Minimum Academic Standards Research Articles

성취평가제 확대 적용에 따른 대입전형 평가의 방향

Objectives The purpose of this study is to explore the problems of the standard-based assessment, which is ex-panded in the high school credit system and the 2022 revised curriculum, and the direction of desirable college admission operation.
 Methods To this end, a survey was conducted on high school teachers and university admissions officers, and the questionnaire was composed of a background variable and a total of 14 questions in 4 areas and was prepared on a 5-point Likert scale. For the collected data, descriptive statistics, t-test, cross-analysis, and one-way var-iance analysis were conducted. In-depth interviews with experts (two high school teachers and admissions offi-cers each) were conducted to secure the validity and reliability of the survey results.
 Results First, the expansion of the standard-based assessment will reduce the student sub-curricular screening and expand the comprehensive student sub-curricular screening. Second, when the standard-based assess-ment is expanded, the boundary between the student sub-curricular screening and the student sub-curricular screening is blurred, and it is necessary to introduce qualitative evaluation in the student sub-curricular screening. Third, admissions officers were more negatively aware of the operation of subject selection and grade inflation according to student wishes than teachers, and teachers preferred to introduce or strengthen interview evaluation and admissions officers preferred to introduce or strengthen the minimum academic standards for the CSAT as a way to compensate for the difficulty of discrimination in student sub-curricular evaluation.
 Conclusions When applying the standard-based assessment requires additional factors, specific methods, spe-cific methods should be applied depending on the characteristics of the universities of universities should be ap-plied according to the characteristics of universities. In order to Evaluation of Desirable University Admissions high school life records, and universities need to strengthen the competitiveness of the evaluation of the evaluation.

Legal Training In Nigeria: Innovation, Technology And Regulatory Reforms

Information technology is the new face of the World system from which comes the legal education system and it is well in sync with the present generation of students in this new information age. Law teachers and students are gradually catching up with this new innovation with the introduction of clinical legal education in most of the law faculties in Nigeria. Also, the incorporation of the Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) into the Nigerian Universities System, and the mandatory implementation of the clinical legal education in Nigerian law faculties are strong indications that the law faculties in Nigeria are open to innovations and technology in their teaching methodologies. The paper explains the regulatory reforms introduced by the National Universities Commission and the Council of Legal Education which are paradigm shift from the traditional teaching methods to students’ friendly modern learning approach. The paper concludes that law teachers are also in need of training as the teachers cannot impart the skills they do not possess. The paper, therefore, recommends that the Council of Legal Education should work together with the National Universities Commission for proper implementation of the new teaching innovations in Nigeria.

Influence of Underfunding and Poor Management on Accreditation of Business Education Programmes in Public Universities and Colleges of Education

The study on influence of underfunding and poor management on the accreditation of business education programmes in public universities and colleges of education in South East, Nigeria was necessitated by the need to ensure that the programmes meet the minimum academic standards in order to achieve its objectives. Two research questions and two null hypotheses guided the study. Descriptive survey research design was adopted and area of the study was delimited to South-East, Nigeria. The population consisted of 197 business educators in 13 federal and state universities and colleges of education in South- East, Nigeria. No sample and sampling techniques was adopted because the population size is manageable for the researchers. The instrument was validated by four experts. Cronbach alpha was used to determine the internal consistency of the instrument, and an overall reliability coefficient of 0.90 was obtained. The t-test was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed that under-funding and poor management affected accreditation of business education programmes to a high extent. Business educators from universities do not differ significantly from their counterparts in colleges of education in their mean ratings on the influence under-funding and poor management on the accreditation of business education programmes in South-East, Nigeria. Based on the findings, it was concluded that under-funding and poor management affected accreditation of business education programmes for quality assurance in university and college of education. It was, therefore recommended; among others that, government should adequately fund universities and colleges of education to enable institutional administrators provide the necessary physical, human and material resources for the enhancement of quality business education programmes in university and college of education in Nigeria while waiting for accreditation.

Paediatric endocrinology curriculum content uniformity across medical schools in Southern Nigeria - Lecturers' report

The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), the regulatory body for medical practice in Nigeria, provides the benchmark for minimum academic standards (BMAS). While it is expected that there will be differences across schools, the extent of this is unknown and the effect/impact it will have on future medical practice in Nigeria is unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the differences in undergraduate paediatric endocrinology contents across medical schools in southern Nigeria and to understand the factors that influence these differences. Seven paediatric endocrinology lecturers were interviewed, and they filled a questionnaire generated from the themes of the discussion. The themes included the contents of diabetes mellitus lectures, the level of participation lecturers allowed students in emergency room management of DKA, and the assessment methods. Lecture notes on diabetes mellitus (DM) were scored using ISPAD guidelines and the differences were analysed using Student’s T test. The extent to which competence was assessed for students was also provided by the lecturers. Two lecturers had reduced contents in their DM lectures, compared to others, $p = 0.003$. Most lecturers did not consult the MDCN BMAS while preparing their lecture notes. This study highlights the differences in curriculum contents in Southern Nigeria medical schools for endocrinology training in paediatrics, and significant differences methods of training. These differences will hamper the core objectives of human capital development should the trend continue. It is recommended that uniform curriculum template that is acceptable to many to streamline training and medical practice.

Review of the National Universities Commission’s New Curriculum for Nigerian Universities, in the Area of Political Science and Comparism with The Old Curriculum

To meet the challenges of 21st century realities in educational advancement worldwide, the Nigerian Universities Commission, in line with the objectives of education in Nigeria, has introduced new programmes into the Nigerian University system. The NUC in December 2022, in order to unbundle academic program of universities and make them more practically oriented for skill acquisition, came up with the new Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) to replace the old curriculum known as “the Benchmark for Minimum Academics Standards (BMAs). Other compelling reasons included the need to update the standard and relevance of university education in the country as well as to integrate entrepreneurial studies and peace and conflict studies as essential new platforms that will guarantee all graduates from Nigerian universities the knowledge and appropriate skills, competencies and dispositions that will make them globally competitive and capable of contributing meaningfully to Nigeria’s socioeconomic development. This paper addressed the contents of the new curriculum, which is regarded as a core curriculum, the changes and new courses introduced, the unbundling of some courses and comparison with the old curriculum (BMAs) in the area of political science and made suggestions.

Using Variety of Pedagogies Beyond the Lecture in Delivering the Core Curriculum for Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) in Nigerian Universities

Using Variety of Pedagogies Beyond the Lecture in Delivering the Core Curriculum for Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) in Nigerian Universities

CONDUCT REMEDIAL COURSE IN DIFFERENT MODES

Remedial course on English Language is a special learning activity to provide additional learning opportunities for underachieving students to help them meet the minimal academic standards. The goal is to help under achievers to meet the minimum academic standards of the general curriculum. Farm Universities attracts over 40 per cent of students from rural background due to reservation for students from agriculture families. Though they are merit students, they lack proficiency in English language. Hence, remedial course are essential in farm Universities. It can be conducted as a regular class or flipped class mode. In addition, Language Lab can be established to facilitate learning of English Language. The remedial courses were conducted offline and flipped mode. The software in English Language lab consist eight major topics. It includes lecture videos, assignments and activities which are interactive. The pre and post evaluation was conducted for all programmes. The remedial course have created significant impact on the improved knowledge and speaking skills.

Reinventing the Theatre Curriculum to Address Contemporary Development Needs and Job Alignment in Nigeria.

As the social and economic terrain is changing in Nigeria, theatre training and practice have not evolved commensurately to address the current development needs and job alignment. The models used in many Nigerian universities mainly offer theoretical knowledge of theatre and basic training for entertainment roles. Even though the philosophy and objectives of theatre training in the NUC Benchmark for minimum academic standards are couched with the anticipation for innovation and programme expansion, it does not specify the type or scope of expansion needed to retain the viability of theatre practice within the current knowledge economy. Nigerian universities are therefore not firmly guided to develop their theatre curricula in a direction that is sensitive to the exigencies of time and age. There is currently a lot of interest in film production, carnival, standup comedy, development communication, applied theatre and event management. This paper argues that theatre and performing art programmes in universities and other theatre training centres should develop more courses around these emerging areas of interest. The paper submits that while there are many specialties in which theatre graduates can be professionally engaged, and while the nature of theatre training imbues numerous subjective qualities desired in the contemporary world of work, much more could be done by reinventing the theatre curriculum to give theatre graduates wider opportunities.

Do academic and professional institutions promote the awareness and knowledge of Islamic banking and finance in Nigeria?

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the contribution of academic and professional institutions in promoting the awareness and knowledge of Islamic banking and finance in Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachThe data were generated through a documentary research method by examining the Benchmark Minimum Academic Standards (BMAS) for Nigerian universities and Nigerian university curricula for the relevant undergraduate programs, as well as examination syllabi and training brochures for the relevant professional associations.FindingsThe study found that universities do not promote significantly the awareness and knowledge of Islamic banking and finance. Similarly, the relevant professional associations through their examinations and training programs contribute little or nothing to the promotion of awareness and knowledge.Research limitations/implicationsThis study solely relied upon documentary evidence upon which the findings were based. In addition, for academic institutions, only undergraduate BMAS and curricula were examined.Practical implicationsThere should be collaborations between the National University Commission of Nigeria, relevant Islamic and non-Islamic professional bodies and Nigerian Universities to ensure that courses (subjects) that could promote the awareness and knowledge of Islamic banking and finance are fully integrated into academic and professional curricula and training programs.Social implicationsThe integration of an adequate number of relevant courses/topics into academic curricula and professional institution examination syllabi and their Mandatory Continuing Professional Development programs would greatly contribute to the production of competent and skillful employees to work for the growth and development of the Islamic banking and finance industry.Originality/valueThis study provides better ways of ensuring that knowledgeable and qualified employees are produced to work for the sustainability of the global Islamic banking and finance industry.

Improving undergraduate medical education in Nigeria: Insight into the past

The first three in the series of Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria (SOGON) lectures on “Frontiers in Medical Education,” in honor of Professor Linus Ajabor, had focused on internship and postgraduate medical education. This fourth lecture is about the evolution of undergraduate medical education in Nigeria from its rudimentary beginning in 1930 to the present. Lessons from the past include the desirability of tailoring medical education toward meeting national needs, doing proper needs assessment before planning and implementation, setting minimum standards for training institutions, and enforcing these standards through a credible process of accreditation. Recommendations for the future include a harmonization of the guidelines on minimum standards published by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) and the minimum academic standards published by Nigeria's National Universities Commission (NUC), and the conduct of joint accreditation by both agencies to maximize efficiency and reduce waste. There should also be mandatory training in pedagogy for clinician teachers, periodic curriculum reviews must be enforced, and simulation laboratories should be provided in all accredited medical schools.

Policy effects of regulating admission into initial teacher education degrees in New South Wales

ABSTRACT The low Australian Tertiary Admissions Ranks (ATARs) of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) students are routinely highlighted in the media and in reviews of ITE, with the perception that such students will be unable to become effective teachers. As part of the NSW Government’s Great Teaching, Inspired Learning (GTIL) Framework, minimum academic entrance standards were introduced in 2016, with the intention of improving both teacher status and quality. Drawing upon Ball’s notion of policy effects and policy enactment, this paper critically explores these increased academic admissions requirements and reports on one aspect of a multiple case study research project. In doing so, I respond to the following research question, “what are the first and second order effects of policy designed to regulate admission into ITE in NSW?” Using interviews with senior ITE academics and university student recruitment personnel, findings from the study indicate that the policy has impacted the structure of ITE degrees, the quality, number and diversity of ITE students and is possibly excluding potential ITE students. I argue that despite these effects, in practice the same students are entering ITE, therefore demonstrating the disjoint between intention and enactment in policy implementation.

Assessing the sustainability content of the Nigerian engineering curriculum

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to present an assessment of the sustainability content of the Nigerian engineering curriculum in universities.Design/methodology/approachContent analysis is used to generate and analyse data from three engineering documents, namely, the Benchmark Minimum Academic Standards for Engineering Programmes in Nigeria and the engineering handbooks of two Nigerian higher education institutions.FindingsThe Nigerian engineering curriculum is revealed to have a low sustainability content, with environmental concepts being the most cited themes and social topics as the least stated issues.Research limitations/implicationsThe sustainability assessment approach adopted in the study is constrained by the question of what constitutes a sustainability syllabus. Expert-derived sustainability themes used in the study are unavoidably incomplete and may limit the conduct of an exhaustive sustainability content assessment.Practical implicationsBased on the research outcome, the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria and other stakeholders can consider ways to adequately incorporate sustainability themes in the Nigerian engineering curriculum.Originality/valueThe research is an effort to determine the presence of sustainability issues in the Nigerian engineering education, which has hitherto been scarcely documented. This study provides a baseline and a rationale for sustainability education interventions in the Nigerian engineering curriculum. It also presents a methodology for analysing sustainability content in university curriculum and contributes to the continuing sustainability education discourse, especially in relation to sub-Saharan Africa.

An Evaluative Study on the Accreditation of Academic Programmes and Quality Assurance in Public Universities in Nigeria

The licensing of Universities is not just a yardstick or criteria to set up and operate a university system in Nigeria. Certain quality indices set standards, operational guides and discipline needs to be ensured to satisfy the minimum academic standards. The accreditation of such university needs to be put into consideration and embarked upon to ensured quality assurance of the academic programmes. This paper examined academic programme and quality assurance in public universities in southwest Nigeria. Descriptive research design was adopted. To carry out the study a research instrument titled “Questionnaire on Academic Programme and Quality Assurance in Nigerian Public Universities: (QAPQANPU)” was administered to elicit information from respondents. The population of the study comprises all academic staff in public Universities in Southwest, Nigeria. The sample of the study comprises three hundred and fifty-one (351) respondents. Purposive sampling technique was used to select four public universities in Southwest, Nigeria. Three research questions were formulated, it was revealed that accreditation had positive impact on quality assurance, the level of participation of academic staff in accreditation exercise was low and the level of accreditation of academic programme was very high. Two hypotheses were tested, hypothesis one was tested using t-test and hypothesis two was tested using Analysis of variance (ANOVA). The hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The two hypotheses were not rejected. The findings revealed that there was no significant difference between male and female lecturers’ perception of the impact of accreditation on university quality assurance, also there was no significant difference between the perceptions of the impact of the accreditation by academic staff based on their status. Based on the findings of this study it was recommended that academic programmes in Nigeria universities should be accredited from time to time through the Nigeria University Commission (NUC) to ensure quality assurance and satisfy the minimum academic standards (MAS). Moreover, more academic staff should participate in accreditation exercise, once they have the experience and are qualified to encourage wider participation in various discipline/fields of study. Also government who is the proprietor of these public universities should provide adequate funds to improve the academic standards in Nigerian Universities.

Academic Achievement and Risk Factors for Adolescents with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Middle School and Early High School.

Examine academic achievement of students with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) during the early high school period and identify potentially modifiable risk factors for low achievement. Data were collected through surveys (adolescent, parent, and teacher) and direct assessment of Australian adolescents (12-15 yr; n = 130) with ADHD in early high school (i.e., US middle and high school grades). Academic achievement outcomes were measured by linking to individual performance on the National Assessment Program-Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests, direct assessment of reading and math, and teacher report of academic competence. Linear regression models examined associations between adolescent, parent/family, and school factors and NAPLAN domain scores. Students with ADHD had lower NAPLAN scores on all domains and fewer met minimum academic standards in comparison with state benchmarks. The poorest results were for persuasive writing. Poor achievement was associated with lower intelligence quotient across all academic domains. Adolescent inattention, bullying, poor family management, male sex, and attending a low socioeconomic status school were associated with lower achievement on specific domains. Students with ADHD are at increased academic risk during the middle school and early high school period. In addition to academic support, interventions targeting modifiable factors including inattention, bullying, and poor family management may improve academic achievement across this critical period.

Fraud and Forensic Accounting Education: Prospects and Challenges in Nigeria

This study first investigates the availability of fraud and forensic accounting (FFA) education in Nigeria. The paper then analyses the perceptions of academics and practitioners on the demand for, relevance and integration of, FFA in Nigeria. The data obtained through a questionnaire survey was analysed using descriptive statistics, Kruskal-Wallis (K-W) and Chi-Square tests. The results (i) indicate an increasing market demand for fraud examiners and forensic accountants; and (ii) suggest that FFA be given adequate coverage in the accounting curriculum in response to market demand. On the benefits of FFA education and training, there is virtual unanimity that it will: (i) widen the employment horizon and opportunities for graduates; (ii) help to combat fraud, corruption and financial crimes, (iii) strengthen the credibility of financial reporting, and (iv) help to rebuild investors’ confidence and trust in financial reports. The findings also support integration at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The policy implication draws attention to regulatory importance and expediency of integrating FFA education into the accounting curriculum. This calls for regulatory initiative in developing the Benchmark Minimum Academic Standards (BMAS) for FFA programmes at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

효율적인 운동부 운영을 위한 ‘학습권 보장제’ 최저학력 기준의 타당성 분석

효율적인 운동부 운영을 위한 ‘학습권 보장제’ 최저학력 기준의 타당성 분석

Pell Grants as Performance-Based Scholarships? An Examination of Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements in the Nation’s Largest Need-Based Aid Program

The Federal Pell Grant Program is the nation’s largest need-based grant program. While students’ initial eligibility for the Pell is based on financial need, renewal is contingent on meeting minimum academic standards similar to those in models of performance-based scholarships, including a grade point average (GPA) requirement and ratio of credits completed compared to those attempted. In this study, we describe federal satisfactory academic progress (SAP) requirements and illustrate the policy’s implementation in a statewide community college system. Using state administrative data, we demonstrate that a substantial portion of Pell recipients are at risk for Pell ineligibility due to their failure to meet SAP GPA or credit completion requirements. We then leverage the GPA component of the policy to explore the impacts of failure to meet standards on early college persistence and achievement, earning a credential, and transferring to a 4-year college using two methodological approaches: regression discontinuity (RD) and difference-in-differences (DD). Our results across the two approaches are mixed, with the RD providing null estimates and the DD indicating statistically significant impacts, including a negative effect on early college persistence. We conclude by discussing the implications for future research.

The Future of Legal Education in Nigeria

Legal education in Nigeria is patterned after the System in England except whereas lawyers in England are solicitors or barristers, all lawyers in Nigeria qualify and can practice as both barristers and solicitors. Legal education in Nigeria consists of academic study for 4 to 5 years (depending on the mode of entry) in a law faculty and a year in the Law School followed by call to the Nigerian Bar and enrollment as a legal practitioner at the Supreme Court.It is the National Universities Commission (NUC) that has established minimum academic standards for the conferment of law degrees (LL.B). Likewise, the Council of Legal Education established requirement which a law degree must satisfy before it can qualify its holder for admission into the Nigerian Law School for a BL. This therefore subjects Law faculties to two accreditations: - one by the NUC and another by the Council of Legal Education (CLE).In recent times, there has been growing concerns about the deteriorating state of Nigeria’s educational system stemming from the quality of our university graduates, which has become less than satisfactory and the law graduates are no exception. Hence the growing demand for reforms not only in legal education but of the entire educational system in Nigeria.It is against this background that this paper seeks to achieve the following objectives: -i. To highlight the purpose and underscore the value of legal education to national development and to the legal profession in Nigeria;ii. To identify the ways of improving the quality of legal education and that of young lawyers in Nigeria;iii. To articulate the way forward for the future of legal education in Nigeria.

Reconceptualizing the Music Teacher Education Curriculum for the Colleges of Education in Nigeria

The Federal Government of Nigeria has realized that low educational quality has negative implications for sustainable national development, hence her commitment to develop national policies and national curriculum for teacher education to improve the quality of education (including music education). This article observes improvement in the preparation of musician-teachers as absolutely imperative to move modern music education as a field in the direction for continued growth. It traces out a historical past and explores present-day circumstances by analyzing and critiquing the National Commission for Colleges of Education’s document—Approved Minimum Academic Standards for Music. As the document is based on exogenous paradigms, it is argued that it cannot produce the change agent in the Nigerian musician-teacher. A reconceptualization of music teacher curriculum that is socioculturally sensitive is suggested for colleges of education in Nigeria as a way of moving it toward developing sound, effective, and creative musician-teachers.

Accreditation of Engineering and Architectural Education in Nigeria: The Way forward

In this study, Engineering and Architectural education and how they were accredited was assessed as carried out by the National Universities Commission (NUC), the only body that approves courses and programmes, determines and maintains minimum academic standards, monitors universities and accredits academic programmes in Nigeria. The current trends in education enrolment and engineering and architectural programs in Nigeria were also analyzed. This paper also provides recommendations for policy makers in government and the educational sector on how to redesign, upgrade and modify the existing initiatives to be able to produce graduates that will be able to compete favourably in the global engineering world.