Abstract:
The teaching process in the colleges
of technology is similar to the production process in the factories that
manufacture and produce different products and market them after that. A poor
product will not succeed in competing in the market place, which leads to its
recession, and being useless. The same concept applies to the college graduates.
If the student graduates with low qualifications or with qualifications that
does not fill the needs of the job market; this will lead to improper employment
or unemployment of the graduate.
In this paper the authors suggest a
plan to improve the technical performance standard of the college graduates, and
demonstrate through a case study the steps taken to implement that plan.
The procedure of designing a curriculum to improve the technical education is
discussed fully in the paper. The paper also includes the tables designed to
tabulate data and facilitate the construction of the curriculum.
Key words:
Educational Plan Creation, Curriculum Design, Syllabus Development, Teaching
Staff Training, Workshop Equipment Assessment, Teaching Methods Implementation.
1. Introcuction
The General Organization for Technical
Education and Vocational Training (GOTEVT) plays an important role in providing
the technical job market with well-qualified workforce. The GOTEVT
receives the high school graduates as a raw material and shape them into fine
skillful workers in their field of specialty as a finished product.
The graduate of the technical colleges
differ from the university graduate in that he is evaluated on the basis of his
practical ability and skills not his theoretical knowledge, and he is usually
evaluated according to his expertise in the workshop and his manner in carrying
out the disassembling and assembling of the parts and performing the maintenance
operations needed.
The quality of the graduate is
measured mostly upon his practical capabilities, and stating that the graduate
is weak and unable to compete in the job market
arises from that concept. To prepare the graduate to be able to compete in the
job market GOTEVT should implement a suitable plan, this plan can be divided
into three stages as can be seen in Fig. 1, a similar concept can be seen in
Reference 1.
A- Planning stage:
a- Determining the type of students
enrolled in the colleges (general certificate of secondary education or
industrial certificate of secondary education), taking into consideration the
suitable teaching plan for them, based on their previous education status.
b- Studying the needs of the job
market, in the present time and in the few years to come so as to determine the
job qualifications needed in the graduates and also determining the sufficient
numbers of graduates required.
c- Determining the desired level for
the graduate and his job title.
B- Preparation stage:
a- Establishing an education plan
which would get the student (general and/or industrial certificate) to the
capability level needed for the job named in the planning stage.
b- Setting a curriculum that would
fulfill that education plan.
c- Supplying the laboratories and
workshops with the equipment and special tools suitable for the tasks outlined
in the curriculum.
d- Hiring teachers qualified in the
field subject to teach the curriculum.
C- Follow up stage:
a- Follow up on the graduate’s job
situation.
b- Follow up with the companies at
which the graduates were hired to gather feed back information about the
weak and strong points of the graduate.
c- Monitor the change in the needs of
the job market to modify the planning stage accordingly.
2. Case study
This paper reflects the opinion of the
authors to establish a plan to make a contribution in the development of the
technical education in the Department of Mechanical Technology, Automotive
Section.
This study can be applied to the
other departments of the college
A-
Planning stage
This stage in the current situation
needs more careful study for the automotive job market from the time being and
through the next three years, to make reliable predictions to insure that the
college graduate, with the qualifications he gained in college, can find the
suitable job when he finishes college.
Determining the qualifications needed in the graduate
The need is for an auto mechanic and
electrical technician to deal with most of the private cars and vans in the
kingdom in general, who is capable of doing the following:
o
Knowing the use of
the general tools and has the knowledge of the workshop safety rules and
precautions.
o
Has the ability to
read the car manuals and understanding car specifications and can read charts
and technical drawings.
o
Performing the
required maintenance operations needed for the cars.
o
Checking and
inspecting the car and has the ability to use the diagnoses equipment and
analyzing the obtained results.
o
Being capable of
following a logical method and specific steps to diagnose the car problems.
o
Has the ability to
disassemble and assemble car parts, correctly and efficiently.
o
Can examine parts
using measuring equipment and can judge their condition.
o
Capable of specifying
the spare parts needed and knowing how to use the spare parts catalog.
o
Has the skill to
replace the faulty parts with the good ones and make a final check.
o
Can repair the
repairable systems parts.
o
Can handle the
workshop paper work and management.
o
Has the ability to
follow orders and work in a team.
B-
Preparation stage
The education plan in the vocational
and technical colleges consists of the three sides of the golden triangle (the
curriculum, the teaching staff and the workshop equipment) as shown in Fig. 2.
In this stage the need for a
well-prepared curriculum is essential, there should be an arrangement between
the teachers of the practical and theoretical subjects. The subjects in the
semesters should be taught in a sequential order. Add the new (up to date)
technology subjects, and remove the ones that are not in accordance with the
desired qualifications of the graduate.
Special attention should be given to
the teaching staff, the theoretical teachers should have good knowledge in the
field, and the practical teachers should have good experience in the workshop
operations. Periodical training sessions are necessary to keep them well
informed with the new technology in the car industry.
The equipment and parts needed for
training in the workshops play an important role in the practical education
process. Some of the needed equipment are not available in the workshop,
or are insufficient for the number of students who will use them, or they might
be not up to date. It is also important to mention here that; even the equipment
currently available in the workshops are not 100% utilized: some of them are not
in a good working condition, missing parts, and in some cases their operational
manuals are missing. In some other cases the practical teachers do not
have the experience necessary to operate them.
Designing the curriculum
To cover all the work needed to
maintain the car, the study of the car can be divided into subjects according to
its major systems (engine, gearbox, brakes, ….etc.). Where each subject covers
one of the car systems theoretically and practically.
The theoretical study includes the
theory of operation, systems construction, systems types, systems main parts and
the functions of each part and the relationship between the different parts.
Also the theoretical part includes the system performance, functions and
operation calculations. Example of that can be seen in Reference 2.
The practical studies on the other hand include the identification of system
parts and their operation problems, the cause of common problems, the use of the
diagnoses equipment to trace the system and parts malfunction. Also, include the
use and care of the tools to disassemble and assemble parts, the use of workshop
special measuring and inspection tools to adjust, fix and replace parts. Example
of that can be seen in Reference 3.
To reach the goal of designing a sound
curriculum a complete work plan should be established and the following steps
could be implemented.
·
Determining the
necessary (main) subjects (courses) to achieve the graduate qualifications. This
can be done according to the car main systems (engine, gearbox, brakes …. etc.).
·
Determine the level
of information needed for each subject. This can be determined according to the
job title and qualifications.
·
Determine the number
of hours needed for each subject according to the level and difficulty of the
subject.
·
Select the helping
(aiding) subjects which substantiate the main subject and help in explaining the
basic rules and theories for car systems operation, such as physics, math,
mechanics, material properties, engineering drawing.....etc.
·
Select the
introductory subjects such as basic workshop operations, computer applications
...etc. which help in developing the student’s practical skills.
·
Determine the
language of teaching according to the market demands and the references and
manuals available, and the teachers’ personal ability to teach in the selected
language.
* Some other subjects can be added to
enhance the student’s main knowledge and moral and ethic behavior such as
religious study, job ethics.... etc.
Developing
the syllabus for each subject (course)
As mentioned above, the curriculum of the automotive technology section consists
of a number of subjects (courses) each subject will cover one system of the car
(engine, gearbox, brakes, ….etc). To develop a syllabus for any of these main
subjects certain steps should be followed. The method suggested here is to start
with the workshop operations (job tasks) needed to be covered to attain the main
graduate’s qualification needs, and then determine the theoretical subject
matter that will be needed to cover the workshop operations. Then choosing the
helping subjects that will be selected to explain the basics of the theoretical
subjects, as can be seen in Fig. 3. This can be done in the following steps:
1.
Define the
semester schedule:
The semester on average consists of 15
weeks; the work through the15 weeks can be divided as follows:
1 week,
introduction to the safety rules when working in that particular workshop, also
to know the common and special tools used in that workshop.
12 weeks, to carry out the job tasks of maintenance and
repair of the car system.
1 week, to revise the work done
during the semester.
1 week, to carry out the final
exam.
2.
Determine the job
tasks
With the help of the experts in the
automotive field, the textbooks and the shop manuals, we can decide what jobs
are needed to be covered during the practical teaching of the subjects. The
obtained data can be tabulated in Table 1. Using Table 1, we enter the job and
the average time needed to carry it out (taking into account different car makes
and models). The familiar jobs can be grouped together, or big jobs can be
divided into small jobs to end with 12 equal tasks having nearly the same time
duration. Also the jobs can be executed through the semester in a certain order
so that we start with the tasks of less difficulty.
The 12 tasks can then be entered into
Table 2. Table 2 contains the tasks, their time duration, the parts needed for
training for each task, the hand and special tools and the equipment needed to
carry out the tasks.
3.
Determine the time
duration of the practical class
To estimate the time needed per week
to carry out the tasks we use Table 2. In the third column of Table 2 the
average time in minutes for each task is located, then we add to this time
fifteen minutes at the beginning of the class to prepare for executing the job
and another fifteen minutes at the end of the class to collect the tools and
clean the working area. Then divide the time obtained by 50 minutes (the class
period) to obtain the number of practical classes per week needed to carry out
the scheduled tasks.
4.
Determine the
parts needed to practice the tasks
From Table 2 the parts needed for
practice are tabulated in the forth column, multiplying the number of different
parts by the number of students in the working area at one time will give us the
number of the parts needed for practice. This information can be used when the
college orders parts for training for each workshop.
5.
Determine the
tools and equipment in each workshop needed to execute the tasks
In Table 2 the equipment needed to
execute the tasks are tabulated in the fifth column, multiplying the number of
equipment needed by the number of students in the working area at one time will
give us the number of the tools and equipment needed. This will facilitate the
preparation of the equipment order list for the college.
6.
Determine the
theoretical subject matter needed to cover the practical subjects
After knowing the practical subject
matters needed we then can determine the theoretical subjects needed to help the
student understand the tasks more fully. We can use Table 3 to list all the
relevant theoretical subjects that cover the practical subjects and enter them
in the fourth column, and include the time needed in minutes to fully teach
those subjects in the fifth column. In the sixth column we decide the degree of
importance of teaching that subject to the college student based upon the level
of qualification needed for the graduate. Multiplying the weight factor of each
choice by the time needed in the fifth column will set the teaching time for
that subject. Adding the total time in the seventh column will give the total
teaching time needed to cover the theoretical aspects. Dividing the total time
in the seventh column by 12 weeks will give the number of minutes per week to
teach the theoretical subjects. Dividing this time by 50 minutes will give the
number of classes needed to teach that subject per week. By using this method we
can decide the number of theoretical classes and number of hours allocated to
teach each subject.
7.
Determine the
order of teaching the practical and theoretical subject matter
In the workshop we can start from easy
tasks to more difficult ones, like the system and parts identification then the
inspection of the system followed by the periodical maintenance to repair jobs.
The theoretical subject matter
relevant to each task should be taught ahead of executing this task in the
workshop.
8.
Determine the
helping subjects that will help the student’s further understanding and improve
his performance
To enhance the student’s ability,
other helping subjects should be taught at the same time. By knowing the
theoretical part of the subject matter we can choose the subjects that will
explain the principals and basics that the theoretical part is based upon, such
as physics, math, mechanics and material properties. Also a course in
preparatory workshop and computer applications will improve the student
performance.
* After we determine the practical
subjects, the theoretical subjects and the helping ones, and knowing the number
of hours needed, one final step is needed to finish writing the curriculum and
that is the sequence of teaching the subjects. This can be done according to the
order in which one subject is dependent on the other, and the number of credit
hours available in each semester.
The following figures are obtained
from Reference 4 which has a teaching plan (Automotive Mechanics Technology)
similar to the one taught in the Colleges of Technology, Department of
Mechanical Technology, Automotive Section.
Total number of credit hours is 76
hours, divided as 75% technical subjects and 25% helping subjects. These credit
hours are equivalent to about 129 contact hours. The contact hours are divided
into 68% practical subjects, 17% theoretical subjects and 15% helping subjects,
this is equivalent to 4 : 1: 0.88 respectively .
The teaching
and training staff
Teachers of the major (main) subjects:
Their major task is to explain the
basic theories and functions of car systems. The teachers hired should be
qualified to do this job, either have background education (a degree) in the
automotive field or have good experience in that field.
Teachers of the practical subjects in
the workshop:
They should be qualified to explain
the tasks before
hand, demonstrate the method applied, to show the safety precautions used,
and have the experience to perform the maintenance and repair tasks and the
skills to use the tools and equipment Those teachers should go through
training programs that keep them abreast with the new technology in their field
of specialty, their ability and performance should be continually evaluated,
refer to Reference 5.
The
facilities, equipment and parts for training
Each college should have adequate
equipment, cars and car parts for the students to practice on to give the
student hands on experience. This can consist of
Ø
Hand tools, and
special tools for doing the jobs of disassembling and assembling of the car
parts.
Ø
Measuring tools, to
measure the dimensions of various parts to determine their condition.
Ø
Diagnosing equipment
to test and analyze the data or results.
Ø
Cars or parts of cars
that the students can practice on.
Ø
Transparencies and
posters of the different systems of the car.
Ø
Textbooks and
references and manuals for different car makes and models.
Ø
Video tapes, teaching
aids and computer software.
Since the workshop equipment plays an
important role in the education plan, the authors suggest the following:
* The workshop equipment currently
available could be listed and their conditions evaluated as in Table 4, and any
other piece of equipment needed to carry out the tasks should be purchased.
* Carry out the necessary equipment
repairs to make the defective ones functional.
* Fill any shortage in equipment spare
parts, and manuals.
* Lay a plan to update the workshop
equipment.
* Lay a plan to train the practical
teachers to use the equipment efficiently.
* Lay a maintenance plan for the
workshop equipment, to keep them in good working condition.
Teaching
methods
Teaching language
Teaching in English or in Arabic each
has its positive and negative points.
Teaching in English hinders the
student’s full understanding of the subject matter taught in the class, and it
will be difficult to judge the student’s level of understanding because the
tests are written in English. Also not all the teachers can teach and pass the
information on to the students in English.
On the other hand, teaching in Arabic
has its drawbacks from the point of view that there are no reliable technical
references written in Arabic. The manuals and apparatus keys and buttons and
display screens are written in English. Most work environments use the English
language.
Here we suggest that:
* Teaching could be in Arabic in
addition to explaining the technical terms in English.
* The GOTEVT should start writing its
own textbooks, in Arabic, to cover the curriculum used.
* Add English language courses to the
helping subjects to raise the student’s level of understanding of the technical
terms, and help him to use the technical manuals.
Workshop tasks
Since the tasks for the student are
determined beforehand, then it is suggested here to give the student a handout
for each task similar to the one shown in Appendix A. The student can fill
it out and hand it in at the end of the workshop class. This will help the
student to know how to use the work order sheet, also it can be a good document
for evaluating the student’s performance in the workshop.
Tests
and Exams
The tests could be based upon certain
standards (as Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certification-type questions,
for example), see References 2 and 3.
C- Follow up Stage
This stage is overlooked despite its
great importance in making the educational plan a success.
A committee of specialized people from
the teaching staff and from the automotive field can be established to monitor
the changes in the market and to update the curriculum to be abreast with the
new developments in car industries. The duty of this committee is also to choose
the textbooks that are suitable to that curriculum.
3. Conclusion
-
Good planning will result in
a qualified college of technology graduate who can compete strongly in the
job market.
-
To achieve this goal this
plan can be executed in three stages. The planning
stage, the preparation
stage and the follow up stage.
-
In the planning stage a
careful study should be carried out to determine the job market demand and
the graduate qualifications needed.
-
In the preparation stage a
curriculum should be designed to give the graduate the qualifications needed
to strongly compete in the job market.
-
Designing a curriculum for the college of technology students should start
by determining the tasks needed to be executed in the workshop for each
subject and then followed by determining the theoretical subjects needed for
the students to understand the theory behind the practical subjects. This is
accompanied by a selection of helping subjects to explain to the students
the basics and theories used in the theoretical subjects.
-
The syllabus of each subject
should be carefully prepared, to determine the subject matter and the
teaching time.
-
Table 2 can be used to
determine the order of executing the workshop tasks, the executing time, the
parts needed for practice, and equipment and special tools list.
-
Special attention should be
directed to the selection and hiring of teachers, and to the training plan
to improve their ability and performance.
-
The college equipment should
be listed and sorted according to their working condition, their manuals
availability, and their role in the practical teaching plan, and the
ability of the teachers to use them effectively.
-
The teaching method and
proper teaching facilities in the college plays an important role in
developing the technical education.
-
The follow up stage is very
important to gather feedback so as to continuously modify and improve the
curriculum to accompany the changes in the job market demands and the
development in the car industry’s technology.
4.
References
1. Dandaachi, J.M.A, Ahmed, K.A,
Mullah, S.T, “Quality Assurance in Education in Colleges of Technology an Urgent
Tool for Accomplishing Partnership with the Industry”, First Saudi Technical
Conference & Exhibition, Riyadh, 2000.
2. Webster, Jay and Owen, Clifton E.,
“Basic Automotive Service & Systems”, Classroom Manual, Today’s Technician
series, 2nd
Edition, Delmar- Thomson Learning, 2000.
3. Webster, Jay and Owen, Clifton E.,
“Basic Automotive Service & Systems”, Shop Manual, Today’s Technician series, 2nd
Edition, Delmar- Thomson Learning, 2000.
4. Automotive Mechanics Technology
course Syllabus, Southern Union State Community College, Opelika, Alabama, USA.
5. Koike, Sumiylshi, “Developments and
Training in Technical Education for Japanese Teachers”, First Saudi Technical
Conference & Exhibition, Riyadh, 2000.
Fig. 1 Stages of the education plan.
Fig. 2 The
three important elements in the education plan for the vocational and technical
education.
Figure 3: The suggested method for
designing the curriculum.
Table 1: Designed table to determine workshop tasks.
Table 2: Designed table to determine the order of executing tasks, parts
needed for practice and workshop tools and equipment.
Table 3: Designed table to determine the theoretical subjects needed and their
estimate teaching time.
Table 4: Designed table to list the workshop equipment and their working
conditions.
Appendix A
(Task-sheet example)
Student Name______________________
Date_______
Student Number_________________
Group_________
Objective:
Inspect a vehicle designated by your
instructor to determine the type of brake system used and the identification
of brake-system components. Write down your findings in the spaces provided
on the task sheet.
Make of
Vehicle_________________
Model_________ Year______
1. Type
of brake system.
Four-wheel disc_____ Front disc/rear
drum____
Vacuum booster______ Hydraulic
booster____
Combination vacuum/hydraulic
booster____
2. Hydraulic System.
Front-rear split____ Diagonally
split____
Metering Valve: Yes____
No____
Proportioning Valve: One___
Two___ None____
Brake-warning-light switch:
Yes____ No____
Combination Valve: Yes____
No____
3. Stoplight switch.
Mechanical ____ Hydraulic____
Location________________________________
4.
Hydraulic tubing.
Is tubing
coil spring protected anywhere? __________________________________
Tubing outer
diameter________
5.
Parking brake.
Hand
operated_____ Foot operated_____
Parking
brake operates on:
Drum
brakes_____ Disc brakes____
6. Antilock brake system.
Antilock brake system:
Yes____ No____