were analyzed using Cronbach’s Alpha ( ) statistics. The instrument yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.79 which is a good internal consistency for measuring process-skills in Electrical Machines and Power for undergraduate Technical and Engineering students. It was recommended that the National Universities Commission (NUC) should consider adopting this process-skills measuring instrument as a model for content and process assessment. This would go a long way in bridging the gap between theory and practice as well as stimulating entrepreneurial development among Nigerian graduates.