Avionics News June 2021 - 37

take some subjects and ignore others.
At the traditional college level, the choices available to
the student increase dramatically, as does the responsibility
level. In college, students have advisors to help students
select which courses to take and when to take them. The
students are now young adults and are not required to take
the advice of advisors.
At the master's degree level,
typically, the course options are limited,
but the nature of the courses change.
Students may receive homework
assignments that will never be
graded, and they are expected to be
motivated and mature enough to know
that the homework is essential for
understanding the material.
Finally, at the doctorate level, little
structure exists around the research and
thesis. There are many people who hold
an unofficial title of " ABD, " or all but
dissertation. These individuals have
completed all the doctoral courses but
never submitted a thesis. Observers will
find a likely cause of the ABD result is
a lack of structure.
Technical education, such as
avionics or airframe and powerplant
technician schools, differs from the
traditional college. In both cases,
the amount of technical material the
student must absorb is significant.
These programs tend to be heavy
in credits, which limits the choices
students can make. The result is programs with as much or
more structure than high school.
MOST LIKELY,
STUDENTS FROM
CERTIFICATE OR
ASSOCIATE DEGREE
PROGRAMS ARE
COMING FROM,
AND ARE USED TO,
A STRUCTURED
ENVIRONMENT. THEY
ARE COMPETENT
WITH THEIR SKILLS,
BUT THEY WILL NEED
DIRECTION. THEY WILL
PERFORM BEST IF YOUR
WORKPLACE IS HIGHLY
STRUCTURED.
semesters, students make their own limited selections with
the help of a faculty advisor. From the fifth semester onward,
the students still get help from a faculty advisor but have a
wide variety of selections in both topics and times for classes.
Like the doctoral ABD students, faculty were concerned
with " all but A&P, " " all but capstone, " and " all but AET "
students. A few years ago, the program being examined
began making some changes to
address the " all but capstone "
students. As a result, my colleagues
and I had some data to review.
We examined grades within the
capstone course, which changed
from independent selection
of projects and scheduling to
standardized projects. Students
were required to provide their own
structure for the projects, which
are completed on an independent
study basis. The success of the
standardized projects led faculty to
modify the course again to eliminate
independent, self-structured
scheduling.
The course project grades revealed
an average of 71.2% over the first
four years - essentially C level and
D level grades. Overall, the projects
would fall into a bell curve, with a
small percentage earning above 90%
and another small percentage earning
less than 60%. In year five, the course
was changed so all students did a
The group of students under discussion were enrolled
in a Federal Aviation Administration Part 147 aircraft
maintenance technician school. This type of program is much
more structured than the typical college environment. Once
the A&P portion of the program is complete, Pennsylvania
College of Technology students continue in a more
traditional college environment for avionics training, along
with the general education course requirements to earn a
bachelor's degree.
Students are progressing from a high school structure
to the highly structured environment of a Part 147 school
to little structure. During college matriculation, college
administrators select the first semester courses for the
incoming students. From the second through the fourth
similar, standard project. The exact average in year five was
91.2%, which is a full 13 points over the next highest year -
year one. We blew the bell curve. No one failed the project.
Although many factors contributed to the jump in average
grades, the factors notable for this story involve the maturity
level of the majority of students in the class. Most of these
students are in their early 20s, or the traditional college age.
Research suggests their cerebral cortexes are still forming.
Their behavior suggests they are still somewhat immature.
For evidence of maturity, please review spring break videos
posted online. People at this age are easily distracted and
have a high capacity for self-deception.
Self-deception played a large role in the failing grades.
Continued on following page
avionics news * june 2021 37
Avionics News June 2021

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