Challenges in Cognitive Domain Performance for Laboratory-Embedded Electrical Engineering Courses

In Malaysia, the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) and Engineering Technology Council (ETAC) have established a standard requirement for all engineering diploma programmes that include evaluating the effectiveness of the Programme Outcome (PO) to ensure the quality education of the programme. This paper aims to investigate the performance of the PO attainment for fundamental laboratory-embedded courses of the Diploma in Electrical Engineering (Electronic) programme based on the new assessment as stated in the ETAC Standard 2022. The samples of PO achievement were taken from three batches or cohorts before and after the implementation of the ETAC Standard: Oct 2019, Oct 2020, and Oct 2021. The analysis data involves focusing on the performance of two domains which are cognitive and psychomotor. The two-way ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) test was carried out using SPSS software for analyzing the data. The results reveal that while students perform well in psychomotor attainment, cognitive attainment gradually deteriorates over time. This finding suggests the need to revise the curriculum, syllabus, and assessment design to enhance the PO attainment to achieve the desired PO that is set by the council. Thus, the institutions can produce competent and proficient graduates with conceptual thinking and practical skills.