Research Title : Performance of Students in the OJT program as perceived by

their supervisors of the cooperating agency

Researcher: Junny A. Manglib

Research Abstract:

This study sought to find out the performance of the BSIT students in their On-
The-Job Training program as perceived by their supervisor of the cooperating agency.
Specifically, it sought to answer: What is the performance of the fourth year BSIT student
in their OJT program as perceived by their supervisor of the cooperating agency in each
of the aspects: Technical knowledge, Student personality and Office work management.
What is the overall performance of fourth year BSIT students in their OJT program as
perceived by their supervisor of the cooperating agency?

The study was conducted at the seven(7) different OJT cooperating agencies in
Isabela with a total of fifty eight(58) respondents. Data were tabulated, computed and
analyzed using frequency count and weighted mean.

After thorough analysis of the data gathered, the following conclusions are drawn
that;
1. The students technical knowledge were rated very good
2. The students had very good performance with regard to the student personality.
3. the office management skills of the students were perceived by their supervisors
of the cooperating agency as very good.
4. That the overall performance of the OJT students as perceived by their supervisor
was rated good with an overall mean of 4.49.

Therefore, after knowing the performance of the students which was good, the
researcher recommends that the faculty at the Department of Information and
Communications Technology of the College of Development and Communications & Arts
and Sciences should continuously update and improve the instructional skills and actual
hands-on training of the students prior to their deployment for their On-the-Job Training.

The supervisors of the cooperating agency and the OJT coordinator or Adviser
should have a close supervision and monitoring of the OJT students in their daily, weekly
and monthly performance and accomplishments and make comments and suggestions
to improve their skills.

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 Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

In the BSIT curriculum of the Department of Information and Communications

Technology, in order to enroll the OJT program, the student must have finished 80% of
their academic requirements prescribed by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED)
in the CMO 53, series of 2006. The BSIT students are required to undergo 486 hours
On-the-Job Training as required by the Commission On Higher Education (CHED).

The OJT program is directly related to the practical office work and learning
experiences and should help the student to enhance their technical skills and knowledge
acquired in the classroom lectures in order to become more responsive to the demands
of Information Technology(IT) profession, develop the value of professionalism , love of
work and commitment to people they serve in their future career, apply the relevant
theories of IT profession and code of ethics into practice and experience the actual world
of work in a computerized work environment.

The OJT program of the BSIT curriculum is an avenue for applying, enriching and
enhancing the acquired knowledge in the school in their particular field of endeavor. It is
a way of changing the students personality in life through exposure in the performance
of actual work relevant to information technology that may serve as a stepping stone for
future career.

Prior to deployment of students for their OJT program, students are required to
attend orientation and workshop seminars before they are endorse by the OJT
coordinator or Adviser to their respective offices identified as cooperating agency partner
through a Memorandum Of Agreement(MOA). BSIT Student who will undergo OJT program
are also required to attend post conferences with their adviser or OJT coordinator on
scheduled days. These conferences are held as a way to monitor the activities of the
students and to give them opportunities to thresh out problems they have encountered
in their respective offices where they assigned.

Students undergoing OJT program should wear their prescribed uniforms when
they report to their respective agency and expected to behave accordingly and must
observed proper office etiquettes. The OJT student shall be visited by the OJT
coordinator or Adviser for their performance evaluation with the supervisor of the
cooperating agency and the student trainee. Also, the student trainee is required to
submit a report of their accomplishments; journal in narrative format, daily time record,
evaluation report and certificate of completion seven (7) days after the 486-hour service
shall have been completed.

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 The monitoring and evaluation of the performance of the student trainees shall be
done by the cooperating agency supervisor and the Higher Education Institution or school
using a standard procedures , instruments and methodologies such as observations,
daily, weekly and monthly accomplishment reports, interviews or conference with the
students.

Statement of the Study

This study was conducted to find out the performance of the BSIT students in
their On-the-Job Training program as perceived by their Supervisor of the Cooperating
Agency. Specifically it sought to answer the following questions;
1. What is the performance of the fourth year BSIT student in their OJT program
as perceived by their supervisor of the cooperating agency in each of the following; (a)
Technical knowledge (b) Student personality (c) Office work management

2. What is the overall performance of fourth year BSIT students in their OJT
program as perceived by their supervisor of the cooperating agency?

Significance of the Study

The result of this study provides information and direction to the faculty,
coordinators, program chairs of the Department of Information and Communications
Technology (DICT) of the College of Development Communications and Arts & Sciences
(CDCAS) in reviewing the core subjects and electives in the BSIT curriculum and revise if
possible to address the demands of the industry in the IT profession.
It also provides feedback to the OJT Advisers and Coordinators about the
students performance which will serves as a basis or guide of the curriculum planner
and implementer for the improvement of the BSIT curriculum.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The study was conducted at the seven (7) different cooperating agencies with a
total of fifty eight (58) respondents. The OJT students were evaluated in three (3)
different aspects of student performance namely; Technical Knowledge, Student
personality, and Office work management

Definition of Terms used

For the purpose of a better understanding of this study, some terms are hereby
defined.

Cooperating Agency- refers to the private or public agency, industry which was identified
as partners through a Memorandum of Agreement and recognized by the school as host
institution for OJT program.

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Cooperating Supervisor- refers to the agency heads or section supervisors of the
cooperating agency who are assigned to direct or supervise the work of the OJT
students.

OJT Coordinator/Adviser- refers to any faculty of the Higher Institution or school who are
assigned to direct, guide and supervise the students while they are on-the-job training
responsible in identifying a cooperating agency for the OJT student.

Performance- This refers to the mean rating of the student given by their cooperating
supervisor of the cooperating agency

Perception- refers to the respondents assessment of the qualities or characteristics of

the OJT students of BSIT program as reflected in their answers to the perception test
given by the researcher.

Host Training Agency/ agency partners- refers to the cooperating agency identified by the
OJT coordinator/ the school through a memorandum of agreement. Also refers to the
agencies or offices where the students are deployed namely; City Public Library-Cauayan,
City Population Office-Cauayan, City COMELEC office- Cauayan, City Engineering Office-
Cauayan, City RESCUE 922 Office-Cauayan, CENRO-Cabagan, and ATI-RTC-Cabagan.

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 Chapter II
Review of Related Literature

According to Furco (1996) On-the-Job-Training programme are defined as

programme engaging students in service activities primarily for the purpose of providing
them with hands-on experience that enhances their learning or understanding of issues
relevant to a particular area of study. On the other hand, McMahon and Quinn (1995)
noted that On-the-Job-Training programmes are supervised work experiences whereby
students leave their institutions and get engaged in work related venture. On-the-Job-
Training programme are therefore carefully monitored piece of work or service experience
in which an individual has intentional learning goals and reflects actively on what she or
he is learning throughout the experience.

They assist the student-trainee to bridge the gap between the academic learning
process and the practical reality (Furco, 1996; Lam and Ching, 2007). McMahon and
Quinn (1995) note that student-trainee is supervised work experiences where students
are closely supervised. Research highlighting the importance of relevant practical
experience for students has been carried out (Mounce et al, 2004) but the effects of
these On-the-Job-Training programme on the success of the student-trainee to transfer
the field practice into the actual workplace engagement needs follow up (Beard and
Morton, 1999). The importance of On-the-Job-Training programme have also been
established in recruiting decisions by employers (Pasewark et al, 2001) and research
studies in accounting On-the-Job-Training programme have shown improved subsequent
academic performance (English and Koeppen, 1993).

The student-traineeship programme contributes significantly and positively

towards enhancing the knowledge base and motivational level of students (Beard,
1998). The best outside classroom learning activities are through an student-traineeship
attachment (Burnett, 2003). Several studies have reported the benefits of student-
traineeship programmes in conventional colleges and universities on the rationale in
offering attachments as part of the academic programme. Further benefits include
improvements in career-related direction, gaining practical experience (Lubbers, 2001),
improved marketability of graduates (Swift and Kent, 1999; Hymon-Parker, 1998),
interpersonal skills (Beard and Morton, 1999) and understanding of the theories of
classroom learning (Cook et al., 2004; Hymon-Parker, 1998).

According to Scott (1992) state that student-traineeship is the best way for
students to explore the suitability of a particular job.

In a study conducted by Nevett (1985), students argued that attachments bridged

the gap between the theory of the classroom and the world of practice. Student-
traineeship programmes are perceived as a valuable way to acquire broad competencies
where the practical knowledge obtained supports and complements the theoretical
studies learned in the classrooms (Mihail, 2006). According to Knechel and Snowball

5 | fi r s t d r a f t
(1987), student-traineeship attachments were found to enhance students' performance
in their courses.

Previous research studies also show that student-traineeship periods were too
shot and the majority of student-trainees think that the most appropriate student-
traineeship period should be six months (Oliver, 2010; Mihail, 2006). Mihail (2006) also
found in his study that most of the student-trainees preferred to have student-
traineeship periods ranging from six to nine months instead of three months. This
indicated that student-trainees are willing to have a longer student-traineeship period
and believe that they can learn more within a six month period. Oliver (2010) remarks
that the short amount of time an student-traineeship lasts really never lets the student
become a fully functional employee because there is not so much to take in for them.

According to Perlin (2011) On-the-Job-Training programme displace paid workers

and allow companies to dodge liabilities through the nonpayment of student-trainee
labor. Student-trainees accept the post at no price to survive the duration of the student-
traineeship.

According to Rothman (2007) and Cannon and Arnold (1998) at times complaints
have been raised against employers for treating the student-trainees as cheap labor.
Supervision of student-trainees has been cited as being problematic. Qualified staff to
supervise the student-trainees has been in short supply (Tackett et al., 2001; Gault et
al., 2000). Universities should be responsible to ensure that On-the-Job-Training
programme are offering meaningful learning experiences for their students. According to
Tackett et al. (2001), students feel that there should be careful examination of feedback
from employers and student-trainees followed by the modification of the student-
traineeship programme accordingly.

According to Tackett et al (2001), On-the-Job-Training programme have taken on an

increasingly important role in education over the past decade since they present
students with many advantages, ranging from gaining experience and obtaining career-
related direction to networking with other students from various institutions as they at
the organization providing the student-traineeship (Lubbers, 2008). The learning or
parent institutions offering student-traineeship programmes have also benefitted through
increased cooperation and rapport with the industry (English and Koeppen, 1993).
Employers have not been left out of the benefits as On-the-Job-Training programme can
provide them with inexpensive help, new ideas and potential future employees
(Rothman, 2007; Cannon and Arnold, 1998).

6 | fi r s t d r a f t
 Chapter III
Methodology

Research Design
The descriptive method of research was used in the study. It aimed to gather data
on the overall performance of the students undergone On-the-Job Training at the
seven(7) different agencies in the province of Isabela.

Sources of Data
The respondents of this study were fifty (58) cooperating Agency Supervisors of
the twenty one(21) fourth year BSIT students who are undergone OJT the seven(7)
different agencies in the province of Isabela. The lists of respondents were taken from
the head of each agency partner.

Data Gathering Tools

The data gathering instruments used in this study was the student evaluation
sheet for evaluating student performance. A devised questionnaire was categorized into
three different aspects namely; Technical Knowledge, Student personality and Office
work management.

The student trainees were rated by the respondents using the following scale
matrix;

Scale Description/Interpretation

4.5-5.0 Very Good

3.5-4.49 Good
2.5-3.49 Fair
1.5-2.49 Poor
1.0-1.49 Very poor

Data Gathering Procedure

In order to have reliable on the results, the researcher used the total enumeration
in gathering data since this study was conducted at seven(7) different agencies namely;
City Public Library-Cauayan, City Population Office-Cauayan, City COMELEC office-
Cauayan, City Engineering Office-Cauayan, City RESCUE 922 Office-Cauayan, CENRO-
Cabagan, and ATI-RTC-Cabagan. A student Evaluation sheet for OJT trainee was
distributed to the heads or supervisors of the seven (7) cooperating agencies where the
student assigned, then, this forms were retrieved by the researcher immediately.

Statistical Tools

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 To determine the Performance of the fourth year BSIT Students as perceived by
their cooperating supervisors of the cooperating agency, the frequency count and
weighted mean method were used.

8 | fi r s t d r a f t
 Chapter IV
Results and Discussions

This is to presents the analysis and interpretation of the data gathered from the
cooperating supervisors of the cooperating agencies from the seven (7) different
agencies where the BSIT students undergone their OJT program.

Table 1 shows the technical knowledge and skills of the students as perceived by
their supervisors

The findings showed that the technical knowledge level of the BSIT fourth year
students as perceived by their supervisors are rated Very Good with an overall weighted
mean of 4.57. It means to say that the technical knowledge and skills acquired by the
students in their core subjects and electives in the BSIT curriculum is highly demand and
relevant course.

Table 2 shows the student personality as perceived by their supervisors

As shown in table 2 that the student personality as perceived by their supervisors

are rated very good with an overall weighted mean of 4.50. It means to say that the
BSIT fourth year OJT students are well educated in the code of ethics for IT professionals
and also properly guided and informed about the other factors affecting their
performance.

Table 3 shows the office work management performance of the students as

perceived by their supervisor

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 Results have shown that the office work management ability of the students as
perceived by their supervisors was rated Good only with an overall weighted mean of
4.48.

Table 4 shows the overall performance of the students as perceived by their supervisors

It revealed in the result in table 4 the overall performance of the fourth year BSIT
students rated 4.49 equivalent as Good.

10 | fi r s t d r a f t
 Chapter V
Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations

Summary of Findings

This study was conducted to find out the performance of the fourth year BSIT
students who undergone their On-the-Job Training program in Seven(7) different
agencies.

The study sought to answer the following questions; What is the performance of
the fourth year BSIT Students in their On-the-Job Training program as perceived by their
supervisors of the cooperating agency in each of the following; (a) Technical Knowledge
and Skills (b) Student Personality (c) Office Work management. What is the Overall
performance of the fourth year BSIT Students as perceived by their supervisors of the
cooperating Agency?

A total of fifty eight (58) respondents of the seven (7) different agencies. A
descriptive method, frequency count and weighted mean analysis were used in the
study.

Conclusions
After thorough analysis of the data and results, the following conclusions are
drawn;

1. The technical knowledge and skills of the OJT students as perceived by their
supervisor were rated very good with an overall weighted mean of 4.57 as shown in
table 1. The student personality aspect were rated very good also with an overall
weighted mean of 4.50 while the Office work management were rated Good only with
an overall weighted mean of 4.48.

2. The overall performance of the fourth year BSIT students in their OJT program
as perceived by their supervisor was good with an overall weighted mean of 4.49 as
shown in table 4.

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Recommendations

Therefore, the researcher recommends the following;

1. After knowing the performance of the BSIT students in their OJT program which
was rated as good, the faculty curriculum implementer and program chair concern at
the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) of the College of
Development Communications and Arts and Sciences (CDCAS) should continuously
review the BSIT curriculum specifically the core subjects and electives of the BSIT
program and revise if possible to meet the demand of the industry in order to enhance
the students technical knowledge and skills on the basic competencies of the BSIT
students before their deployment for their On-the-Job Training. The ICT department
should continuously provide the students with relevant seminars on ICT trends and
technologies, workshop-seminar on office procedures and personality development
training to improve the knowledge level of the students prior to their OJT.

2. The OJT Adviser/Coordinator as well as the supervisor of the cooperating

agency should have a close supervision and monitoring of the students daily, weekly and
monthly performance and accomplishments and make comments or suggestions in every
aspects of students performance to improve their skills.

3. The university should be actively involved in assisting students in getting

organizations where they can enroll for their student-traineeship program in the region
and even outside the region.

4. The student-traineeship duration should be increases from 486 hours to 500

hours
5. Credible organizations should be approached by the university to offer places
for the student-trainees and there should an audit of these organizations to establish the
levels of personnel qualifications.

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 References

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student-traineeship program at a regional university. Technical Communication Quarterly,
10(2), 225239.

Van Dorp, C. (2008). A premier European platform for clearing e-On-the-Job-Training

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10.1111/j.14678535.2007.00731.x.

European Funded Research on Flexible Modality On-the-Job-Training programme.

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Weible, R. (2010). Are universities reaping the available benefits student-traineeship

programs offer? Journal of Education for Business, 85, 5963. Unpublished Material/s

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