| 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. |
