A formative evaluation of the laboratory manuals being used by the engineering students at Mapua Institute of Technology

• Main Author: Calderon, Jose C.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 1985
• Subjects: Physics > Laboratory manuals; Physics
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/1122
• Institution: De La Salle University

This study is a formative evaluation of the three laboratory manuals for college physics being used by Engineering students at the Mapua Institute of Technology. It attempted to determine whether the laboratory manuals are adequate to supplement the lecture in the study of Physics. The following aspects are being looked into as a guide in making the necessary revisions of the manual: 1) the discussions of theories and procedures 2) the adequacy of questions and problems 3) the data sheet 4) the drawings and illustrations and 5) the language and style. Assessment is basically based on the perceptions of three groups of respondents and a vocabulary test administered to the students.The respondents are composed of 1) professors of physics considered as experts on laboratory experiments 2) instructors currently using the manuals in teaching the laboratory physics courses 3) students currently enrolled in the courses and 4) engineering faculty members.A questionnaire was constructed for the experts and physics faculty members, another was for the students and a checklist of the experiments in the manuals was given to the engineering faculty. In addition, the students were given a vocabulary test with terms taken from the manuals.Arbitrary ranges and cut-off points were established where decisions for the revisions would be based.The combined assessment of both experts and the instructors indicated a need to revise some aspects of the manual which include 1) the adaptability of the experiments to the different engineering programs: 2) the typeof experiments 3) the apparatus involved 4) the experiment procedures. 5) the sequencing of experiments 6) the discussion of principles, 7) the questions and problems and 8) the diagram and illustrations. Although the manuals sufficiently cover most of the subject matter, additional experiments were recommended for inclusion among them are: heat transfer, thermal conductivity, heat of vaporization, optics, motion, electromagnetism, crane and boom, falling bodie