How much do they know? A survey of the foundational knowledge of incoming technology management undergraduates

As technology management continues to evolve as an academic discipline, it becomes increasingly important for educators to determine an incoming student´s foundational knowledge. This study examined the results from 149 surveys distributed to incoming students in an undergraduate technology management program to determine what technology management related strengths and competencies they identify themselves as possessing. The study also looked for correlations between the results of these self-assessments and key variables (i.e., age, gender). The results indicated that students felt most confident in their understanding of technology project management and least confident in understanding quality management. An ANCOVA was used to identify whether age or gender had a statistically significant relationship with the results from the self-assessment. The analysis resulted in two statistically significant relationships: (1) the relationship between gender and the assessment/evaluation of technology, and (2) the relationship between age and strategic management of technology. The results of this study did not provide evidence to explain these relationships; however, it uncovered outcomes indicating a future line of inquiry focusing on age, gender, and curriculum design.