A Longitudinal Evaluation ofElectromagnetic TheoryStudents' Continuous Improvement inLearning Skills

Since 2003,Fakulti Kejuruteraan Elektrik, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai subscribed to goodpractices asrequired bytheir teaching and learning processes whichwasdulycertified toISO 9001:2000. Itwasdeveloped based ontheAmerican Accreditation BoardofEngineering andTechnology (ABET)requirements whichpromote theOutcome Based Education(OBE) learning process. Collaborative and cooperative learning (CCL) technique wasapplied toinculcate thenecessary generic skills attributes. A series ofassessment were designed tovalidate suchlearning outcomes. Final exam questions wereevaluated usingBloom's Taxonomy. Thetests employed include indexof difficulty andindexofdiscrimination. Thispaper presents alongitudinal evaluation basedona case studyconducted on anundergraduate microwave engineering course forfourconsecutive years, with specific reference torepeat students' achievements for session 2004/05-2 andtheconsecutive 2005/06-1. It was foundthatcorrelation exists betweenthe effectiveness ofCCL andsignificantly improved students' performance.