The Context, Design, and Impact of System-Wide Assessments to Enhance Effectiveness in the Higher Colleges of Technology of the United Arab Emirates

Educational Outcomes

The increased focus on educational outcomes has been influenced by a range of factors. According to Meyer and Bushney (2008), Outcome Assessment has arisen because of the perceived failures historically in properly evaluating higher education systems and programs. Lucas and Weber (1998) attributed the increased demand for Outcome Assessment to lowered expectations and standards. The decline in standards and quality has seen a corresponding increase in student grade point averages from grade inflation, as reported by Bond (2009), Johnson (2003), and Millet (2010). Increased use of Outcome Assessment has become necessary because of the lack of meaningful progress for student learning demonstrated on national exams (Kimmel & Marquette, 1998). The increased focus on accountability and assessment of outcomes likewise has arisen because of continued high attrition rates and differential educational outcomes based on socio-economic status and factors of race/ethnicity (Kimmel & Marquette, 1998). The call for greater assessment of outcomes in higher education is related to the perceived failure of institutional effectiveness and the deleterious implications for communities and societies because of the existence of under-prepared and uneducated populations, as described by Kuh and Ikenberry (2009), Nusche (2008), and the U.S. Department of Education (2006).