Practical intelligence predicts learning of diagnostic and repair skills in students

Abstract

The ability to diagnose and correct equipment faults is an attribute that is important for all technical engineering C: professional engineers, engineering technologists, engineering associates and technicians. Traditionally, this ability has been developed through practical tasks performed in engineering laboratories and workshops. Practical classes, particularly in university settings, are usually assessed through written reports or short answer quizzes. However, these forms of assessment rely only on explicit written knowledge based on formal propositions. An alternative is to evaluate informal learning of tacit or implicit knowledge. This paper shows how practical intelligence tests provide a model for measuring implicit and tacit knowledge. Research reported in the paper demonstrates that practical intelligence tests can predict students' ability to diagnose and repair equipment faults better than conventional assessment scores. This paper describes the evaluation of this technique in an electronic engineering laboratory with a large enrolment first year introductory course.