Alternative Methods of Assessing Graduate Students in Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ)

Abstract

Graduate education is to prepare students for academic, government (public) or private sector careers in their chosen field or for further study. Assessment is therefore seen as an important tool for active learning in Class. It includes the exploration of practices around assessment and grading which are reasonable, fair, and focused on acquiring practical knowledge rather than competition among students. It further argued that the low assessment literacy of lecturers has been the result of the fact that most school curricula fail to explicitly list the basic competencies (national minimum standards) that guarantee academic success. In Ghana, assessment and its practices among teachers has been well researched and documented. Unfortunately, the application of alternative assessment techniques among Graduate students during facilitation has not been well researched. This study, therefore, investigates the alternative methods of assessing Graduate Students with a special focus on Ghana Institute of Journalism using a qualitative research method (in-depth interviews) to find out from some purposefully selected participants, comprising of Graduate Students, Lecturers and some administration staff on the implication the traditional way of assessment has on pedagogy and policies relative to assessment. The study came out with a conclusion that assessment in higher education is an important task that needs to be strategized and applied efficiently for effective learning. In order to have an effective assessment, the current assessment techniques need to be reviewed or amended so that practical aspects and real-life applications of course contents could be given more significance. For effective assessment, Universities must involve practical approaches/exposure or hands-on approaches in the curriculum, develop entrepreneurial abilities among students, discourage spoon-feeding practices to the students and not be restricted to only sit-down exams and focus more on experiential or field learning rather than on the theoretic knowledge.