Online Practicum Program during the Pandemic among COB Students of the Systems Plus College Foundation

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of the online practicum program on students' professional development, personal growth, skills, and abilities at the College of Business, Systems Plus College Foundation in Angeles City, Philippines during the pandemic. The study included 28 practicum students from the College of Business of Systems Plus College Foundation, Angeles City, Philippines, who were studying Bachelor of Science in Accountancy and Bachelor of Science in Customs Administration. The research employed a structured questionnaire of 28 closed-ended items rated on a 5-point Likert scale on gender, course pursuing, reason and expectation from the practicum, and influence of practicum on the professional development, personal growth, skill, and abilities of the respondents. The gender, course pursuing, reasons, and expectations of respondents were analyzed using descriptive analysis. A reliability scale through Cronbach Alpha was used to assess the questionnaire's reliability. normality was evaluated employing univariate and multivariate normality of skewness and kurtosis, and a non-parametric test through Mann-Whitney test was used to calculate the p-value measuring the evidence against the null hypothesis. The evaluation on the influence of online practicum among the respondents was carried out through a non-parametric test using Mann Whitney test. The study's findings show the influence of internship programs on the professional and personal growth and skills of COB-SPCF business students.