Competency based testing as a method of formulating program articulation between two year vocational technical colleges and four year academic universities.

• Main Author: Jackson, Timothy Lee
• Other Authors: Patton, Don C.
• Format: Others
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: Articulation (Education); Technical education > Curricula
• Online Access: http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/handle/handle/177024; http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/285484

The purpose of the study was to develop a model for articulating selected courses between a two year vocational technical college and a four year academic university. More specifically, the study tested the feasibility of the use of locally developed competency instruments as a vehicle for administrative decisions about inter-institutional course articulation.One instructor in the electricity/electronics departments at Ball State University (BSU) and one at Indiana Vocational Technical College - Region 6 (IVTC) were asked to construct a competency based examination. Subject matter for the examination was identified as material taught at both institutions in an introductory course. An examination was developed using the format of domain-referenced instrument construction. A competency test was developed by defining tasks, and cognitive and psychomotor variables that a student must demcnstrate to perform the stated tasks.Students enrolled in the introductory electricity/ electronics course at each institution during spring quarter 1978 were asked to take the written examination. Thirty-eight students from Ball State University and forty-three from Indiana Vocational Technical College volunteered to participate. Six of the volunteers from each institution agreed to take the practical portion of the examination. The examinations were administered by the respective instructor. Answer sheets and rating sheets were coded to insure student anonymity.Tables were developed to show rank-order and frequency distribution of scores as well as the mean scores of all students by each institution. An item analysis was conducted and Kuder-Richardson Formula 20 was used to measure reliability. Scores were analyzed by: 1) cognitive and psychomotor competency on each task, 2) cognitive competency on each task, 3) psychomotor competency on each task, 4) cognitive competency on all tasks, 5) psychomotor competency on all tasks, and 6) cognitive and psychomotor competencies on all tasks.Reliability of the 92 item written examination was 0.9234 using Kuder-Richardson Formula 20. Approximately 70 percent of the students from IVTC scored higher than all students from BSU on the written examination. The mean score on the written examination for students from IVTC was 66.0, or 22.1 points higher than the mean score of 43.9 for students willing to participate in the practical as well as the written examination. The sum of the mean scores for students from IVTC was 78.5 as compared to 55.2 for students from BSU.Data were analyzed and the fo1lowing three conclusions were drawn:The data provided by the Kuder-Richardson estimate of reliability indicated that instructors from a separate college and university can jointly develop reliable competency measurement instruments.Locally developed reliable competency measurement instruments provide administrators with data regarding compatibility and incompatibility of selected courses with which administrators can feasibly make objective decisions about inter-institutional course articulation.Data from reliable competency measurement instruments provide administrators more quantifiable information than presently exists in college catalog descriptions, course objectives and oral descriptions of courses for making a more specific decision on course articulation.