JITE v41n3 - From the Editor -School's in Session
FROM THE EDITOR
School's in Session
While the winds of change continue to influence our profession, as they always have and always will, teacher educators may tend to overlook the advantage we have with the beginning of each school year. As these changes affect our campuses, our curriculum, and our profession, somehow the academic year weathers the storm and students continue to arrive at our doorstep.
Just as the spring commencement provided a capstone to the educational journey, the fall semester brings the return to campus of our teacher education majors. Freshmen are awestruck and eager to commence their studies, while seniors are starting to develop their student teaching jitters. New faculty members scurry to prepare for their courses. But most of all, excitement is in the air. The educational process starts anew.
In This Issue
This issue of the Journal of Industrial Teacher Education provides a diverse group of manuscripts from the field of industrial teacher education to assist readers with their fall semester excitement. In the first article, Dominick E. Fazarro from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and Anthony Stevens, a doctoral student at Iowa State University, examine the learning style preferences of both African-American and European-American undergraduate students in industrial technology and engineering programs. Their research provides industrial teacher educators with insight on learning style preferences that should prove beneficial with the increasing number of minority students entering the profession.
Next, Phlibert J. Crossfield, Michael K. Daugherty, and Chris Merrill, Illinois State University, discuss teachers' perception of the design component of the mechanical technology examination utilized in the Caribbean countries of Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Antigua/Barbuda, Belize, St. Lucia, and St Kitts/Nevis. The authors based their study on previous examination results that indicated that a very low percentage of students successfully completed the examination. The authors' research revealed discrepancies in test expectations and the content that was actually taught.
The Journal's third article is the work of Richard A. Walter from the Pennsylvania State University. His study explored Pennsylvania NOCTI judges' procedure for setting cut scores on the occupational competency examination for audio visual communications and quality foods. Walter provides industrial teacher educators with valuable data to assist with the assessment of the occupational competency of potential trade and industrial education teachers.
Paul E. Brauchle and Klaus Schmidt from Illinois State University present a review of different approaches to assess the effectiveness, in monetary terms, of educational programs, human resource development, and industrial training programs. With the growth of industrial training programs, industrial educators can gain valuable insight from these authors' analysis of program assessment. Finally, the Journal's "Bits and Pieces" section contains information regarding submitting manuscripts to the Journal and how to become a member of NAITTE.
So as we move forward with changes during this academic year, one challenge for the year is to maintain the excitement that abounds in our students during the fall beginning of classes because before we realize it, spring commencement will be upon us again. And the educational process will start anew.
GER