The Impending Challenges of Continuous Assessment Implementation at Dire Dawa University, Ethiopia

Abstract

Enhancing quality of education is the ultimate goal of CA and is at the apex of the pyramid. This study attested the challenges impeding CA implementation at Dire Dawa University. To this study purpose survey research design was employed. A sample of 73 instructors and 284 students were involved in this study. The data collected through five-point Likert’s scale questionnaire were analyzed using two-tailed one-sample t-test. The reliability of instruments was computed using Cronbach alpha and therefore, all instruments have had presumably acceptable liability coefficients. The study found that there were significant challenges related with instructors, students, curriculum and institution that impeded CA implementation at Dire Dawa University. Based on the findings of this study,  the need to construct harmonized discipline wide CA rubric, and to re-balance assessment for grading (summative assessment) and assessment for learning(formative assessment)as well as the need to re-think the adoption of Kirkpatrick’s model is recommended.

Keywords: assessment for learning; assessment as learning; assessment of learning; assessment rubric