An Investigation of Performance and Cognitive Assessments in the 3D-Modeling Unit (Competency B) of the North Carolina State High School Drafting II-Engineering Curriculum in the Wake County Public School System

Abstract

ABSTRACT FAHRER, NOLAN EDWARD. An Investigation of Performance and Cognitive Assessments in the 3D-Modeling unit (Competency B) of the North Carolina State High School Drafting II-Engineering Curriculum in the Wake County Public School System. (Under the direction of Jeremy V. Ernst.)

The purpose of this research was to investigate identifiable differences between performance and cognitive assessment scores in the 3D-Modeling unit of the North Carolina high school Drafting II-Engineering course curriculum in Wake County. The study aimed to provide further investigation of the need of skill-based assessments in engineering/technical graphics courses to possibly increase accuracy in evaluating student’s factual and conceptual knowledge to be successfully prepared for the workplace. Additionally, both cognitive and performance assessments should be held as equally important measures of student outcome when considering curricular revisions and additions as well as assessment procedures. The study consisted of 92 high school students in North Carolina enrolled in Drafting II-Engineering in the Wake County Public School System during the 2009 spring semester. Students were administered existing assessment items provided in the 3D-Modeling unit of the Drafting II-Engineering curriculum. The results provided evidence that there were no significant differences between performance and cognitive assessment in the particular unit. However, it is necessary to further develop and implement performance-based assessments in Career & Technical Education that require students to exhibit both skills and knowledge.