Student Engagement in Some Ethiopian Private Higher Education Institutions

Abstract

The quality of higher education has been an overriding theme in the area of higher education since decades. Yet, controversies on how to ensure quality in higher education still dominate educational research and literature. Total quality management (TQM) has been borrowed from industries and widely applied in higher education. Recently, however, there is the contention that although TQM fits properly to the service provision of higher education, it is deficient to address the educational purpose of higher education. Consequently, new approaches have been forwarded and student engagement is argued to be one of the most appropriate approaches in explaining quality educational provision. It is also a very useful proxy for assessing ‘added values’ on students by higher learning institutions. The basic premise of student engagement is the assertion that high quality programs contribute to learning experiences that affect students’ development positively. In view of this theoretical basis, this study assessed the status of student engagement in Ethiopian higher learning institutions using a questionnaire. Data were collected from students and findings that give evidence on the extent of academic challenge, the prevalence of active and collaborative learning and the quality of faculty-student interaction were unveiled. It is argued that external monitoring mechanisms for accreditation such as quality and quantity of buildings, availability of books, number and type of staff do not attend to significant issues that are imperative for ensuring quality higher education; hence, they need to be coupled with various approaches such as student engagement.