CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION
Engineering is defined by the Engineers Council for Professional
Development as the application of scientific principles to design or
develop structures, machines, apparatus or manufacturing processes
or work utilizing them singly or in combination, or to construct or
operate the same with full cognizance of their design; or to forecast
their behavior under specific operating conditions, with respect to all
intended function, economics of operation and safety to life and
property (Encyclopedia Britannica).
The education of an engineer extends over a wide range of
knowledge, from pure science to technology. It serves as the backbone
of national development, serving the manpower needs for engineers
doing technical and scientific work in the industrialized economy. With
the trend towards globalization, engineering education must be given
proper attention for it to produce graduates who can cope up with the
increasing demands of high technological skill.
The state is well aware of such a vital role engineering education
plays in national development and progress. As mandated in the 1987
Constitution, the state shall give priority to research and development,
innovation and their utilization; and to science and technology
education and services.

With all the support engineering education gets from the state
through the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the
Department of Science and Technology (DOST) as well as from other
concerned leaders, the school is expected to produce graduates who
have the basic as well as the specialized skills needed for employment.
With the knowledge and skills imparted to the engineering students
while they are studying at school, it is assumed that they are
academically prepared to pass the board examination.
With this regard, the board-like examination, Departmental
Examination was implemented by the Dean and the Heads of each
department throughout the whole College of Engineering (COE) of
Eastern Visayas State University two years ago. The Dean of the
college believes that it will take years before the good effects of this
program will be realized. And thus, to see if this program meets its
purposes, it will be fruitful if it will be studied through an assessment;
which will apply across different departments with board examination
and will cover a seven-year-span starting from S.Y. 2008-2009 up to
present, including graduates prior to the departmental examination in
the correlational study between those graduates who experienced the
departmental examination.
To enhance the effectiveness and validity of examination as well
as the instructing-learning-examining-managing coordination a new
pattern of examination is put forward.

Background of the Study

One of the premier technological universities in the Eastern
Visayas region is the Eastern Visayas State University with five satellite
campuses namely, EVSU Tanauan, EVSU Burauen, EVSU Dulag, EVSU
Carigara, and EVSU Ormoc. Its Main Campus offers more than sixty
courses which includes the College of Engineering with the highest
student base population of about 1, 893 enrolled students in the first
semester, composing eight different departments Civil Engineering
(CE) Department, Chemical Engineering (CHE) Department, Electronics
and

Communication

Engineering

(ECE)

Department,

Electrical

Engineering (EE) Department, Geodetic Engineering (GE) Department ,

Industrial Engineering (IE) Department , Information Technology (IT)
Department, and Mechanical Engineering (ME) Department, which two
of the courses, IT and IE, do not have a Licensure Board Examination.
For many years, the Eastern Visayas State University former Leyte
Institute of Technology has been known in producing quality graduates
in the field of engineering. And to maintain this the college needs new
innovation to continue in bringing out the best of the students.
As a result, the adaptation of the Departmental Examination
conducted by the College of Arts and Sciences years ago was proposed
and was introduced in the College of Engineering through its Dean, Dr.
Danilo

B.

Pulma.

The

Departmental

Examination

Program

was

implemented on the school year 2011-2012 and has been experienced

since then having its pioneering batch graduate on 2014. This program
brought about by the development of the teaching techniques is said
to take years before it becomes effective and as of now it is still being
improved throughout the time.
The Departmental Examination of the College of Engineering is a
preparation for Philippine Regulatory Commission Licensure Board
Exam. The answer sheet in the EVSU Departmental Exam is patterned
to that of the answer sheet used in Licensure Board Exam so that
students will be used with the format, the shading practices and in
filling out information needed in the answer sheet. The purposes of
applying the Departmental Exam in the College of Engineering are 1)
uniformity of coverage of topics to be included in the exam, 2) improve
the quality of instruction, 3) prepare the students with the nature of
the Licensure Board Exam, 4) motivate the students to improve their
grades.
The Departmental Exam is different from an ordinary exam
because it is a more organized and a more strict way of examination. It
contains common coverage of

topics across departments of the

College of Engineering. This study would assess if the Departmental

Exam meets its purposes and if it helped the graduates in their
Licensure Board Examination. The study tends to know the perceptions
of the students, graduates, faculty and head of different departments

which would help the researchers in assessing the said departmental

examination.

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING POPULATION

The following charts shows the different population of the
College of Engineering Students and Faculty for the first semester of
school year 2016 2017, and Graduates of batch 2014 and 2015.
The College of Engineering enrolled students population is
presented in the following figure according to year level and courses
taken.
FIGURE 1.

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING STUDENT

1st Semester, S.Y. 2016-2017
BSCE
P
O
P
U
L
A
T
I
O
N

BSCHE

BSECE

BSEE

BSGE

BSME

197
129
22 261034
15
1ST YEAR

6768
51
36
2ND YEAR

144

159

131

98
7080
44
30

7679
61
33 42

5050 45
29 26

3RD YEAR

4TH YEAR

5TH YEAR

YEAR LEVEL

STUDE
NT POPULATION

It can be observed from the above figure that among the

courses, the department which has the largest student population was
the Civil Engineering department. While the Chemical Engineering
department has the least enrolled student population for the first
semester school year 2016-2017.

The population of graduates of the College of Engineering is

presented in the succeeding figure according to courses taken and
year graduated.
FIGURE 2.
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
GRADUATES
P
O
P
U
L
A
T
I
O
N

2014

2015

115
76
18 27
CE

71

61

CHE

24
ECE

31 28

42
15

EE

COURSE

GRADUATES POPULATION

GE

ME

10

The above figure shows the population of the College of

Engineering Graduates of batches 2014 and 2015. It shows that among
the courses, the department that produced the greatest number of
graduates during the year 2014 and 2015 was the Civil Engineering
department. While the Geodetic Engineering department produced the
least number of graduates during the year 2014 and 2015.

11

First semester of school year 2016 2017 Faculty count is

presented in the succeeding figure according courses handled.
FIGURE 3.

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING FACULTY

1st Semester, S.Y. 2016-2017

P
O
P
U
L
A
T
I
O
N

FULL-TIMERS
PART-TIMERS
HANDLES DEPARTMENTAL EXAM

18

15

14
10

3
CE

6
CHE
0

7 8

8
3 2 2

EE/ECE

GE

9
5
ME

DEPARTMENTS

FACULTY
POPULATION

12

The faculty count of the College of Engineering is illustrated form

the above chart. The chart is classified according to Full-Timer faculty,
Part-Timer faculty, and faculty that handles the departmental exam,
whether they participate in the preparation of the questionnaires or
they serve as faculty proctors.

Statement of the Problem

The primary objective of this study is to assess the departmental
exam in the College of Engineering.
Specifically, the study sought to answer the following questions:
1. What
a.
b.
2. What
a.
b.
c.
3. What
a.
b.
c.
d.
4. What
of:

is the profile of the students in terms of:

Gender
Course Taken
is the profile of the graduates in terms of:
Gender
Course Taken
School Year Graduated
C.1 with Departmental Examination
C.2 without Departmental Examination
are the profile of the instructors in terms of:
Gender
Course Handled
Educational Qualification
Teaching Experience
are the guidelines of the Departmental Exam in terms

13

a. Preparation/Subject
b.
c.
d.
e.
5. What
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
6. What
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
7. What

Coverage/Security

of

Test

Questionnaires
Room Assignment
Scheduling of the examination
During the conduct of the exam
Post Departmental Examination activities
are the perceptions of the students with regards to:
Coverage of the departmental examination
Preparation of the Questionnaires
Faculty Proctor
Student Proctor
Room Assignment
Room Environment
Degree of Difficulty
Security of the questions/questionnaires
are the perceptions of the faculty with regards to:
Preparation
Room Assignment
Schedule of Examination
Guidelines of the Conduct
Preparation of the Questionnaires
Information Dissemination
Coverage of the Examination
Security of the questions/questionnaires
are the perceptions of the students and graduates with

regards to the impacts of the Departmental Examination in

the behavior of the students regarding:
a. Study Habits
b. Behavior while taking the Departmental Examination
8. What are the perception of the graduates with the
departmental examination in terms of:
a. Coverage of the Departmental Examination
b. Preparation of the Questionnaires
c. Faculty Proctor
d. Student Proctor
e. Room Assignment
f. Room Environment
g. Degree of Difficulty
h. Security of the questions/questionnaires
i. Board Examination Preparation
9. What is the passing percentage in the Licensure Board
Examination of the COE graduates :

14

10.

a. with Departmental Examination

b. without Departmental Examination
Is there a significant difference in the passing percentage

of the COE graduates in the Licensure Board Examination with

Departmental
Examination?

Examination

and

without

Departmental

15

Null Hypothesis
The following hypothesis was tested in this study:
There is no significant difference in the passing percentage of the
College of Engineering graduates in the Licensure Board Examination
with

Departmental

Examination

and

without

Departmental

Examination.

Conceptual Framework
This study was prepared based on the concept and theories
which served as a guide to the outcome of the research. These are:
The top-down and bottom-up theories and one of the chief tenets of
John Deweys philosophy which is used as a guide processing and in
piecing together datas to formulate a result.
Top-down processing is defined as the development of pattern
recognition through the use of contextual information. The brain may
be able to perceive and understand the gist of the paragraph due to
the context supplied by the surrounding words.
In the bottom-up processing approach, perception starts at the
sensory input, the stimulus. Thus, perception can be described as datadriven. The sight of the flower and all the information about the
stimulus are carried from the retina to the visual cortex in the brain.

16

One of the chief tenets of John Deweys philosophy states that

we learn by doing which was an outgrowth or product of Froebels
idea of learning to do by doing, which depend upon self-principled
activities or creative development. (Aquino, 1988)

17

The figure shows how the assessment of the Departmental

Examination of the College of Engineering will be conducted.
Effective & Productive Implementation of the Departmental Examination of COE

Inputs to the Implementation of the Departmental Examination of COE

Performance in the Engineering Licensure Exam

regards to:
Perception of StudentsPerception
with regardsof
to:the Graduates with
Perception
of Faculty with regards to:
Coverage
Coverage
Preparation
Preparation of the Questionnaires
Preparation of the Questionnaires
Room Assignments
Faculty Proctor
Faculty Proctor
Schedule of Examination
Student Proctor
Student Proctor
Guidelines of the Conduct
Room Assignment
Room Assignment
Preparations of the Questionnaires
Room Environment
Room Environment
Information Dissemination
Degree of Difficulty
Degree of Difficulty
Coverage of the Examination
Security of the Questions/questionnaires
Security of the Questions/questionnaires
Security of the Questions/questionnaires
Board Examination Preparation

Profile Characteristics
of COE Faculty
Profile Characteristics
of Students:
Profile Characteristics
of Graduates with and without Departmental
Examination
Gender
Gender Gender
Course Handled
Course Course
Subject Taught
Year Graduated
c. 1.With Departmental Examination
Educational Qualification
c. 2.Without Departmental Examination

EVSU College of Engineering

FIGURE I. CONCEPTUAL
FRAMEWORK

18

Significance of the Study

This study is significant to the following:
COE Students. This study will give the engineering students
knowledge about the performance of the COE Graduates and will
motivate them to be more diligent towards studies. It will also give
them confidence to be well-prepared for their upcoming board
examination.
COE Faculty. The study will guide the faculty on how to conduct
the Departmental Examination efficiently. In some cases where the
teachers failed to discuss all the topics included in the exam, this will
help them improve their teaching techniques in order to motivate them
and teach them committedly to come up with productive students. This
will give them ideas on what particular aspect should be given more
attention. Also, this might give them inspiration when they found out
how they helped the graduates achieve their goals in life.
COE Department Heads. This study will help the different
department heads in assessing the performance of their assigned
department with regards to the Departmental Examination. Through
this study, they would be able to enhance their way of leading the
faculty in exam matters with their strengths and weaknesses
considered.

19

College of Engineering. This study will serve as a basis in

enhancing and developing the departmental examination program
which will lead to a better performance of the graduates on the board
exam.
Other Colleges. Other colleges will also benefit on this study
through adapting the said program to their own colleges and by
following the guidelines in conducting the departmental exam, they
will also produce quality graduates.
EVSU Administration. This study will help the institution in
producing good quality graduates. This will allow the leaders of the
institution to be knowledgeable on the students strengths and
weaknesses

and

allow

them

to

upgrade

or

improve

the

Departmentalized Program thus allowing their mission, vision and

goals to be achieved.
Parents. Since this tackles the performance of the students as
well, parents and guardians will be guided on their childrens condition
with the past years of examinations. They will, also, be inspired to let
their future college-children study in EVSU and take an engineering
course.
Future Researchers. This study will provide them additional
information regarding the level of performance of the COE graduates.

20

This will also serve as a guide on how to assess individuals on their

level of performance.

Scope and Delimitation

The study was conducted at the Eastern Visayas State University
Main Campus considering COE Students and Faculty of first semester
S.Y. 2016-2017, and COE Graduates five years before the conduct of
the Departmental Examination Program --- batches 2009 to 2013, and
two years after the conduct of the Departmental Examination --batches 2014 to 2015.
Assessment on the Departmental Examination of the College of
Engineering focuses only on the: Profile of the Respondents in terms of
gender and course/course handled, Guidelines of the Departmental
Examination, and their Perceptions with regards to the coverage,
preparation of the questionnaires, faculty proctor, student proctor,
room assignment and environment, security of the questionnaires,
board exam preparations and its impacts on study habits and behavior
of the students while taking the examination.

Definition of Terms
The following terms are defined as they are used in this study.

21

Assessment. It is the systematic collection, review and use of

information about educational programs to improve student learning. It
is concerned with the collective impact of a program on student
learning and focuses on what students know, what they are about to
do, what values they when they graduate. (Assessment_primer.pdf)
Behavior. Encarta Dictionary defines this term as the way
somebody behaves responding to a specific set of conditions. In this
study, this term is used as is and the condition being considered is the
Departmental Examination.
Conduct. The management or execution of matters such as
work or official affairs. As used in the study, this term denotes
execution of the Departmental Examination to the students.
Conduct of the departmental exam. As used in the study,
this refers to the process on how the examination is held and being
implemented.
Coverage.

Merriam defines this as the inclusion within the

scope of an insurance policy or plan. As used in the study, this refers to

the range of topics to be discussed by the teachers teaching before the
examination, which must be uniform with the range of topics discussed
to all the COE students.

22

Course Handled. As used in the study, this refers to the course

being taught by each faculty of different departments in the College of
Engineering.
Course Taken. As used in the study, this refers to the course
enrolled by the students of the College of Engineering.
Degree of difficulty. This refers to the point or level of easiness
or difficultness certain questions are considered. Each subject of each
year level have different degrees of difficulty which may be considered
in their performance in the examination.
Deliberation of room assignments. As used in this study, this
phrase simply means the carefully choosing and assigning rooms to be
proctored as to its environment and maximum numbers of students to
be accommodated during the examination.
Department Heads. In this study, they are the senior officers of
the faculty which receives and conveys the command of the College
Dean to their respective departments. Considering six different
departments, we will have 6 different Department heads.
Departmental Examination. This refers to mid-term and final
examination in major subjects given simultaneously to all engineering
students as used in the study.
Educational Qualification. In this study, this term is defined as
the degree of completion of a field of study of the teachers of different

23

departments. Specifically, the degree or degrees obtained by the

instructors.
Faculty. It is the entire teaching staff of a university, college or
school, including any administrators holding academic rank
Gender. It refers to either the male or female division of a
species, especially as differentiated by social and cultural roles and
behavior.
Graduates. It refers to people who earned an academic degree
or diploma from a school, college, or university (Merriam-Webster
Dictionary). As used in the study, this refers to the students who
successfully completed a degree in Eastern Visayas State University
Main campus from the College of Engineering from S.Y. 2008-2009 to
S.Y. 2014-2015.
Guidelines.

An

official

recommendation

indicating

how

something should be done or what sort of action should be taken in a

particular circumstance
Impact. In this study, this term refers to the effects of the
departmental examination to the students that have been exposed to
the said program as well as the influences of the program to other
respondents. Merriam defines this to have a strong and often bad
effect on something or someone.

24

Implementation. It is the act of putting something into effect or

action.
Instructors. Somebody who teaches in a university, college or
community college.
Licensure Board Exam. An examination that gives eligibility to
those aspiring future engineers that wants to work in public office. This
is generally governed by the Philippine Regulatory Commission (PRC).
Passing percentage. This is the standard quota needed to be
reach by a student/graduate in order to pass an examination. This is in
accordance by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) standards
for college students and PRC standards for college graduates.
Perception. A simple definition of this term given by Merriam is
the way that you notice or understand something using one or more of
your senses.
Preparation. As used in the study, it refers to the provision of
design or strategy of the department heads in scheduling and
conducting departmental exams; for the faculty, it is the assignment as
to the production of the questionnaires, coverage of the examination;
and for the students this term refers to the activities done to equip
themselves for the departmental exams.

25

Preparation of the questionnaires. In this study, this term

refers to the activities done by the faculty and head as to who made
the questions for the exam and who produced them.
Proctor. This refers to the faculty assigned as an examiner of
certain subject during the examination.
Profile. A set of data, usually in graph or table form that
indicates the extent to which something matches tested or standard
characteristics.
Room Assignment. The term is operationally defined as the
assigning of students to be proctored during the examination and
which room will it be held.
Room environment. As it denotes the same definition, this
means the surroundings to which a student may be exposed while
taking the examination. Factors to be considered here are the noise,
illumination, ventilation, and comfort considered in this study.
Scheduling. In this study, this pertains to the setting of the date
of the examination as to what factors they considered in choosing the
particular date for the examination. Merriam defines this as a written
or printed list of things and the times when they will be done.
Security of the Questionnaires.

As used in the study, this

refers to the degree of confidentiality of the printed questionnaires for

26

the departmental examination. After producing the questionnaires for

the departmental examination, these hard copies of questionnaires
have to be kept secured until the day of the examination and this
defines the security of the questionnaires.
Student Proctor. Student proctor as used in the study pertains
to a selected student from the college of engineering which assists the
proctor in conducting the examination.
Students. As used in this study, it refers to someone who is
enrolled in the College of Engineering and is studying in Eastern
Visayas State University. Its dictionary definition is somebody who
studies at a school, college or university.
Study Habits. This states the actions of the students in
connection with his studies and school matters. Merriam defines habit
as a usual way of behaving, something that a person does often in a
regular and repeated way.
Teaching Experience. In this study, this generally means the
number of years in the service of teaching of the teachers that handles
engineering subjects that is included in the Departmental Examination.