Knowing what students learn and can do has become a central concern of universities, parents, and stakeholders. One of the central mandates of Ethiopian HEIs is promoting students’ learning achievements and developing the competences that are essential for them to succeed in the world of work and society. However, quality assurance (QA) and quality enhancement (QE) practices at both public and private universities appear to rely more on the assessment of educational inputs and teaching process parameters than on assessing how QA systems, processes, and practices are transforming students’ actual learning and achievement.
The significance of the present study lies in its three key contributions: the first is to national and institutional QA policymaking, strategy formulation, and guideline development, the second is to the development of student engagement (SE) measures relevant to Ethiopian HEIs, and the third is to SE and QA research. From the perspective of the present study, any endeavour that seeks to explore the quality of an institution, programme curriculum, teaching and learning process, or students’ learning and achievements needs to consider information about the role of QA systems, processes, and practices in transforming SE into concrete learning outcomes. Without such data, discussions about the quality of education are inherently incomplete, as SE data have become more influential in measuring the quality of university education and in promoting evidence-based quality management practices.
Similarly, in addition to investigating the policy, system, input, and process dimensions of QA, research into QA needs to place students’ educational experiences and learning gains at the centre of the discussion. This central premise of this dissertation is the development and use of SE and students’ outcome measures to assess the quality of Ethiopian HEIs. Accordingly, the present study examined the association between SE in on- and off-campus educational experiences and students’ academic, social, and work-related outcomes. The results are crucial to judging the success of public and private universities in Ethiopia at fulfilling their core mission of producing graduates with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) needed for success in the world of work and in society.
Apart from this, the study provides empirical evidence that supports or refutes the argument that SE plays a salient role in transforming students’ college experiences and achievement of benchmark learning outcomes. It also provides baseline SE data that future researchers can use to examine the relationship between QA practices, students’ college experiences, and student outcomes. Using these findings, the study challenges the national and institutional policymaking environment and argues for the need to redirect efforts to ensure that quality in HE actually enhances students’ college experiences and outcomes. Through approaching quality from the student perspective, this study stresses the collection and analysis of context-dependent data that are used to explore and test SE concepts, dimensions, and theories in the context of Ethiopian HE. The results of this study can thus play a crucial role in providing macro- and micro-level variables that significantly shape and influence SE, learning achievements, and students’ development of academic, social, and work-related competences. This level of analysis assists efforts to implement comprehensive quality management procedures and processes in Ethiopian public and private HEIs.
Mr. Fadil Abbagidi holds a master’s degree in Educational Sciences: Educational Effectiveness and Instructional Design. Currently he works as an Associate Director of Central Quality Assurance Office at Admas University in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Previously (before the civil war in Northern part of the country) he worked as a lecturer and researcher at Mekelle University’s Institute of Pedagogical Sciences in Mekelle, Tigray.
The doctoral dissertation of M.A. Fadil Abbagidi in the field of Administrative Science titled Student Engagement in Public and Private Ethiopian Universities: Transforming Students’ College Experiences and Learning Outcomes will be publicly examined at the Faculty of Management and Business at Tampere University in the B1096 auditorium of the Pinni B building (address: Kanslerinrinne 1, Tampere), on 9 September, 2022 at 16-19o’clock. The Opponent will be Professor Matthew R. Wawrzynski from Michigan State University, USA. The Custos will be Professor, Jussi Kivistö, Faculty of Management and Business.
The event can be also followed via remote connection. (Zoom)
The dissertation is available at https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-03-2525-1.
Photo: By Fadil Jihad