ONE DAY SENSITIZATION WORKSHOP ON EXAMINATION ETHICS WORKSHOP ORGANIZED FOR ACADEMIC STAFF OF ADAMAWA STATE UNIVERSITY, MUBI THEME: ONE DAY SENSITIZATION WORKSHOP ON EXAMINATION ETHICS HELD ON 2ND NOVEMBER, 2018

TITLE: PREPARATION FOR EXAMINATION PAPER 1 TITLE: PREPARATION FOR EXAMINATION

INTRODUCTION The Adamawa State University was established in 2002, by the Adamawa State University Law, 2001 with definite objectives . One of the objectives is to encourage and promote the advancement of learning and hold out to all persons without distinction of race, creed, sex, religion or political conviction the opportunity of acquiring a University education (Adamawa State University, Mubi (Amendment) Law, 20017, Section 4(a). Encouraging and promoting the advancement of learning toward acquiring a University education requires conscious management. In managing, there are essential elements that need to be considered, handled or acted upon.

INTRODUCTION With regard to encouraging and promoting the advancement of learning toward acquiring a University education some of these elements include Planning, Organizing and Control such that procedures to be followed in carrying out functions related to acquiring a University education, the organization and control of those functions are spelt out at University and individual staff levels. The Adamawa State University, Mubi (Amendment) Law, 2017 has already provided for these functions to be carried out by the University. In particular, Section 5 of the Law states that the University shall be both a teaching and examining body that has functions to:

INTRODUCTION (a) Provide instructions in such branches of learning as the University may think fit, (b) Prescribe condition under which person may be admitted as student, (c) Grant degrees, diploma, certificates and other academic distinctions to person who shall have passed the examination or other tests prescribed by the University.

INTRODUCTION With respect to individual academic staffers the planning, organization and control of their functions are determined by their Head of Departments as specified in their letters of appointment. The functions of Senate includes not only the granting of degrees, diploma, certificates and other academic distinctions but also providing instruction in the respective branches of learning.

PREPARATION FOR EXAMINATION To obtain the list of those that deserve to be given degrees, diploma, certificates and other academic distinctions of the University the proper conduct of teaching and examination is essential. In this discussion therefore, preparation for examination means preparation for teaching and examination. The Adamawa State University, Mubi Handbook on Examination Regulations, 2004 defines examination to mean continuous assessment during a semester and end

PREPARATION FOR EXAMINATION of semester examination (Section 2.5). Section 2. of the Handbook also provides that continuous assessment shall contribute 30% of the total marks and should be by means of term papers, seminars, assignments, workshops, symposia, practicals, quizzes, announce and unannounced tests. The main objective of this discussion on teaching and examination preparation is to remind academic staffers to be conscious of the need to prepare well for teaching and examination.

PREPARATION FOR EXAMINATION The conduct of teaching and examination requires adequate preparation with a view to ensuring best practices. Various aspects of the preparation for teaching and examination include: Administrative, Lecture, (c) Assessment and Conduct of examination, and (e) Marking, Collation and Reporting of Examination Scores.

PREPARATION FOR EXAMINATION Administrative Preparation The University through administrative arrangement requires the Senate to organize and control teaching and examination. As part of this organization and control the Senate gives out guidelines for the admission of candidates into the University. Candidates shortlisted are subjected to screening through Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and University Screening Committee.

PREPARATION FOR EXAMINATION It is those that pass all screening that are registered and matriculated as required by Sections 2.2.3, 2.3.1, 2.3.2 and 2.3.3 of Adamawa State University, Mubi Undergraduate Students’ Handbook, 2012. At this stage it is expected that these students are competent enough to cope with University teaching and examination. They are therefore put in the care of Deans, Head of Departments and Lecturers to conduct teaching and examination for them and to create the capacity in them to pass University level examination so as to make them become University graduates.

PREPARATION FOR EXAMINATION Lecture Preparation The Lecturer needs to take the position of father, guardian, adviser or friend in relating with the students so as to enhance learning by the students. He or She should always think of ways to make the students to pass their examination. The Adamawa State University, Mubi Handbook on Examination Regulations provides under Section 2.12 that not less than 15 weeks are to be devoted to

PREPARATION FOR EXAMINATION teaching during first and second semesters and not less than 10 weeks for long vacation semester. The Lecturer needs to manage this durations effectively by making sure that: Lectures start right from the beginning of the semester to avoid crashing toward the end of the semester, Lectures stop at least one week before semester examination to enable the students concentrate on their revision and preparation for the semester examination.

PREPARATION FOR EXAMINATION Lectures are not missed and where critical circumstances cause lectures to be missed make up lectures are organized. He or She has organized the presentation of his or her lectures so that students can follow easily. The Lecturer should therefore be conscious of the following ‘don’ts’ relating to lectures; (i) Don’t start lectures without duly prepared course outline stating objectives of the course unit, items to be covered in their logical sequence or in order of

PREPARATION FOR EXAMINATION easiness, relevant reading materials for the course unit, (ii) Don’t start lectures without telling the students how you intent to implement the 30% continuous assessment score, (iii) Don’t start lectures without fixing number of announced and unannounced tests or any other form of assessment you intend to carry out, (iv) Don’t ignore lectures missed due to critical circumstances without making up for the lectures, and (v) Don’t overlook preparing the minds of the students

PREPARATION FOR EXAMINATION toward passing their examination. Always call their attention to what I call passing examination without tears. You are to be telling them about right ways of facing examination; - start reading at the beginning of the semester: - attend all lectures on time, - relaxation (sports), - refreshment (eating), - reading (self study and tutorial group time table),

PREPARATION FOR EXAMINATION - sleep (memory), - do not come late to the exam hall, - take about five minutes to arrange and budget time for the questions in order of easiness before starting to write and also to start with the easiest question, - while writing give introduction, headings, pick marks and write correct English sentences, and so on.

PREPARATION FOR EXAMINATION Assessment and Conduct of Examination It is a Senate requirement that continuous assessment (CA) and semester examination be used to determine scores for the students. Section 2.2 of the Adamawa State University, Mubi Handbook on Examination Regulations require that CA be conducted periodically such that the assessment scores are ready and the students have been given the scores before the semester examination is taken.

PREPARATION FOR EXAMINATION The CA scores are also given to the Head of Department before the semester examination is taken. The Lecturer should not therefore delay the marking and collation of CA scores up to semester examination time nor use unauthorized persons to mark for him or her. The Lecturer is to consider the CA as equally important as the semester examination and so adequate arrangement should be made for conducting announced or unannounced tests, assignments, and so on as planned by the him, her or them.

PREPARATION FOR EXAMINATION Where group presentation is part of the CA the Lecturer should allocate marks for the group and for the individual members of the group. Questions can be prepared for individual members to answer during the presentation in order to determine their individual scores. Assignments should not be marked arbitrarily. There should be marking scheme to follow. Lecturers should set semester examination questions by the middle of the semester together with marking scheme

PREPARATION FOR EXAMINATION so as to enable the Head of Department get them moderated and process them for onward transfer to the Dean for safe keeping at least 7 days before start of the semester examination (Adamawa State University, Mubi Handbook on Examination Regulation, Section 3.11). The questions should reflect the spread of items on the course outline. Deans and Head of Departments monitor the progress of lectures during the semester with a view to ensuring that lectures are going on and CAs are conducted.

PREPARATION FOR EXAMINATION Section 3.29 of the Handbook on Examination Regulations also requires that students earn at least 75% attendance at lectures, laboratory or field work before they qualify for semester examination. This needs to be observed. Attendance register could be designed by Departments for use by the Lecturer for this purpose with the assistance of the Class Chairman. The invigilation arrangements will be discussed in the second session of this workshop.

PREPARATION FOR EXAMINATION Marking, Collation and Reporting of Examination Scores Lecturers should prepare for marking to start immediately after the examination so as to enable them compile the scores for the course unit and submit within two weeks from end of the examination. A score for a course unit is CA (out of 30%) plus semester examination (out of 70%). In this compilation Lecturers should ensure that; the score for each question as shown inside the script should be carried correctly to the front of the answer script,

PREPARATION FOR EXAMINATION (b) the addition of scores on the cover of the answer script is correct, (c) the total mark on the cover of the answer script is correctly transferred to the score sheet, and (d) compilation of the examination score for each student is done correctly on the score sheet, and the Departmental Examination Officer should ensure that the compilation of each student’s examination results and hence the master Departmental result to be considered by the Faculty Board

PREPARATION FOR EXAMINATION and thereafter pasted on notice board is correct. When this compilation is done correctly Departments are enabled to avail students of progress report, inform students of their probation status and treat student petitions. Displaying the results also clears uncertainty in the minds of students and help to reduce tendency to resort to examination misconduct.

CONCLUSION The observance of these ethical practices help to make the students concentrate on their reading and hence reduce the tendency to rely on examination misconduct as a way of passing their examination. The third paper is to be presented on examination malpractice.

RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Every academic staffer should be given copies of the latest Handbook on Examination Regulations and Undergraduate Students’ Handbook. This makes them to appreciate the output of the workshop more. 2. This workshop should be made an annual exercise to held at the beginning of the First Semester. Thank you.

REFERENCES Adamawa State University, Mubi (Amendment) Law, 2017. Adamawa State University, Mubi Handbook on Examination Regulations, 2004. Adamawa State University, Mubi Undergraduate Students’ Handbook, 2012. ALIANDA B. WATOSENINYI (DEPARTMENT OF ACCOUNTING)