Track: Engineering Economy, Education & Management

Abstract

This research study was designed to evaluate the performance of foundation extended program and mainstream students pursuing Bachelor of Technology in Electrical Engineering at the Tshwane University of Technology, eMalahleni campus, South Africa. The variables under assessment are the academic performance (students’ scores) in Electronics 1 for foundation (year course) and mainstream (semester course) levels. Data were acquired using 574 students’ scores in Electronics 1 course.  The students’’ scores for year 2013 and 2014 were used for the investigation. T-test statistical analysis was used to evaluate the results. The findings reveal that students’ performance has no significant difference since p>0.05. In addition, the mean score of the students in the year 2013 is better compared to 2014 academic year. Furthermore, generally comparing the mean scores between the groups under investigation, it is evident that the mainstream students outperformed the foundation students. The study conclude that base on the findings, the continuous assessment evaluation method is not adequate for improving the students’ performance. It provides insight to the process of improving teaching and learning pattern for Electronics courses so as to improve students’ pass rate.