Assessing Higher Education Exit Exam in Ethiopia: Practices, Challenges and Prospects

Eyob Ayenew; Abreham Gebre Yohannes

doi:doi:10.11648/j.sjedu.20221002.15

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Assessing Higher Education Exit Exam in Ethiopia: Practices, Challenges and Prospects

Eyob Ayenew, Abreham Gebre Yohannes

Published in Science Journal of Education (Volume 10, Issue 2)

Received: 22 March 2022 Accepted: 20 April 2022 Published: 28 April 2022

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Abstract

Ensuring quality and relevant education in Higher Education institutions is one of the challenges that remained to be solved. In a pursuit to rise educational outcomes in terms of quality and relevance, many countries currently aim to improve accountability in the school system. Many school systems provide educational outcome information. However, the Exit exam provides outcome information to be comparable across schools on an external standard. Exit exams have been argued to improve the signaling of educational achievement on the labor market and to increase labor-market productivity through increased human capital. The exit exam is intended to ensure all graduates from HEIs have developed adequate mastery of the core competencies articulated in the respective curricula thereby satisfying the requirements of the labor market and employability through the nationwide implementation of curriculum-based external exit examination. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to examine the current practices, and challenges on the implementation of exit exams and put forward way for its enhanced implementation. Thus, desk review of different articles, documents, policies, manuals, and guidelines was made from global and local pieces of literature. Moreover, key informants from concerned institutions including National Examination and Assessment Agency, Health Professionals Competency Assessment Licensure Directorate, Higher Education Strategy Center, and Federal Justice and Legal Research and Training Institute) were interviewed to substantiate the desk review result. Results have shown that although institutions across nations or states in a nation call exit exam in different names, the purpose in one way or another is the same, improving students' achievement, enhancing graduates performance, improve quality of education and improve graduates' competence in their respective fields of study. It has been identified that exit exam has many strength including helping to ensure common standard knowledge and practical competencies, improving public trust, improving reliability and validity of assessment tools, a tool for quality assurance to benchmark any potential problem, and helping the faculty to perform an ongoing global assessment. Moreover, several concerns regarding the scheme of exit exam including efforts and costs to maintain the process, opposing arguments, exposing potential weakness in the education system, fear of impeding flexibility within curriculum, quality and trustworthiness of the employee, ownership, exam administration, and management and cheating were indicated. Consequently, establishing independent exit exam organization, online exam administration, awareness creation before full implementation of exit exam and cost-sharing are some of the recommendations forwarded.

Published in	Science Journal of Education (Volume 10, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.sjedu.20221002.15
Page(s)	79-86
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Higher Education Institutions, Exit Exam, Practice, Challenges, Prospects

References

[1]	Al Ahmad, M., Al Marzouqi, A. H., &Hussien, M. (2014). Exit Exam as Academic Performance Indicator. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology-TOJET, 13 (3), 58-67.
[2]	Baker, O., & Lang, K. (2013). The effect of high school exit exams on graduation, employment, wages, and incarceration (No. w19182). National Bureau of Economic Research.
[3]	Bakker, S. 2014. The Introduction of Large-Scale Computer Adaptive Testing in Georgia: Political Context, Capacity Building, Implementation, and Lessons Learned. Washington, DC: World Bank.
[4]	Bishop, J. H. (2000). Curriculum-based external exit exam systems: do students learn more? How? Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 6 (1), 199.
[5]	Woessmann, L. (2018). Central exit exams improve student outcomes. IZA World of Labor.
[6]	Hanushek, E. A., and L. Woessmann (2011). How Much Do Educational Outcomes Matter in OECD Countries? Paper presented at the 52^nd Panel Meeting on Economic Policy, Rome. (Also available in Economic Policy 26 (67) (July 2011): 427–91).
[7]	Higher Education Strategic Center (HESC). (2015). Evaluation of the Law Exit Examination System in Ethiopia, Addis Ababa.
[8]	Holme, J. J., Richards, M. P., Jimerson, J. B., & Cohen, R. W. (2010). Assessing the effects of high school exit examinations. Review of Educational Research, 80 (4), 476-526.
[9]	Kellaghan, T., & Greaney, V. (2019). Public examinations.
[10]	MoE. (2013). National Modularized Curriculum of the LL.B Program in Laws, April.
[11]	MOH (2015). Implementation Guideline for National Licensing Examination of Health Professionals. Addis Ababa.

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Eyob Ayenew, Abreham Gebre Yohannes. (2022). Assessing Higher Education Exit Exam in Ethiopia: Practices, Challenges and Prospects. Science Journal of Education, 10(2), 79-86. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjedu.20221002.15

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Eyob Ayenew; Abreham Gebre Yohannes. Assessing Higher Education Exit Exam in Ethiopia: Practices, Challenges and Prospects. Sci. J. Educ. 2022, 10(2), 79-86. doi: 10.11648/j.sjedu.20221002.15

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AMA Style

Eyob Ayenew, Abreham Gebre Yohannes. Assessing Higher Education Exit Exam in Ethiopia: Practices, Challenges and Prospects. Sci J Educ. 2022;10(2):79-86. doi: 10.11648/j.sjedu.20221002.15

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@article{10.11648/j.sjedu.20221002.15,
  author = {Eyob Ayenew and Abreham Gebre Yohannes},
  title = {Assessing Higher Education Exit Exam in Ethiopia: Practices, Challenges and Prospects},
  journal = {Science Journal of Education},
  volume = {10},
  number = {2},
  pages = {79-86},
  doi = {10.11648/j.sjedu.20221002.15},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjedu.20221002.15},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.sjedu.20221002.15},
  abstract = {Ensuring quality and relevant education in Higher Education institutions is one of the challenges that remained to be solved. In a pursuit to rise educational outcomes in terms of quality and relevance, many countries currently aim to improve accountability in the school system. Many school systems provide educational outcome information. However, the Exit exam provides outcome information to be comparable across schools on an external standard. Exit exams have been argued to improve the signaling of educational achievement on the labor market and to increase labor-market productivity through increased human capital. The exit exam is intended to ensure all graduates from HEIs have developed adequate mastery of the core competencies articulated in the respective curricula thereby satisfying the requirements of the labor market and employability through the nationwide implementation of curriculum-based external exit examination. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to examine the current practices, and challenges on the implementation of exit exams and put forward way for its enhanced implementation. Thus, desk review of different articles, documents, policies, manuals, and guidelines was made from global and local pieces of literature. Moreover, key informants from concerned institutions including National Examination and Assessment Agency, Health Professionals Competency Assessment Licensure Directorate, Higher Education Strategy Center, and Federal Justice and Legal Research and Training Institute) were interviewed to substantiate the desk review result. Results have shown that although institutions across nations or states in a nation call exit exam in different names, the purpose in one way or another is the same, improving students' achievement, enhancing graduates performance, improve quality of education and improve graduates' competence in their respective fields of study. It has been identified that exit exam has many strength including helping to ensure common standard knowledge and practical competencies, improving public trust, improving reliability and validity of assessment tools, a tool for quality assurance to benchmark any potential problem, and helping the faculty to perform an ongoing global assessment. Moreover, several concerns regarding the scheme of exit exam including efforts and costs to maintain the process, opposing arguments, exposing potential weakness in the education system, fear of impeding flexibility within curriculum, quality and trustworthiness of the employee, ownership, exam administration, and management and cheating were indicated. Consequently, establishing independent exit exam organization, online exam administration, awareness creation before full implementation of exit exam and cost-sharing are some of the recommendations forwarded.},
 year = {2022}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Assessing Higher Education Exit Exam in Ethiopia: Practices, Challenges and Prospects
AU  - Eyob Ayenew
AU  - Abreham Gebre Yohannes
Y1  - 2022/04/28
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjedu.20221002.15
DO  - 10.11648/j.sjedu.20221002.15
T2  - Science Journal of Education
JF  - Science Journal of Education
JO  - Science Journal of Education
SP  - 79
EP  - 86
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2329-0897
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjedu.20221002.15
AB  - Ensuring quality and relevant education in Higher Education institutions is one of the challenges that remained to be solved. In a pursuit to rise educational outcomes in terms of quality and relevance, many countries currently aim to improve accountability in the school system. Many school systems provide educational outcome information. However, the Exit exam provides outcome information to be comparable across schools on an external standard. Exit exams have been argued to improve the signaling of educational achievement on the labor market and to increase labor-market productivity through increased human capital. The exit exam is intended to ensure all graduates from HEIs have developed adequate mastery of the core competencies articulated in the respective curricula thereby satisfying the requirements of the labor market and employability through the nationwide implementation of curriculum-based external exit examination. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to examine the current practices, and challenges on the implementation of exit exams and put forward way for its enhanced implementation. Thus, desk review of different articles, documents, policies, manuals, and guidelines was made from global and local pieces of literature. Moreover, key informants from concerned institutions including National Examination and Assessment Agency, Health Professionals Competency Assessment Licensure Directorate, Higher Education Strategy Center, and Federal Justice and Legal Research and Training Institute) were interviewed to substantiate the desk review result. Results have shown that although institutions across nations or states in a nation call exit exam in different names, the purpose in one way or another is the same, improving students' achievement, enhancing graduates performance, improve quality of education and improve graduates' competence in their respective fields of study. It has been identified that exit exam has many strength including helping to ensure common standard knowledge and practical competencies, improving public trust, improving reliability and validity of assessment tools, a tool for quality assurance to benchmark any potential problem, and helping the faculty to perform an ongoing global assessment. Moreover, several concerns regarding the scheme of exit exam including efforts and costs to maintain the process, opposing arguments, exposing potential weakness in the education system, fear of impeding flexibility within curriculum, quality and trustworthiness of the employee, ownership, exam administration, and management and cheating were indicated. Consequently, establishing independent exit exam organization, online exam administration, awareness creation before full implementation of exit exam and cost-sharing are some of the recommendations forwarded.
VL  - 10
IS  - 2
ER  -

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Author Information

Eyob Ayenew

Ministry of Education, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Abreham Gebre Yohannes

Ministry of Education, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

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APA Style

Eyob Ayenew, Abreham Gebre Yohannes. (2022). Assessing Higher Education Exit Exam in Ethiopia: Practices, Challenges and Prospects. Science Journal of Education, 10(2), 79-86. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjedu.20221002.15

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ACS Style

Eyob Ayenew; Abreham Gebre Yohannes. Assessing Higher Education Exit Exam in Ethiopia: Practices, Challenges and Prospects. Sci. J. Educ. 2022, 10(2), 79-86. doi: 10.11648/j.sjedu.20221002.15

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AMA Style

Eyob Ayenew, Abreham Gebre Yohannes. Assessing Higher Education Exit Exam in Ethiopia: Practices, Challenges and Prospects. Sci J Educ. 2022;10(2):79-86. doi: 10.11648/j.sjedu.20221002.15

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.sjedu.20221002.15,
  author = {Eyob Ayenew and Abreham Gebre Yohannes},
  title = {Assessing Higher Education Exit Exam in Ethiopia: Practices, Challenges and Prospects},
  journal = {Science Journal of Education},
  volume = {10},
  number = {2},
  pages = {79-86},
  doi = {10.11648/j.sjedu.20221002.15},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjedu.20221002.15},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.sjedu.20221002.15},
  abstract = {Ensuring quality and relevant education in Higher Education institutions is one of the challenges that remained to be solved. In a pursuit to rise educational outcomes in terms of quality and relevance, many countries currently aim to improve accountability in the school system. Many school systems provide educational outcome information. However, the Exit exam provides outcome information to be comparable across schools on an external standard. Exit exams have been argued to improve the signaling of educational achievement on the labor market and to increase labor-market productivity through increased human capital. The exit exam is intended to ensure all graduates from HEIs have developed adequate mastery of the core competencies articulated in the respective curricula thereby satisfying the requirements of the labor market and employability through the nationwide implementation of curriculum-based external exit examination. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to examine the current practices, and challenges on the implementation of exit exams and put forward way for its enhanced implementation. Thus, desk review of different articles, documents, policies, manuals, and guidelines was made from global and local pieces of literature. Moreover, key informants from concerned institutions including National Examination and Assessment Agency, Health Professionals Competency Assessment Licensure Directorate, Higher Education Strategy Center, and Federal Justice and Legal Research and Training Institute) were interviewed to substantiate the desk review result. Results have shown that although institutions across nations or states in a nation call exit exam in different names, the purpose in one way or another is the same, improving students' achievement, enhancing graduates performance, improve quality of education and improve graduates' competence in their respective fields of study. It has been identified that exit exam has many strength including helping to ensure common standard knowledge and practical competencies, improving public trust, improving reliability and validity of assessment tools, a tool for quality assurance to benchmark any potential problem, and helping the faculty to perform an ongoing global assessment. Moreover, several concerns regarding the scheme of exit exam including efforts and costs to maintain the process, opposing arguments, exposing potential weakness in the education system, fear of impeding flexibility within curriculum, quality and trustworthiness of the employee, ownership, exam administration, and management and cheating were indicated. Consequently, establishing independent exit exam organization, online exam administration, awareness creation before full implementation of exit exam and cost-sharing are some of the recommendations forwarded.},
 year = {2022}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Assessing Higher Education Exit Exam in Ethiopia: Practices, Challenges and Prospects
AU  - Eyob Ayenew
AU  - Abreham Gebre Yohannes
Y1  - 2022/04/28
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjedu.20221002.15
DO  - 10.11648/j.sjedu.20221002.15
T2  - Science Journal of Education
JF  - Science Journal of Education
JO  - Science Journal of Education
SP  - 79
EP  - 86
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2329-0897
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjedu.20221002.15
AB  - Ensuring quality and relevant education in Higher Education institutions is one of the challenges that remained to be solved. In a pursuit to rise educational outcomes in terms of quality and relevance, many countries currently aim to improve accountability in the school system. Many school systems provide educational outcome information. However, the Exit exam provides outcome information to be comparable across schools on an external standard. Exit exams have been argued to improve the signaling of educational achievement on the labor market and to increase labor-market productivity through increased human capital. The exit exam is intended to ensure all graduates from HEIs have developed adequate mastery of the core competencies articulated in the respective curricula thereby satisfying the requirements of the labor market and employability through the nationwide implementation of curriculum-based external exit examination. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to examine the current practices, and challenges on the implementation of exit exams and put forward way for its enhanced implementation. Thus, desk review of different articles, documents, policies, manuals, and guidelines was made from global and local pieces of literature. Moreover, key informants from concerned institutions including National Examination and Assessment Agency, Health Professionals Competency Assessment Licensure Directorate, Higher Education Strategy Center, and Federal Justice and Legal Research and Training Institute) were interviewed to substantiate the desk review result. Results have shown that although institutions across nations or states in a nation call exit exam in different names, the purpose in one way or another is the same, improving students' achievement, enhancing graduates performance, improve quality of education and improve graduates' competence in their respective fields of study. It has been identified that exit exam has many strength including helping to ensure common standard knowledge and practical competencies, improving public trust, improving reliability and validity of assessment tools, a tool for quality assurance to benchmark any potential problem, and helping the faculty to perform an ongoing global assessment. Moreover, several concerns regarding the scheme of exit exam including efforts and costs to maintain the process, opposing arguments, exposing potential weakness in the education system, fear of impeding flexibility within curriculum, quality and trustworthiness of the employee, ownership, exam administration, and management and cheating were indicated. Consequently, establishing independent exit exam organization, online exam administration, awareness creation before full implementation of exit exam and cost-sharing are some of the recommendations forwarded.
VL  - 10
IS  - 2
ER  -

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