(414) CHALLENGES AND PROSPECT OF LARGE-CLASS - SIZE IN STUDENTS ASSESSMENT AS A MEASURE FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS IN NIGERIA

摘要

The concern of this study is the challenges and prospects of large class size on students' assessmentas a measure for quality assurance in tertiary institution in Nigeria. Every Tertiary institution has qualityassurance mechanism coordinated by a body. For the colleges of education, Nigerian Commission forColleges of education (NCCE) is the body that regulates the institutions. However, because of reasonsboth internal and external, the institutions are faced with challenges on maintaining the set standard.Among these challenges is the assessment of students due to large class size, which has madeachieving the set standards in teaching and learning doubtful. This study therefore seeks to x-ray thechallenges faced by tertiary institutions in Nigeria as a result of assessment of students and how theycould be reduced or solved. Among the assessment based challenges covered in the study weredelay in the release of students' results and the comparability of students' scores from members of theteaching team handling the courses. These challenges have introduced serious threat to the validity ofthe quality of products from these institutions. The use of objective test items in semesterexaminations for courses with large class size and conversion of students' scores to standard scoresby each member of the team before collation by the course coordinators were recommended.