Assessment of non-academic technology students: Evaluation of understanding

Introduction: Teachers of traditional technology programs such as wood, metal and auto are faced with the dilemma of what is the best way to measure their student’s acquisition of theoretical knowledge.  Traditional shop courses attract a variety of students, with a considerable difference in: academic ability, emotional development, maturity level, comprehension of English, and mental stability.  Traditional shop programs primarily assess a student’s practical performance, nevertheless there is a theoretical component to these courses that must be covered by the instructor.  Safety is the number one area of study, a student must understand the importance of following safety procedures, however all shop programs need to deliver a certain amount of curricular content.  Failure to provide theoretical instruction would rob students of a key element in any shop class.  Shop teachers have a duty to their students to provide knowledge framework in order to set students up for success; in turn students will be able to build successful projects and have a back ground knowledge for future courses. In this inquiry project I would like to explore a multitude of assessment technics that could be employed in traditional technology programs to better serve the needs of a diverse group of learners.