By: Nurudeen Akewushola
Under normal circumstance, examination is meant to evaluate what students have been taught in the class.It gives the lecturer the insight of whether students really understand the course being taught in the class or not.
It's also meant to cheer-up the students' ability for them to try harder and harder.
This is done by selecting some random questions within what they have been taught in which after they will be evaluated and the result will be displayed based on their individual input.
In some other Universities, students' results are always displayed to them in such a way that it will feature what they scored during the continuous assessment test as well their score during the exam which yield their grade.
However in UDUS, it's not conceived as necessity for students to see their actual score during the test and exam, the only thing that's made available to them is their grade which will be pasted to their student portal without knowing the actual score which results to the grade.
It's expected that test results should be displayed vividly to students for them to know their input before the exam so that they can know their weak point ahead of main exam. Some students' weak point is during Continuous Assessment and not during the Exam and vice versa, but this will not be known by the students if the only thing that's made available to them is their grade only without knowing their score
During the 2017/18 session, some inconsistencies marred the conduct of GST exams, in fact the students' grades were altered randomly without knowing the reason behind it. Students find it difficult to know where their weak points lie, was it during their test or exam? It's only in Danfodiyo Varsity that students see their grade without knowing their score. It's only few departments that used to make this available to students at their own volition.
Some students would check their student portal and see their grade, few weeks after they check back, they would discover that their grades had been changed without knowing the reason which accrued the change.
A cursory look at the transparent manner at which some Universities used to project their students' results which will capture the score which they got during the Continuous Assessment and Examination. For instance, In University of Ilorin, Obafemi Awolowo University and others, students' scores during the exam will be displayed to them in their student account so that students can know what they really weigh.
It's saddening to note that some students of this school have been victims of rustication as a result of poor academic performance, this is due to the fact that they are unable to know their chink which they need to fill.
In 2017, many students including medical students failed CHM101 CA test but because the department always deem it fit; the responsibility of releasing the students continuous Assessment result before students sit for exam, most of the students who failed this Continous Assessment test were able to know their shortfall before the exam and in fact most of them that scored very low during the test later performed excellently and scored A aftermath.
This is achievable because students were made to realize their mistake on time and therefore they were able to redress before the time of exam.
The rate at which students used to carry over some courses in UDUS is alarming, this is as a result of the fact that they failed to understand where their mistakes lie and therefore they will keep repeating the same mistake that led to their failure.
In fact, the continous Assessment in this University is not performing its sole responsibility because if the students are being tested before the exam and they know their scores before the time of exam, students will be able to seek redress before the time of exam.
Meanwhile, only few students used to have that boldness to lodge complain to their department if what they got is different from their expectation, as a result of this, some students are victims of erroneous grade without having that chance to hold their examiner accountable.
A friend of mine once got E in a course which he later went to the examination officer to complain, he was kicked-out like two times but he kept repeating the same until he made an agreement with the lecturer that if he really got E his grade will be changed to F. He surmounted that courage and his script was checked which he scored a very good mark in the exam but his test script was not recorded which led to his low total grade. His Continuous Assessment script was checked for him and which after that it was discovered that he scored a high mark. What about all those students who do not possess this confidence to confront their examination official?
The academic staff may have their reasons or excuses which may not be far away from "over work" which can be solved if the University Management will employ staff that have nothing to do with teaching in class to handle this.
This will curb the belief of majority of students that UDUS examination results are usually manipulated and it's not the actual result of the students' performance. The above prediction has been proved right by many scenarios and the most recent is the recent release of GST312 for students of Modern European Languages and Linguistics. The result which is supposed to have been released since last semester 2018, it's now around the eleventh hour of the first semester that the result was released. Who knows what delayed the result? Is it missing? Or disappeared on the system? The question is left for the GST unit to answer.
It's trivially noted that many errors may occur if what is being displayed to students' account is their grade only. Unavoidable mistakes may be committed while inserting the grades in student account. Had it been there is column to insert the score, it will make it noticeable, anytime error occurs as the score and the grade will not not tally.
The process will have been so transparent if the University management can include the columns in the students' result account which is capable of displaying students scores during the test and exam which births the grade that they got, it will provide answers to the conundrum of whether it's the University that is failing the students or it's the students that are performing poorly. It will also help the students to know their weak point and redress. This approach will undoubtedly enhance the transparency in the conduct of examination and also reduce the problem of mass failure in our Varsity.
0 Comments