AN ASSESSMENT ON THE EFFECTS OF WORLDWARE INTEGRATION INTO THE ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING CURRICULUM: A HIERARCHICAL APPROACH

The paper evaluates the effects of integrating worldware into a five-year electronics engineering (ECE) curriculum using a hierarchical approach. Wordlware as a set of software applications for processing, instruction, retrieval, communication and simulation is used in educative processes to potentially improve the students’ academic performances.

The study used a descriptive research design. A quota sampling method was used targeting thirty (30) respondents per year level or a total of one hundred fifty (150) students from first year to fifth year levels of the electronics engineering department of the Ateneo de Davao University. Likewise, twenty (20) engineering teachers were asked to respond to the survey questionnaire. Data was treated statistically at 0.05 level of significance using a combination of analysis of variance, Duncan multiple range test, and Pearson correlation.

The following are the important findings of the study:
(1) worldware emphasis in the ECE curriculum from first year to third year levels were not significantly different;
(2) students used worldware for 32.20 hours per week both for educational (51.09%) and entertainment (48.91%) purposes, and students’ worldware utilization per year level were significantly different;
(3) worldware proficiencies of the students from third year to fifth year were statistically equal;
(4) simulation proficiency of the students in all year levels was relatively lower compared to other worldware classifications; and,
(5) worldware emphasis in school was correlated to the worldware utilization, and worldware proficiency of the students was correlated to their worldware utilization in the area of retrieval, communication, and simulation, and owning a computer was not correlated to the worldware proficiency but correlated to the worldware utilization.

Based on the findings of the study, the following conclusions are made:
(1) with relatively low test scores of the students in the area of simulation, it is reputed that simulation was not given much emphasis in the curriculum compared to other worldware classifications;
(2) with the peaking of students worldware proficiency starting at third year level, it is concluded that worldware was not extensively integrated in the curriculum;
(3) having computer at home is not an assurance that the students’ worldware proficiency will improve but worldware proficiency can be improved by using the computer rigorously over time either in-campus or off-campus; and,
(4) worldware is a multilevel phenomenon that can be evaluated in a hierarchical approach.

To provide significant contribution to the quality of education, the following are highly recommended:
(1) develop a worldware enriched electronics engineering curriculum, and provide worldware trainings to the teachers;
(2) introduce computer aided instruction software in selected courses;
(3) create a guideline discouraging the students to use worldware in school for entertainment use; and,
(4) disseminate information about the positive and negative effects of using worldware.