The religious education program of the University of the Assumption: An assessment

This study is an assessment of the Religious Education Program of the University of the Assumption (UA) in San Fernando, Pampanga in school year 1991-92.The descriptive-evaluative-comparative method of research was employed in this study. The objectives of UA\u27s Religious Education Program, the profile of the religious educators at UA, the students\u27 religious knowledge and attitudes, the methodologies/instructional skills the teachers used in their Theology classes, and the difficulties/problems the teachers encountered during the implementation of the program were analyzed in relation to the goals of the Church\u27s Catechesis, the University\u27s Mission Statement, and the needs of the students. The effectivity of the program was assessed using Stufflebeam\u27s evaluation model. The evaluation of religious knowledge and attitudes of the students before and after their involvement in the Program and when they were grouped by year levels were compared.The respondents were the students in all year levels from the Colleges of Architecture, Commerce, Education, Engineering, Liberal Arts, Nursing and Nutrition enrolled in the UA for the first semester, SY 1991-92. The number of respondents was pro-rated according to the College population. The students were selected through stratified random sampling through lottery. There were 315 freshmen, 300 sophomores, and 292 juniors, as well as seniors. Fifteen Theology teachers were counted as respondents in addition to the college students. Context evaluation showed that the objectives of the Religious Education Program are considered as strengths for they reflect the goals of Catechesis and the two-pronged Mission Statement of the University and they are responsive to the needs of the students. The pre-program religious knowledge and attitudes of students are considered as strengths however, the academic preparation and professional competencies of the Theology teachers are viewed as weaknesses in the input of the Program. Process evaluation showed that to some extent the methodologies/instructional skills used by the Theology teacher are strengths of the Program. They are effective in enabling the students to know and understand better their Christian faith, but insufficient to effectively assist the students in the development and formation of their religious attitudes. Most of the problems encountered by the Theology teachers during the Program implementation can be given immediate solutions, however some problems would require longer time before the solution can be achieved. The Program showed effectiveness in enabling students to grow in their religious knowledge, but less effective in achieving the growth in their religious attitudes. Religious knowledge of the sophomores, juniors, and seniors particularly in the Sacraments indicates a weakness in the teaching of Theology 2. The Program is effective in the religious knowledge of freshmen and seniors and less effective for sophomores and juniors. Comparative evaluation of students\u27 religious attitudes showed the Program to be not generally effective when students are grouped by year levels