Minimum Curriculum and Course Specifications for Geological Engineering Technologists in Nigeria (Published)
In view of the vital role of mineral, petroleum and other earth resources in national development and economic growth, adequate development of quality technical professionals is critical for geological exploration and evaluation of the resources. This paper presents an overview of recent reviews of education programmes for geological engineering technologists. The geological programmes are traditionally offered at Higher National Diploma (HND) levels alongside mining, petroleum, and mineral engineering in several Nigerian polytechnics, and are supervised by the National Board for Technical Education. The HND programmes are preceded by a common-based National Diploma (ND) in Mineral and Petroleum Resources Engineering. The entry requirements for candidates are similar to those for university degrees in engineering, but the curriculum structure and course contents give stronger emphasis to practical and industrial orientation, with a minimum ratio of 60:40 respectively, in the professional course units. The products of the ND and HND are employable as technicians and technologists respectively, in numerous engineering aspects of earth resources exploration, evaluation, exploitation, and construction. The strong blend of geological and engineering courses in their curriculum prepares the geological engineering technologists for a productive career in exploration and mining geology, mining, petroleum, civil and construction, military, chemical, and environmental sectors. It is recommended that the government should derive more benefits from its technical capacity by removing all existing derogatory impediments, and allowing technologists to pursue more effective postgraduate studies and professional development along the path of practical orientation.
Keywords: Engineering, Professional, Technical Education, diploma, postgraduate
Curriculum Evaluation: A Comparative Study of a 4-Year B.Ed. Regular and a 2-Year Diploma Sandwich Students’ Results in Music, Movement and Drama (Published)
Both the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) and Diploma students at the University of Education, Winneba, Ghana, use the same content as prescribed in the Academic Bulletin but both are admitted on two different entry requirements with different duration accordingly. Sections of society speculate about varied performances of both categories of students without any empirical evidence. The purpose of the study was to ascertain how well the students have been prepared in terms of content assimilation and their relative performance. Using a purposive sampling technique, both regular and sandwich Music, Movement and Drama Level 200 students of the Department of Early Childhood Education of the University from 2008 to 2012 were selected for the study. Test results of the respondents from 2008 to 2012 which served as the data were analysed, after ethical issues were resolved, using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results showed that both regular and sandwich students performed creditably well within the range of the years under review. It was, however, established that there was a statistically significant difference between the achievement of the B.Ed. regular and Diploma sandwich students from 2008 to 2012 academic years. On the basis of the findings, it was recommended that the mode of delivery of the sandwich programme be reconsidered such that there will be a bridge of the gap between the regular and the sandwich programmes in terms of performance.
Keywords: Bachelor of Education, Curriculum, Drama, Evaluation, Movement, Music, Sandwich, diploma, regular.