AN ASSESSMENT OF STUDENTS’ KNOWLEDGE OF AUTOTRONICS SERVICING STRATEGIES IN TECHNICAL COLLEGES IN BENUE STATE

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

The mechanics of autotronics entails the conglomeration that posed the complexity of autotronics working operations and consequently a challenge to mechanics and auto-electricians, towards troubleshooting – finding faults and diagnosing automotive electronic problems. This is as a result of industrial revolution in the automobile industry with sophistication in car designs. The rapid changes and increased complexity in the automotive industry present new challenges and put new demands on the education system. Generally, there has been a growing awareness of the necessity to change and improve the preparation of students for productive functioning in the continually changing and highly demanding environment. This shi for a change has allowed for new insight on how students accumulate knowledge as they relied on the teacher as passive listener, while the teachers act as a director and a transmitter of knowledge. The computer literacy knowledge requirement by the technical college students as a servicing strategy for automobile is of great importance for the development of the automotive industry and the nation. The modern automated cars are highly computerized and require the knowledge of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to handle the highly sensitive computerized diagnosing devices/equipment for troubleshooting, and analysis. With the advent of ICT equipment, there has been an explosion in the advances of computer-related technologies in teaching and learning in the classrooms and laboratories.

The computer is an electronic device which is designed to accept an ordered sequence of instruction given to it in an appropriate language and to carry out these instructions with great speed and accuracy. Ozoagu (2007) asserted that, recent advances in communication technologies and their use in science and technology education provides an opportunity for educators to take a critical look at how these tools are being integrated into the classroom and laboratory. There is urgent need to assess the academic training and students’ knowledge in autotronics servicing strategies of auto-mechanics students of technical colleges. Most significantly, close attention must be paid to the assessment on the use of tools in ways conducive with cognitive processes of how students effectively learn and acquire knowledge and skills in auto-mechanics technology. Technology is the complex integrated organization of men and machines, ideas, procedures and management. It includes processes, systems, and management and control mechanisms both human and non-human. Technology could be seen as the systematic application of scientific or other organized knowledge to practical tasks. It is a complete integrated process for analyzing problems, controlling and evaluating the solution to those problems. Auto-mechanic technology is one of the courses for the students of technical colleges which enable students to acquire knowledge and skills for gainful employment in various aspects of auto-mechanic technology which includes: auto-mechanic technicians, auto-body, mechanics, spare parts dealers, wheel balancing/alignment, auto-electricians and vulcanizers.

The increasing and more sophisticated automobile, the more difficult it is to repair or service those exported to developing countries like Nigeria. The success of integrating the knowledge of autotronics servicing strategies into the students of auto-mechanics in technical colleges depends largely on the skills, knowledge and competence of teachers. Although situational assessments tend to emphasize application of learning, and applications are built on a disciplinary foundation. The success of assessment of content learning will depend on the expertise demonstrated in the design of the applied assessment. An assessment of the output of the technical college who have undergone auto-mechanics without a sound knowledge of autotronics constitutes a waste. Brimor and Paul (2001) in Nkasiobi and Ejimaji (2010) defined waste in science education as the degree to which actual educational output fails to correspond with the stated educational goals within a given period of time. Inadequate resource allocation which in turn, leads to failure in the attainment of a nation’s educational goals and objectives may be classified as waste in education. Therefore, the concept of waste in technical education refers to those constraints which make it impossible for the nation’s educational goals to be achieved in relation to the resources invested. Waste in education affects all levels of educational institutions such as pre-primary, primary, secondary and tertiary institutions. Olaitan (2002), viewed waste as the degree to which human and material resources developed and made available are grossly under utilized or neglected. This means that the output of an educational programme will be incongruent with the nation’s educational goals