Total Personal Quality of University Students in Medan, Indonesia

The research aims to study the students' personal total quality at universities in Medan, Indonesia. The research method is a survey at four universities in Medan namely the State University of Medan, North Sumatra Muhammadiyah University, HKBP Nommensen, and the Islamic University of North Sumatra. The respondents amounted to 380 students who have been determined proportionally through random sampling. The research instrument was a questionnaire with a reliability coefficient of 0.82. Results of the study found that 31.05% variable quality of students belong to the category of the personal total which is very high and 67.37% belong to a high category. However, there is 1:58% total quality of students classified categorized as low. The results were found to give instructions to the universities to keep working to improve students' personal total quality as the individual characteristics. The individual characteristics of students are very important to note the whether the increase due to the individual characteristics affects work motivation, performance, career development, and job satisfaction.

Student Response - Based Learning: A Strategy for Improving Student Participation in Learning

In the context of 21st century learning, to achieve meaningful learning processes, one of the important elements is interaction. Student response - based learning can be used to actively involve students in the learning process. The study focused on stages of the learning process based on student responses and student responses to the learning. Formulation of the research problem is following: (1) how are the stages of the learning process based on student responses to increasing student participation in learning ?; (2) how is the student response to student response based learning? The research objectives are: (1) increasing the active participation of students in learning through conditioning the learning environment; and (2) describing the steps of the student response-based learning process. The research conducted is a research development. Conclusion of the results of the study: first, the stages of the student response-based learning process (learning model syntax) are (a) uploading teaching materials; (b) Question Individual Vote; (c) Peer Discussion; (d) Second Vote; (e) Whole-class Discussion. These learning steps can increase student participation in learning. Second, students generally give positive responses to student response based learning. A positive response is given to the factor of the variable (a) explanation; (b) facilitation; (c) value; (d) positivity; (e) distraction; and (f) participation.

Effect of Problem-Based Learning on Students’ Academic Achievement in Digital Electronics in Ken Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic, Bori, Rivers State, South-South, Nigeria

The study investigated the effect of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) on Students’ Academic Achievement in Digital Electronics in Ken Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic, Bori, Rivers State, South-South, Nigeria. Quasi-experimental pre-test post-test control design was used in the study. The sample of the study comprised 84 Higher National Diploma (HND) final year students of electrical and electronic engineering (Telecommunications and electronics option). Three research questions and one hypothesis were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance guided the study. The instrument used for data collection was a 20-item Digital Electronics Achievement Test Questionnaire (DEATQ) designed by the researcher and validated by two experts in electrical and electronic engineering from Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Owerri, Imo State. Kuder-Richardson formula was used to obtain the instrument’s reliability coefficient as 0.87. Mean and t-test were used to answer the research questions and test the hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed among others that problem-based learning enhances students’ academic achievement in Digital Electronics. Consequently, it was recommended among others that engineering technology lecturers in Nigerian polytechnics and universities should use more of PBL and other student-centred teaching strategies in instructional delivery in order to boost students’ achievement in technology-based courses.

Flipping the Technical and Vocational Classroom for Increased Instructional Outcomes

Higher learning institutions are under immense pressure to evolve within the realms of the fourth industrial revolution. Training institutions are anticipated to minimize learning costs in the face of increasing enrolments. The flipped classroom model is a suitable instructional pedagogy to achieve institutional goals considering the current ubiquitousness of information and communication technology. The systematic review was aimed at summarizing and identifying research gaps that help inform future research trajectories. The 3-step review process was composed of articles searching and retrieval, filtering and sorting, and final inclusion. Identified empirical articles were; i.) Retrieved and summarized on the basis of tittles, abstracts, methods and basic findings, ii.) Filtered and sorted on the basis of study discipline, and iii.) Synthesized on the basis of basic findings. It was found that the flipped classroom improved academic performance to a limited extent. Most articles unanimously concurred that the flipped classroom model makes learning enjoyable and enables the development of lower order cognitive skills outside class and higher order cognitive skills through F2F (face to face) active learning. The success of the model in higher education is hinged on excellent planning, implementation and evaluation.

Towards Enhancing Effective Instructional Supervision in Technical Colleges in Ogun State, Nigeria

Instructional supervision in schools in general and technical colleges in particular is a precursor to goal attainment. This study focused on enhancing effective instructional supervision in Ogun State technical colleges. Being a descriptive research of the survey type, the study raised two research questions focusing on activities for enhancing effective instructional supervision in technical colleges and mechanisms for enhancing effective instructional supervision in technical colleges. Also, two null hypotheses tested at 0.05 significant level were formulated. The instrument developed and used for the study was the Effective Instructional Supervision Questionnaire (EISQ). The EISQ contained 22 items which was validated by three experts, and tested to obtain 0.92 reliability coefficient using Cronbach Alpha method. The EISQ was used for collecting data from 21 respondents made of technical college administrators in Ogun State. The data collected were descriptively analyzed using mean for the raised research questions and inferential statistics of t-test for the formulated hypotheses. The study recognized the potency of instructional supervision and the need for embracing it in Ogun State technical colleges. The study recommended that technical college administrators should ensure effective instructional supervision in Ogun State technical colleges for overt instructional improvement and as well adopt global best practices to ensure that teachers are motivationally carried along in instructional supervision activities.

Employability Skills in Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET)

Employability skills should be a necessity for every TVET graduate. The need for the employability skills is very important in order to prepare TVET graduates in entering the labor market. The purpose of this study is: (1) to verify indicators of employability skills needed by TVET graduates and, (2) to produce proposals for employability skills frameworks for TVET graduates. This article reviews various relevant literature in order to explore the needs of appropriate employability skills. The results of the literature review show the employabilty skills needed by TVET sorted according to rank, namely; Social Skills, Knowledge in the Field of Engineering, Communication Skills, Information and Technology Skills, Management Skills, Creative and Innovative, Problem Solving and Critical Thinking. The implications of this literature review provide information and recommend a set of frameworks for academics to improve the employability skills of TVET graduates.

Analysis of Vocational School Development Based on Regional Potential Using Principal Component Analysis (PCA)

This study aims to analyze the development of Vocational High School (SMK) based on regional potential in Cimahi City, Indonesia. This study is descriptive research. This study was conducted in Cimahi City, West Java Province, Indonesia. The population and sample of this study were all the potentials of the region and the industrial fields in the City of Cimahi, West Java and the fields/programs/competencies of SMKs in the City of Cimahi. Data in this study were collected using documentation, interview and observation methods. The Principle Component Analysis (PCA) was used as the method of analyzing regional potentials using Minitab Statistical Software version 14. Based on the results of this study it was found that the development of Vocational High Schools is based on regional potential in Cimahi City and based on the analysis of Vocational Development Levels in Cimahi City by using the PCA analysis method based on indicators education such as Total Population Ages 16-18, Student Ratio per School, Student Ratio per Class, Student Ratio per Teacher, and Gross Participation Rate (GPR) in 3 (three) Districts of Cimahi City found that the lowest PCA 1 for the three districts is in South Cimahi District (-1026.02). This means that the priority location I for the development of SMK is South Cimahi District. It is then followed by Central Cimahi Subdistrict (-644.19) which becomes priority location II for the development of SMK. And Priority III is the District of North Cimahi (-435.5). With these findings, the Office of Education, especially in the area of Vocational Secondary Education in the Cimahi City, West Java, should pay attention to the development of vocational schools which requires careful study in establishing vocational schools based on the potential of the region.

The Instrumental Framework to Measuring Environmental Awareness

Environmental awareness needs to be increased because it plays an important role for the survival of life. To find out the level of public awareness of the environment it is necessary to conduct a workshop or environmental awareness training. The purpose of this study is to identify and generate an instrument indicator to measure the environmental awareness. This article looks at a variety of relevant literature in order to explore the aspects that must be present In the instrument to measuring the environmental awareness level. The literature study results are obtained the aspects that must have to consist of two aspects namely pro-environment and not pro-environment, in which indicators are made from the start of knowledge, attitudes and behavior. The implication of this literature review is to provide information and recommend a set of a framework to academics in making instruments measuring the level of public awareness of the environment.

Engineering Cadres and Synergy Challenges in Nigeria: A Perspective

Engineering family is such a scientific field that has to work as a unit without progress and development suffers in any society. Each engineering family cadre rests on the other to form a synergy upon which transformational strength is dependent as experienced in developed countries. However, in Nigeria there are myriads of challenges facing engineering profession, especially technical and vocational training institutions and their public acceptability, ranging from governmental to societal challenges thereby limiting its growth and development. In this work, the root challenges that confront engineering profession in terms of cadre structure imbalance are analyzed. The trend in terms of educational training mostly desired by individuals and the relative causes and effects are also reviewed. Overall, impact of these challenges on the society are x-rayed in terms of infrastructural and technological development, indigenous engineering professionals’ availability, and cadre structure imbalance. Solutions as to ways of correcting these identified anomalies, in order to bring about healthy and functional relationship among engineering cadres in Nigeria for the general development of the country are suggested in this work.

Relevance of Vocational High School Curriculum with the Industrial Needs of Making Batik Competences

This study aimed to identify the relevance of vocational high school curriculum with the industrial needs particularly related to batik making competences. The data collection was carried out through a survey to 35 batik industries within Priangan area, West Java province, Indonesia. The instrument employed was a questionnaire consisting of batik making competence units based on Standar Kompetensi Kerja Nasional Indonesia (SKKNI), Indonesia National Performance Competence Standards. The respondents of the study were owners of the batik industries requested to measure competence standards on SKKNI in relation to the competences needed within batik industry. The results of the study showed that in general, the competences on the SKKNI taught in vocational high schools were relevant to the competences needed in the industry. There were a few competences classified irrelevant which were Canting and stamping tools. The findings indicated that the competences taught in the schools are in accordance with the standards set in the SKKNI. It is expected that teachers are able to strengthen the competences taught in schools and regularly coordinate with the industry to keep the curriculum updated.