A Revised Guideline For Curriculum Modularization in EHIs March 2013.

A Revised Guidelines for Curriculum
Modularization in Ethiopian Higher Education

Institutions
Prepared by A Consortium of Six Universities:

Bahir Dar University (Haftu Hindeya)
Debre Berhan University (Biratu Tollessa)
Debre Markos University (Kibrie Tadese)
Haramaya University (Feyera Dinsa)
Hawassa University (Teketel Adane) and
Jimma University (Bekalu Ferede)
Organized by Higher Education Strategy Center (HESC),

Ministry of Education
March 2013
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Contents
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 4
1.1. Background ............................................................................................................................. 4
1.2. International Experience on Modularization......................................................................... 4
1.3. Modularization in Ethiopian Higher Education Context ...................................................... 6
CHAPTER TWO: COMPETENCE BASED EDUCATION ............................................................. 9
2.1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 9
2.2. The Concept of Competence .................................................................................................. 9
2.2.1. Characteristics of Competence ..................................................................................... 10
2.2.2. Kinds of Competency ................................................................................................... 11
2.3. Competency Based Education ............................................................................................. 12
2.3.1. The Need for Competency Based Education ............................................................... 13
2.3.2. Organizing curriculum for competency-based education............................................. 14
2.4. Professional Profile, Graduates Profile and Competencies ................................................. 17
2.4.1. Professional Profile ....................................................................................................... 17
2.4.2. Graduate Profile............................................................................................................ 17
Figure 1: The Link between Competency, Professional and Graduate Profile ........................... 18
CHAPTER THREE: MODULE AND MODULARIZATION ....................................................... 19
3.1. The Concept of Module ....................................................................................................... 19
3.1.1. Definition ...................................................................................................................... 19
3.1.2. Characteristics of a module .......................................................................................... 22
3.1.3. Module Profile .............................................................................................................. 25
a. Module name .......................................................................................................................... 25
3.2. The Concept of Modularization ........................................................................................... 27
3.2.1. Definition ...................................................................................................................... 27
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3.2.2. Models/approaches ...................................................................................................... 27
3.3. European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) in Modular Approach ....... 30
3.3.1. Credit System ................................................................................................................ 30
3.3.2. The Concept and Development of ECTS ..................................................................... 30
What is ECTS? ................................................................................................................................. 30
Why ECTS? ..................................................................................................................................... 31
3.3.3. The Key Features of ECTS ........................................................................................... 31
3.3.4. Estimating Students’ Workload .................................................................................... 34
3.4. Steps in Modularization ....................................................................................................... 36
3.5. Principles for Modularization .............................................................................................. 37
3.6. Opportunities, Challenges and Possible Suggestions in Implementing Modularization ..... 39
CHAPTER FOUR: LEARNING-TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT IN MODULAR

APPROACH ....................................................................................................................................... 41
4.1. Active Learning in Modular Approach ................................................................................ 41
4.2. Constructivist Learning and Modular Approach ................................................................. 43
4.3. Assessment in Modular Instruction ..................................................................................... 46
4.3.1. Concepts of Assessment................................................................................................ 46
4.3.2. Types of Assessment Practices...................................................................................... 48
4.4. Staff Workload .......................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
CHAPTER FIVE: MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF MODULAR CURRICULA ........ 51
5.1. Monitoring Implementation of Modular Curricula ............................................................. 51
5.2. Methods of monitoring curriculum implementation ........................................................... 53
5.3. Evaluating the implementation of modular curricula .......................................................... 53
References ............................................................................................................................................ 56
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CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background
This guideline has been developed with the intention of creating common framework for
Ethiopian public universities which are going to implement the modular approach to
curriculum implementation by the year 2005 E.C. This necessitates the assessment of the
prevailing global, regional and national educational concerns towards producing competent
and capable graduates to address the current social and economic dynamics. To this end, it
requires the reorganization of the higher education curriculum towards competence-based
education.
Currently few universities have already started implementing the modular approach
following the result of institutional transformation studies which is business process
reengineering (BPR) while others are also interested in adopting the approach as per their
BPR results. In order to advance this practice, HESC has invited an international consultant
and organized two consecutive trainings first in Addis and then in Haramaya on
modularization by drawing 26 experts from different universities out of which the six
universities namely: Bahir Dar, Debre Birhan, Debre Markos, Haramaya, Hawassa, and
Jimma became the origin for the national core mobule team of experts. These experts have
drafted this guideline at Haramaya University
The guideline consists of four chapters: introduction, concepts of modules and

modularization, teaching learning and assessment, students and staff workload, and
monitoring and evaluation.
1.2. International Experience on Modularization

The move towards modular approach to curriculum implementation has got a long history
though the literature that supports it is scant when compared to other bodies of knowledge.
These days, the approach has drawn special attention all over the world in education
systems, from technical and vocational education and training to higher education.
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The concept of modularization evolved in higher education in the United States in the
second half of the nineteenth century (Theodossin, 1986). The underlying conception is that
mind itself is modular (Brewer, Nakamura, 1984). In 1869, Harvard University introduced
elective system to promote freedom of learning and increased specialization options. In
1890s a degree based on accumulation of courses was introduced. This in turn resulted in
units of measurement in terms of courses and contact hours which are termed as credits.
Hence, total freedom or cafeteria-system countered by major-minor system has been
fostered. In general, in US, it is believed that modularization increases competition between
institutions for Higher Education (credits can be transferred). Since the early 1980s, in
particular, a variety of national and regional reforms as well as many local variations, have
involved the introduction and development of modules (Bruijn, 1995:1).
According to UNESCO conference in Palermo 1998, a shift from teaching to learning

implies:
– ‘a new approach to curriculum development taking into account
• multi and interdisciplinary
• flexibility of choice, but in a coherent system which allows for modularisation
and credit transfer
• the validation of work experience
• the organisation of the academic year in semesters
– ‘self-managed’ learning,
– a coaching role for the teacher,
– professional support services,
– investment in new delivery and
– quality assurance mechanisms especially in off-campus operations,
– a new definition of scholarship that balances discovery and transmission as well as the
integration and application of “knowledge”.
Europe (Bologna Process) states that modularization increases mobility of students over
countries and universities. It depends on qualifications framework that has five pillars:
– Knowledge and understanding
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– Applying knowledge and understanding
– Making judgments (based on complex data and information)
– Communication
– Learning skills
Many European universities have also been implementing modular curriculum based on the
Bologna Agreement.
Interest in modularization in the sector of vocational education and training is more recent.
The introduction of a modular system in Britain for craft training by the Engineering
Industry Training Board in 1968 marked the start of this approach to vocation training
which was then emulated in many other industries (Roberts, 1987). The extensive
International Labour Organization (ILO) project on ‘modules of employable skills’ (MES)
from the mid-1970s onwards, aimed at workers in developing countries, was a particularly
significant initiative in relation to a modular approach to vocational education and training
(ILO, 1984) in (Cooke L. & Dinkelmann, E., 2001)
There are a lot of reasons for the increased interest in modular education; namely:
• Cutbacks in financing which leads to restructuring and reorganization
• Wider range/diversity of student requirements
• Demand for flexibility in labor market
• More freedom of choice
• Increased access and/or consumption of the educational supplies
1.3. Modularization in Ethiopian Higher Education Context

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Ethiopia have embarked on major reform since last
decade. For the reform to take effect, the institutions have used (BPR as a tool. In the
reengineering of the Learning-teaching Core Process, modularization was proposed as a best
way for the implementation of curricula and the production of competent global graduates.
There are a number of reasons why HEIs opted for modularization. The first one is that the
existing curricula are discipline based and the courses are fragmented. They are not
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organized around competences. As a result, the curricula do not enable HEIs to produce
competent graduates. Students who drop out from universities are simply wastage because
they cannot be certified in any of the competences as a result of the fragmented courses. The
second reason is that the existing curriculum does not say anything about student work load
which is very important for students’ success in their academic life. What is mentioned there
is only the contact hour that the instructor uses only for the classroom. Hence student
workload is one of the central points in the modularization. The third is that there is a loose
connection between the world of education and the world of work because of the inherent
problem of the existing curriculum. Furthermore, the traditional curriculum focused on the
teacher rather than the learner. However, in recent years there has been a paradigm shift
taking place, moving the emphasis from teaching to learning and a more student-centered
curriculum. This change has impacted on the curriculum design process with a greater
emphasis on the learning in terms of knowledge, skills and competencies within courses and
modules. The focus is on how learners learn and the design of effective learning
environments (Donnelly, & Fitzmaurice, 2005).
The concept of competence-based education and modularization is not entirely a new idea
in Ethiopian education system. The technical and vocational education and training
(TVET) applies the concept and has been successful in producing competent middle level
workforce. It applies an evaluation called certificate of competence (CoC). In addition, the
Engineering Capacity Building Program (ECBP), a program sponsored by the German
government, has introduced the concept to the engineering and technology curriculum. The
modularized curricula in these programs are being implemented in Ethiopian Higher
Education Institutions where such programs are available. The masters programs in
Teaching & Learning in Higher Education at Bahir Dar University and Higher Education
Management at Addis Ababa University are also based on modular approach. Moreover,
the undergraduate program in Agribusiness and Value Chain Management which has been
offered since 2011/12 academic year in five universities (Haramaya, Hawassa, Jimma,
Adama, and Ambo) is entirely based on modular approach. What is more, the innovative
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curriculum on Medicine which was started this academic year (2012) in ten universities is
modular in nature.
In general, modularization is believed to increase degree comparability and compatibility,

curriculum flexibility, and student mobility. It also strengthens the relationship between the
world of education and the world of work.
Based on their BPR results which was harmonized at national level, Universities such as
Hawassa, Bahir Dar, Debre Markos, Debre Berhan, Haramaya and Jimma have already
taken the courage to move forward in implementing modularization. Almost all of these
universities invited international expert in the area of modularization for training and
gained expertise. These universities have cascaded the training down to the academic
community. They have already organized their curriculum into module and started the
implementation. They are also doing their best to reach other universities with training and
awareness creation so that they will be able to implement the modular approach to
curriculum in 2012/13 Academic Year. Other universities have also started exerting
maximum effort to be in the pipeline with regard to modularization. The guideline serves as
a springboard for this purpose.
After seriously looking at the efforts being made by universities to organize their curricula in
modular approach and recognizing the role that this approach can play in improving the
quality of education, the Ministry of Education through one of its wings, HESC, has given
special attention to the effort. The ministry has sponsored through Leadership and
Management Capacity Development Project (LMCDP) series of Training of Trainers (ToT)
on modularization. This has contributed a lot to the effort of creating local experts in the
area. The ministry is also doing its best in the harmonization of modularization in all public
universities. It has organized the harmonization of academic policy to be used by all public
universities so that academic quality and standard is uniformily maintained. The policy was
formulated in such a way that it can accommodate the new developments emanate from
modularization.
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CHAPTER TWO: COMPETENCE BASED EDUCATION
2.1. Introduction
In all forms of society, education is meant to serve its interest. Based on this fact the concern
on competence and competence based education (CBE) has been widely advocated and
grown in the 21st century than ever before. In this century, the higher education sector has
been internationalized accordingly, institutions and disciplines are expected to compete on a
global level. Defining learning outcomes in these universal standards should be the bases for
competence based education as well as establishing the national and international
educational quality assurance system.
2.2. The Concept of Competence

Competence is the possession of certain attributes (knowledge, skills, and attitudes). It is the
quality or state of having sufficient knowledge, judgment, and skill to carry responsibility
and provide services (Nasseh, 1996). A description of what somebody can (do) also provides
the same meaning. A competency is defined as "a statement that describes the observable
demonstration of a composite of the specific skills" (Hall & Jones, 1976, p. 29).
Competence is a complex term associated with the number of synonyms concept such as
competencies, qualifications, skills and so forth, especially in the professional practice.
Competencies describe the student’s ability to apply basic and other skills in situations that
are commonly encountered in every day life. According to Parry (1996), competence is a
cluster of skills, attitudes and underlying knowledge elements allowing an individual to
perform tasks that are part of a function or role/up to the standard/s. Competency may be
defined as the ability to do a particular activity to a prescribed standard emphasizing what
people can do rather than what they know. “Standard,” (the actual threshold or level of
performance) is internally tied to the judgment that someone is “competent,” i.e., has
reached an acceptable level of performance on a designated competency.
Competencies consist of a description of the essential skills, knowledge, attitudes, and

behaviours required for effective performance of a real-world task or activity. These
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activities may be related to any domain of life, though have typically been linked to the field
of work and to social survival in a new environment (Santopietro, 2006). Thus, the
emphasis of competence is not on the mastery of knowledge rather on the capacity to
perform tasks. In general, the term competence is used to indicate a relation with
occupational tasks as well as more transcending generic personal characteristics or
skills/abilities.
2.2.1. Characteristics of Competence

Albanese et al. propose five characteristics to define a competency:
1. A competency focuses on the performance of the end-product or goal-state of
instruction
Traditional education tends to focus on what and how learners are taught and less so on
whether or not they can use their learning to solve problems, perform procedures,
communicate effectively, or make good clinical decisions. By emphasizing the results of
education rather than its processes, CBE provides a significant, even dramatic shift in what
educators and policy-makers look for in judging the effectiveness of educational programs.
In CBE, the critical issue is that the learner reaches the specified level of performance in a
competency; how he or she got to that point (the educational process) is secondary.
2. A competency reflects expectations that are external to the immediate instructional

program. Traditional educational programs too often have an insular character in which the
expectations of learners are based on what has been taught with internal, educational
metrics of success such as performance on a standardized exam. In CBE, success is
determined by the ability to perform to expectations that are largely determined by
stakeholders outside of the educational program itself.
3. A competency is expressible in terms of measurable behaviour, although traditional
education does assess learner knowledge and progress; CBE places a much higher premium
on learner performance of tasks and activities representative of the competencies. Hence, the
assessments are more than just paper-and-pencil tests; they emphasize behavioural measures
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that depend on integrating knowledge and skills derived from an aggregate of educational
experiences and parts of the curriculum.
4. A competency uses a standard for judging competence that is not dependent upon the
performance of other learners but by the expert judgment of practitioners and educators in
the field. Each performance assessment of competence must be accompanied by explicit
criteria for determining whether or not a given learner has or has not attained the required
level of performance to be considered “competent.” These criteria or performance standards
are not determined by the performance of other learners (i.e., not graded on a „curve‟).
Thus, it is desirable and expected that all learners will achieve “competence” after training.
5. A competency informs learners, as well as other stakeholders, about what is expected
of them by focusing on the outcomes of education. Competence based education is often
much more transparent and therefore accountable to learners, policy-makers and other
stakeholders. Indeed, defining a discipline’s values, goals and priorities is an implicit part of
defining competencies, which enables the competencies to communicate these values and
expectations to various stakeholders within and outside the discipline.
Currently, there is wider belief among most educators and authors to consider the existence
of strong relation with the professional practice at curriculum level and in the separate
educational units and in assessment of the tasks that graduates should be able to perform or
key problems that they should be able to identify and solve are at the centre of CBE.
2.2.2. Kinds of Competency

In practice two types of competences can be distinguished. These are general
competences/generic competencies (transferable skills) and subject specific competences
(theoretical, practical and/or experimental knowledge and subject related skills) abilities or
domain specific competencies. Generic competencies needed in all domains within a
profession and transferable, that is useable in new professional or life situations. Whereas,
domain specific competencies are cluster of knowledge, skills and attitudes within one
specific content domain related to the profession.
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The subject related theoretical and practical and/or experimental knowledge includes the
actual contents that are specific factual knowledge relating to the discipline. The general
competences refers the capacity for analysis and synthesis, general knowledge, awareness of
the national and international dimension, capacity for independent learning, co-operation
and communication, tenacity, capacity for leadership, organizational and planning by
appropriate or inappropriate learning/teaching methodologies and formats.
Learning outcomes and general academic (generic) competences and subject related
competences, have shown us that approaches to teaching, learning and assessment have an
impact on the workload required to achieve the desired learning outcomes and,
consequently, on credit allocation, curriculum design and context, coherence of the
curriculum, teaching organization, ability and diligence of the student and so forth.
2.3. Competency Based Education

Competency-based education is an institutional process that moves education from focusing
on what academics believe graduates need to know (teacher-focused) to what students need
to know and be able to do in varying and complex situations (student and/or workplace
focused).
Competency based education can also be understood as outcome based instruction which is
adaptive to the changing needs of students, teachers, and the community. This perception
implies that CBE focuses on functional approach to education by emphasizing life skills and
evaluates mastery of those skills according to actual leaner performance.
The terms such as learning outcomes, or outcomes-based education, are often used
synonymously with CBE. However, “competencies” often carries with it a broader, more
conceptual connotation of what the learner is able to do as a result of the education whereas
“outcomes” is often used in reference to the performance on exams and other metrics that
document the learning that has taken place.
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Competency-based education is a framework for designing and implementing education
that focuses on the desired performance characteristics of specific filed professionals.
Although this has always been the implicit goal of more traditional educational frameworks,
CBE makes this explicit by establishing observable and measureable metrics that learners
are expected to accomplish. The ability to perform to established expectations is the criteria
by which a professional is deemed to be competent. In general, what is new in CBE is that
all educational activities are aimed at educating competent graduates, able to act
competently in their later professional practice; it implies total integration of the constituting
curriculum elements.
Educational outcomes (competencies) that are linked to workforce needs, as defined by

employers and the profession are increasingly complex in nature, rather than deriving from
the addition of multiple low-level objectives. In Competence Based Education, large skill
sets are broken down into competencies, and assume sequential levels of mastery. Hence,
competencies reinforce one another from basic to advanced level as learning progresses. The
impact of increasing competencies is synergistic, and the whole is greater than the sum of
the parts.
Competencies within different contexts may require different bundles of skills, knowledge
and attitudes. The challenge in CBE is to determine which competencies can be bundled
together to provide the optimal grouping for performing tasks. And also designing learning
experiences that support students as they practice using and applying these competencies in
different contexts is another challenge (Schlusmans, & et al, 2000).
2.3.1. The Need for Competency Based Education

There are a number of national and international initiatives and reasons including the post-
industrial knowledge economy which are more dynamic and complex increased mobility
and flexibility urged the move towards CBE. Relating learning with the world of work
becomes the economic trend of the day. Traditional education input driven, based on
“body of knowledge”, divided in disciplines, programs overloaded and often fund to be
irrelevant to the actual practices. This in turn contributed to the mismatch between
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educational supplies to demand. Increasing attention for ‘generic skills’ (life skills) in 21st
century such as: Cooperation, Communication, Entrepreneurship, Problem solving, so
forth. The need for closer link between academic learning and the professional practice is
now higher than ever. Some of the reasons include:
 To increase transparency of professional profiles in study programmes
 To shift to a more learner oriented approach to education and
 To develop higher levels of employability and shared language for consultation with
all stakeholder.
In addition, the formal education system in Ethiopia is currently in a state of great
transformation accompanied with an increased interest of stakeholders in quality and
mandates that standards be developed and codified. In the competency-based curriculum,
the students will be able to know, demonstrate, comprehend, apply, analyze, synthesize and
evaluate a particular topic of instruction in the curriculum so as to develop the desired
capabilities.
2.3.2. Organizing curriculum for competency-based education

What is to be learned or curriculum, is at the heart of every educational modalities. But it is
the way how the curriculum is developed that makes difference between traditional models
from CBE. As tradition, the professionals themselves have set requirements that can serve to
determine who can obtain membership based on completion of curricula that they
determine. The competency based curriculum CBC) is one of the driving forces that are
designed to improve the quality of education. The approach is a major shift in apportioning
responsibility for the design and implementation of teaching and learning in the classroom.
Unlike the subject specialist curriculum which has completely centralized function, the CBC
divides the responsibility for development and implementation between central (MoE) and
the educational institutes. In this regard the MoE will be responsible for the development of
educational standards, whereas, the institutes will be responsible for translating the
standards into a meaningful program syllabus and instruction at the classroom level. By
doing so they could able to provide the opportunity for nationally developed standards to be
adapted to local community needs.
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Three fundamentally different characteristics may emerge when we compare CBC to the
more traditional ones. These are: first, CBC explicitly maps the specific needs of the
community to a set of competencies for the workforce to be trained. This means that, it
guides decisions about what graduates of the educational programs must be able to do, in
order to address the key professional issues of the community. Second, CBC uses identified
expectations to develop and implement learning experiences (the curriculum) designed to
produce the desired knowledge values, and skills in the learners to achieve these
competencies. Finally, CBC uses the same set of competencies to develop critical
assessment programs to determine the extent to which they are reached.
Developing procedures that help us to combine and integrate the World of Knowledge and
the World of Work in teaching is the major challenge in CBC approach of Higher
Education (Van Merriënboer, 1999). In the design and development of a CBC the
determination of competencies is a first step. This can be done by a ‘Wisdom of Practice’
approach. Permanent communication with the world of work to define what competent
graduates should be able to show is the better approach to be followed.
In CBC learning has to be organized on the campus (thematic teaching, problem-based

learning, project oriented learning, simulated companies) virtual learning environment
focusing on student career development of already defined competencies (Larry and et al.,
n.d.).
The underpinning in competency based approach is that educational reform for improving
the quality of education and training serves as the means to ensure that all human resources
know their roles and responsibilities and possess the skills to fulfill those responsibilities. As
a model for curriculum design and delivery, the approach is typically one, which controls
and assesses learning through establishing preset objectives and outcomes, which might
relate to skills, attitudes or values.
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The technique for constructing a competency-based program (curriculum) involves
backwards planning and asks the question, what do students’ need to learn to become
successful professionals. The question is answered by conducting through discussion with
those professionals from the fields of business, politics, social, cultural and environmental
sectors to define the criteria for success. Educators then take this information and convert it
to learning outcomes or specific statements of behaviour that students must perform that
demonstrate learning which becomes the educational standards as well as defining when
these standards should be mastered from the lower level to the higher education system.
Such planning can work backwards starting with students in the final year of program. If it
is known what students need to learn in the final year (3rd year), then one can define what
needs to be learned in 2nd year, and continue until the entire scope of the standards is
determined.
Accordingly all programs teach subjects, specific outcomes that have to be extracted from
the external standards to define curriculum for a specific program. The definition of what is
to be learned is in the form of statements of demonstrable behaviours. With the creation of
minimum performance standards, that is, standards that indicate the lowest level of
performance acceptable, it is then possible to create a curriculum and the means to assess
student performance related to the curriculum. Contents will be organized based on
thematic arrangement (Module) to produce specific competencies. Hence, assessments are
aligned with curriculum which, in turn, is aligned to the standards, and that they measure
learning in terms of how students perform using, as much as possible, a real world situation
as possible. Ensuring the effective implementation of curriculum and assessment requires
developing appropriate instructional materials to support learning activities including
textbooks, workbooks, and so forth. In addition, instructors need to be trained in how to use
the new materials since the methodology of CBC requires shifting from teacher-centered to
student-centered approaches (Lorna & Joseph, 2005). In general, based on the nature of the
curriculum organization curriculum modularization found to be means to materialize CBE
in current Ethiopian Higher Education system.
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2.4. Professional Profile, Graduates Profile and Competencies
The central step in shifting from a traditional to a CBE framework is to define the target
competencies for the specified set of learners. These competencies reflect specific goals of
education, but also express institutional or national policy, in that the competencies defined
by a given group are a statement of the priorities and values of that group. The competency
definitions are largely contextual and reflect national, professional and client stakeholders,
including learners. Such competency definitions are intended, among other things, to
communicate priorities in a memorable and meaningful way (Larry & et al n.d better to
specify the citation).
2.4.1. Professional Profile

Professional profile is also named as job profile or occupational profile. A job profile is a
breakdown of the duties and task required of and performed by a person for a specific
title/job. A job description sets out the purpose of a job, where the job fits into the
organization structure, the main accountabilities and responsibilities of the job and the key
tasks to be performed. Professional profile requires formulation of key occupational tasks
and/or examples which are characteristic problems in the profession. Description of
profession profile has to indicate the relation to other profession and developments of the
profession in the context of the society (national, regional, worldwide).
2.4.2. Graduate Profile

The graduate profile is a description of the personal qualities, skills and attributes a student
is expected to obtain by the end of graduation programme at the University. A graduate
profile characterizes the intended capability of a graduate from a suite of courses. It includes
descriptions of the key attributes which a graduate from that course is expected to possess.
The intended attributes will be expressed in the form of educational aims that will guide
curriculum development and describe intended graduate learning outcomes. Attribute is a
characteristic or quality which exists independent of its application. Capability is the
integration and application of knowledge, skills, and personal qualities used appropriately
and effectively, not only in familiar and highly specialized contexts, but also in response to
new and changing circumstances. Capability is a forward-looking notion that focuses on the
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ability to learn from and adapt to a diverse and changing society. It can be seen as the
contextualized application of attributes.
A Graduate Profile is a set of outcome statements that describe the essential and enduring
knowledge, skills, and abilities expected by a graduate of a program. The profile of the
graduate describes the student at the point of exit from the school. It states the values,
achievements and readiness that each student will manifest upon graduation. It also
provides the description of “capabilities” of a graduate as a professional. The graduate
profile need to be linked to the professional profile and to the curriculum. The graduate
profile is a description of the personal qualities, skills and attributes student is expected to
obtain by the end of an academic programme at a university. It provides description of the
final levels in terms of ‘outcomes’ (competency statements and standards).
Figure 1: The Link between Competency, Professional and Graduate Profile
A competent professional
(performance of key occupational tasks at satisfactory level)
realisation of
Key occupational tasks

through
Key Competencies
domain-specific generic
competencies competencies
cognitive knowledge skills

attributes
attitudes
The starting point for professional profile is the competence areas and the graduate profile is
the reflection of the professional profile. As depicted in figure1, the starting point for
professional profile based on which graduates profile will be derived.
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CHAPTER THREE: MODULE AND MODULARIZATION
3.1. The Concept of Module
3.1.1. Definition
Nobody seems to be entirely clear about where modular instruction and modularity wave came
from. Some look for definitions in dictionaries, others mention the first applications in American
and Canadian universities. It seems that some do look for the roots of modularity in
psychological research and in those theories which fall under the rationale for modular
instruction (Dochy, Wagemans and Wolf, 1989:8).
For instance, Roberts indicated the introduction of a modular system to be in Britain for
craft training by the Engineering Industry Training Board in 1968 in vocation training
(Roberts, 1987 in Cooke and Dinkelmann, 2001). Others also indicate the first adoption of
modular education in American higher education. Particularly, with the first introduction of
the elective system in 1869 at Harvard University, there has been a great variety in the
definition and use of modular instruction and implementation of modularization (Dochy,
Wagemans and Wolf, 1989).
However, modular teaching is one of the most widespread and recognized teaching learning
techniques in America, Britain, Australia and other western countries. In addition, modular
teaching is used in almost all subjects like natural sciences and medicine and even in social
sciences as well as in computer education. All kinds of subjects are being taught through
modules (Farooq, 1997).
Despite the variations in its development and conception, attempts made were to align with
competencies, competence based education, thereby match the graduates competence with
the demand of the market. Hence, modular approach demands changing the old structure
of curriculum (knowledge-based) to give way to a new one, competency-based type of
curriculum--which stresses identification of professional/vocational skills, job-specific skills
and transferable skills a graduate may have after completing the curriculum. The link
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between modular approach and competence based education is indicated in the
aforementioned section/chapter of this guideline. It is important to note, according to
Cooke and Dinkelmann (2001), however, that ‘there are difficulties in presenting the
concepts and definitions associated with modularization as being universally accepted’ as it
also holds true to other educational terminologies.
Thus, module is different to different people and this variation might have led to different
practices. Let us see how scholars differently define module.
According to Theodossin (1981) a module is a measured part (or course) of an extended

learning experience leading to the attainment of a specified qualification(s), for which a
designated number of modules is required, with the group of required modules known as a
program.
Goldshmid in van Eijlet et al. (1988) also defined a module as a self-contained, independent
unit of a planned series of learning activities designed to help the student accomplish certain
well-defined objectives.
Similarly, Luckett (1997) defined a module as a coherent, self-contained unit of learning,

designed to achieve a set of specific learning outcomes that are assessed within that unit of
learning.
Thus, a module from the above definitions can be conceptualized and serve as a working
definition as:
 a self –contained and independent learning units in a given study program that results
in set of learning outcomes leading to the acquisition and development of certain
professional competencies as described in graduate profile.
 a building block of a study program
 an independent unit of a program, but there are interdependence among different
modules.
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 a coherent whole of course requirements- learning objectives, the teaching/learning
situations and contents, assessment, etc.
 meaningful unit within a program of study where these combination of meaningful
units result in a program of study.
This meaning is created by merging similar courses and bringing fundamental contents from
supporting areas into these merged courses. If there is a content /course from other subject
areas that shall be brought in the middle of these courses, it has to be brought there and
reinforce the learning process. To give meaning to the students, the supportive courses
should not be put separately rather they should come at the middle or in a place where they
fit best so as to reinforce the learning of students. For instance, a math course for chemistry
students shall be integrated in the module where itfits best. So, it is more than bringing
together Organic Chemistry I, II, and III together and give the course in two months or
semester. In so doing, each module will be complete and independent and can be put
together with other modules to form a degree award. Thus, modularization provides the
students freedom to choose among the modules and flexibility to organize a combination of
them according to their own needs or professional preferences.
Yet, care must be taken that the recent concept about module is different from the previous
conception. For instance, let’s see how the current concept deviates from the definitions of a
module.
 A module is a teaching material (traditional way of conceptualization). This
conception of a module is related to the distance teaching material commonly used
in Ethiopia.
 A module is a collection of courses.
In some universities in Ethiopia, particularly those which have implemented the ECBP
curricula, modules are regarded as collection of courses. The courses organized in modules
have no impact on the delivery and engagement of students’ learning though the courses are
organized in the form of modules they are still provided in the form of discreet courses.
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Hence, it should be noted that the new conception of a module is different from the above
conceptions in that courses should be delivered according to the sequences in the module to
enhance students’ competence by maintaining the principle of hierarchy of knowledge or
natural flow of knowledge and unity of ideas.
3.1.2. Characteristics of a module

Some of the definitions of module presented in the previous section are descriptive in the
sense that they describe the different characteristics of module. In fact there are various
characteristics of module; however, some of the major ones are presented hereunder:
a. Module is based on competence
Each educational program includes a number of modules. In a competence-based approach
of a curriculum the leading question that determines teaching and learning in a course or a
module can be formulated as:
What capabilities do students need to have after they graduate (from this course, from this
module, from this program, from the university…)?
So, what is important is what students will ultimately do with the knowledge and abilities
they acquire, and therefore the competence-based approach looks beyond the strict
boundaries of disciplinary tradition and demands. Thus, instead of organizing course
content by grouping academic topics or themes drawn from a discipline's canon , our
competence-based approach begins by identifying the essential, integrated capabilities
associated with professional practice and then works 'backwards'. This is also called a
‘designing-down’ approach.
The description of these capabilities that determine what is learned, practiced and applied is
given under various names that have the same meaning. In a competence-based approach
this description can be taken from the ‘learning outcomes’ approach and reflects the actual
use that students would make of the knowledge or course content.
The point of departure in modular curricula therefore, should be competence because all
other components of module such as the learning outcomes, contents, teaching methods
and assessment techniques are selected based on the competencies that students are
supposed to acquire up on completion of a given module. This entails that we need to
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clearly define competencies for each module while developing curriculum in a modular
approach.
b. Assessment is progressive
As stated earlier, at the heart of modularization is competence. Upon completion of every
module students are expected to acquire one or more competencies that assist learners carry
out key professional tasks. Nevertheless, competence is not something that one can develop
after a while or overnight. This entails that student learning should be continuously assessed
and timely feedback should be given so that it is possible to capitalize on the outcome of the
assessment and take possible action (re teaching and re assessment) for better learning.
Indeed most public HEIs in Ethiopia are currently trying to implement continuous
assessment. Hence, in connection with the introduction of CBE, these institutions are
strongly advised to implement continuous assessment beyond any other time so as to
integrate assessment with learning.
c. Explicit and specified learning outcomes
Every module need to have clear learning objectives. Moreover, the learning outcomes
should be observable, achievable and time bounded so that the learners and teachers will be
aware of why students take specific module and also determine the content, mode of
delivery and assessment techniques as well.
d. Variety of learning experiences
Obviously, in a classroom we hardly find homogenous learners. Differences may exist
among students in terms of pace of learning, intellectual ability, academic background,
learning styles and strategies, motivation, preparedness and other psychological factors.
This implies that the teaching methods, activities and assessment techniques used should be
varied in nature so as to address these individual differences
e. Clarification of the methods of learning and the context in which the learning activities
will take place
There could be various methods of teaching and all of these methods might not be useful to
present contents in a module in a way that students acquire the desired competence. This
implies that the methods of teaching and learning should be determined based on the nature
of the content and competences to be acquired for each module and this should be clearly
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communicated to the learners. In addition, the method of teaching and learning to be
employed should take into account the competencies to be acquired, characteristics of the
learners, the existing facilities and other factors pertinent to teaching and learning.
f. Specification of any prior learning requirements
There might be requirements that learners need to have or fulfill before registering for
certain module. Hence, modular approach needs to clearly specify entry behavior expected
of learners before taking the subsequent module/s.
g. Open and flexible system

Modular approach allows multiple entry and exit. This is to mean that a student may be
allowed to withdraw from a program for some time up on completion of certain module/s
and also s/he will be allowed to rejoin the program to take the remaining module/s and
complete the program. By doing so, students can accumulate minimum credits required to
complete the program. In addition, students are allowed to make choice between different
elective modules based on their interest. On top of that, modular curricula should be
designed in such a way that students have different options for taking various modules in
the program so that they can complete the program on their own pace. In addition, students
are also allowed to take courses/modules, as per the academic regulation, from other
programs if they feel that the courses/module/s have significance in enriching their core
study. That is why we say modular approach is flexible enough to address learners’ needs
and interest.
h. Greater horizontal and vertical mobility by learners
In line with the execution of modular curricula, the use of European Credit Transfer and
Accumulation System (ECTS) is increasingly demanding. The execution of this modular
curricula and ECTS assists to make degree programs comparable across universities
(nationally and internationally) and allows students to study in different institutions as these
approaches are recognized by many universities in the world. Mobility can be seen in two
ways, i.e. Horizontal and vertical mobility. For instance, if student who completed his/her
Bachelor degree program in one university is allowed to pursue his/her master’s degree in
other universities this can be considered as vertical mobility. Whereas if a student who took
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some module/s in one university is allowed to take the remaining module/s in the other
university and successfully complete the program this can be considered as horizontal
mobility. Besides, mobility can be conceptualized from employment point of view in the
sense that student who did his/her bachelor in one country should be recognized to be
employed as professional with that degree in other country/ies. Pedagogically, mobility
may also be seen in terms of freedom provided to students to take the modules. As modules,
from the above discussion, are self-contained and independent, this will help students take
any module at any time as far as they have the required entry behavior.
i. Module is essentially self-contained
Modules should contain within themselves all materials (objectives, contents/ activities,
learning method, assessment techniques, resources etc.) needed to achieve the objectives of
the module
j. Active participation by learners
Module is characterized by progressive assessment and continual pose of questions and
purposeful and authentic activities that encourage students to interact with each other to
achieve module objective. This makes students to actively participate in the lesson.
k. Mastery Evaluation Technique
The most effective module utilizes a system of students’ evaluation which requires mastery
of objectives. A module should be designed in such a way that it ensures that all the key
contents are understood or that all necessary skills have been attained before students move
to new work.
l. Module Bears certification
Students can be certified upon successful completion of a given module. Certification could
be made when students fail to continue their study and need certificate upon the completed
modules.
3.1.3. Module Profile

a. Module name
Regarding the naming of modules, it is advised to leave this to the module teams that would
be responsible for the module development. Yet, names should directly or indirectly relate
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to the content of the modules and the identified competencies to be achieved by the
respective modules. .
b. Module code
For the coding of modules the following is proposed:
The module code should show
 Home base (to which program/department does the module belong?)
 Level of students (years)
 Module number
 Category (Core, Elective, General and supportive if subject experts come across with
courses that are difficult to fit in into the modules. In some cases, there may be more
than two or three courses that may be grouped into one module with its own
competence)
Example: Module Chem-M1011 (where; M-module, 1- level, 01 module number, 1-
category of the module). No space is needed between M and 1011.
For the coding of courses in a module (clustered courses):
The course code should show
 Home base
 Level of students (years)
 Module number
 Order of the course in the module
Chem1011 (Where;1- level, 01 module number, 1- order of the course in the module). No
space is needed between Chem and 1011
c. Clustered courses in the module with their codes and credit points
d. Module Credit Point or ECTS
e. Total study hours in the module and course
i. Home study (including library work, independent study, etc )----hrs
ii. Lecture----hrs
iii. Tutorial ---hrs
iv. Practical/ laboratory ---hrs
f. Module description
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g. Module objectives
The module objectives should be general. They should portray the match between the
courses in a module and the competencies identified to be achieved.
h. Mode of delivery (detailed activities of teachers and students)
i. Mode of assessment
3.2. The Concept of Modularization
3.2.1. Definition
Following are some of the possible conceptualizations of modularization which have almost
similarity. Some include:
- is a process by which educational awards are broken up into component parts of a
more or less standard size (UK Higher Education Quarterly, 2000)
- is a process of organizing parts based on their competencies or themes.
- a process of bringing topics/subjects together based on their themes or competences
in the realization of the graduate profile already specified.
- is a matter of making things happen in their natural order. Therefore, contents in a
particular course or courses in a module should be put in their natural flow to avoid
thought interruption.
- is an attempt to avoid fragmentation among topics or courses in a module.
Therefore, a modular system in education has both a pedagogical and organizational

component (the curricula would be organized based on themes, competences, correlation,
etc.)
3.2.2. Models/approaches
According to Watson (1989) there are broadly two ways of going modular, one being the
‘creation’ model, and the other the ‘conversion’ model. He explains that the creation model
denotes the design of a new course. In the conversion model there is either ‘an internal
(course-led) or external (faculty- or institution-led) decision to recast and develop current
courses in a modular form’. Let’s see in detail the two approaches or models of
modularization.
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Model One: Modularization = Clustering of courses
Variation 1:
Existing courses grouping into clusters comparison with separately defined
graduate profile some courses are removed, some are altered, and some new
courses may be added
Figure 2: Example of course clustering by course (variation 1)
Example of Modular Curricula: Tourism Geography (University of Tartu)
Module 1: Human Geography

– Theoretical Approaches to Social Geography
– Research Methods in Human Geography
– Economic Policies of EU
– Political Geography and Geopolitics
– Cultural Geography
Module 2: Regional Planning &Environment

– Estonian Landscapes
– Urban Planning and Urban Environment
– Regional Planning
– Evironmental Impact of Tourism
– Sustainable Development of Tourism
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Variation 2:
Existing courses  grouping courses  comparison with separately defined graduate
profile merging the contents of the courses into a new unit: the module
• Example of a module
Figure 3: Example of course clustering by content (variation 2)
Figure 4: Example of model one of variation one and two
Model Two: Modularization= Creation of new units of learning

This model is employed while there is a need to open a new program. As it is indicated
below, it starts from professional profiles and ends with modules
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- Description professional profile description graduate profile  translation into
knowledge, skills and attitudes  grouping of K.S and A into themes  description
of modules
_________________________________________________________________________
The model Ethiopian public universities are suggested to follow will be variation one of model one. In
doing so, the identity of courses will be maintained and graded independently. This is because there is a
dearth of experts in modularization who will direct the integration of contents and immediate move to
integration might require changing the working environment or culture in universities and the system
as a whole which is difficult if not impossible to do it after a while. In addition, it needs the civil service
to recognize this certification thereby bring change in the employment orientation. However, attempts to
integrate contents among universities should continue and forum for discussion of all the universities
should be arranged and the pool of experts who are working in this regard should carry on their
informal and formal communication on what has to be done in the future.
3.3. European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System in Modular

Approach
3.3.1. Credit System

A credit system is a systematic way of describing an educational program by attaching
credits to its components. The definition of credits in higher education systems may be
based on different parameters, such as student workload, learning outcomes and contact
hours.
3.3.2. The Concept and Development of ECTS
What is ECTS?
The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System is a student-centered system based
on the student workload required to achieve the objectives of a program, objectives
preferably specified in terms of the learning outcomes and competences to be acquired.
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European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System was introduced in 1989, within
the framework of Erasmus, now part of the Socrates program. European Credit Transfer
and Accumulation System is the only credit system which has been successfully tested
and used across Europe. It was set up initially for credit transfer. The system facilitated the
recognition of periods of study abroad and thus enhanced the quality and volume of student
mobility in Europe. Recently ECTS is developing into an accumulation system to be
implemented at institutional, regional, national and European level. This is one of the key
objectives of the Bologna Declaration of June 1999.
Why ECTS?
European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System makes study programs easy to
read and compare for all students, local and foreign. It facilitates mobility and academic
recognition and also helps universities to organize and revise their study programs.
European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System can be used across a variety of
programs and modes of delivery. It makes European higher education more attractive for
students from abroad.
3.3.3. The Key Features of ECTS

European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System is based on the principle that 60
credits measure the workload of a full-time student during one academic year (Hence, in a
three year Bachelor Degree program a students must take at least 180 ECTS). The student
workload of a full-time study program in Europe amounts in most cases to around 1500-
1800 hours per year and in those cases one credit stands for around 25 to 30 working hours.
Credit Requirements
 The total credit points for three years Bachelors program shall be 180 CP .
 The total credit points for four years Bachelors program shall be 240 CP .
 The total credit points for five years Bachelors program shall be 300 CP
 The total credit points for six years bachelor program shall be 360 CP .
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Note: Though the total credit points required for the years indicated are as shown above,
universities sometimes may have specific interests to address their nearby community needs.
Hence, 5 to 10 CPs are allowed to do so. Yet, care should be taken that such addition of
credit points is at university level.
In Ethiopian context, it was proposed that on average students are expected to work 50 hrs
per week (usually students are expected to work 8 hrs per day and 40 hrs per week
(5daysx8hrs= 40 hrs) but sometimes students work 12 hrs per day, i.e 60 hrs per week.
Therefore, 50 is average (40+60=100/2= 50). This means that since there are 32 weeks in
one academic year, students are supposed to work 32x50= 1600 hrs per year. Therefore, in
this case 1ECTS= 27 study hrs (32x50/60= 26.6 study hrs) where 60 is the minimum ECTS
that a student is supposed to take in one year, 32 is the number of academic weeks per year
and 50 is the total hours that a student is supposed to work per week. Therefore, it is
recommended to follow logical analysis to allot ECTS or credit points to courses or
modules.
It is strongly advised to take this as point of departure. In the allocation of credit points to
modules and courses, do not use a direct conversion from the old system, as shown below;
because that is based on teaching load (it does not recognize the total hrs students are
supposed to spend to complete the course). In addition, it assumes equivalence of cr.hrs and
ECTS which are dissimilar.
Conversion Factor: 109 Cr.Hr. = 180 ECTS
1 Cr.Hr = 1.65 ECTS
Rather the following line of thinking should be taken:
– Determine the total number of ECTS CPs for a programme.
• For example 180 for a three year BSc programme.
– Divide this number of CPs over the modules in a programme, giving more
CPs to “heavier” modules.
• For example, when a programme has 15 modules:
• 10 modules of 12 CPs each
• 5 modules of 6 CPs each
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– Not advisable, but if you wish to do it:
• In the same way credit points could be allocated to courses within a
module. The weight of the different courses might be established using
the old credit points.
• For example, for a module with 4 courses and 12 CPs: course 1: 4
CPs, course 2: 2 CPs, course 3: 3 CPs, course 4: 3 Cps, totalling 12
ECTS credit points.
Study hours in a module
-The number of credit points for a module of course could be converted into study hours
and then these could be allocated to teaching-learning activities, including assessment
-For example: a module has been allocated 10 ECTS credit points. That means a total of
10*27 = 270 study hours. This could be divided into:
• 60 lecture hours,
• 60 hours for project work,
• 30 hours for presentations,
• 40 hours for tutorials and problem solving sessions,
• 10 hours assessment (continuous and final),
• 70 hours independent study (alone or in groups)
Credits in ECTS can only be obtained after successful completion of the work required and
appropriate assessment of the learning outcomes achieved.
Student workload in ECTS consists of the time required to complete all planned learning
activities such as attending lectures, seminars, independent and private study, preparation of
projects and examinations etc. These components of the workload may vary from course to
course. Some courses may have one, two or more than two components depending on the
nature of the courses.
Credits are allocated to all educational components of a study program (such as modules,
courses, placements, dissertation work, etc.) and reflect the volume of work each component
requires to achieve its specific objectives or learning outcomes in relation to the total
quantity of work necessary to complete a full year of study successfully.
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3.3.4. Estimating Students’ Workload
The workload of a module/course unit is based on the total amount of learning activities a
student is expected to complete in order to achieve the foreseen learning outcomes. It is
measured in time (in work hours); for example, a module of 5 credits allows to 27*5=135
hours of work of a typical student. In practice different approaches are used to calculate the
student workload. Although there are differences due to the subject, common denominators
can be identified also.
The calculation of workload in terms of credits is not an automatic process. The professor
and experts in the area have to decide on the level of complexity of the material to be
studied per course unit. Prior experience of the staff plays an essential role. One of the main
contributions of the process of credit allocation is that it leads to more reflection on
curriculum design and teaching methods on the part of the teaching staff.
When deciding on the student workloads consider the following elements:
 The student has a fixed amount of time depending on the program he/she is taking.
 The overall responsibility for the design of a program of studies and the number of
credits allocated to courses lies with the responsible legal body, e.g. module team
(course team) and program coordinator/ manager, department head or
department/program council etc.
 The final responsibility for deciding on the teaching, learning and assessment
activities for a particular amount of student time is delegated by module team and
program coordinators or course chairs.
 It is crucial that the teacher should be aware of the specific learning outcomes to be
achieved and the competences to be obtained.
 The teacher should reflect on which educational activities are more relevant to reach
the learning outcomes of the module/course unit. Educational activities can be
defined by considering the following aspects:
o Modes of instruction (types of teaching and learning activities): lecture,
seminar, research seminar, exercise course, practical, laboratory work, guided
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personal study, tutorial, independent studies, internship, placement or ‘stage’,
fieldwork, project work, etc.
o Types of learning activities: attending lectures, performing specific
assignments, practicing technical or laboratory skills, writing papers,
independent and private study, reading books and papers, learning how to
give constructive criticism of the work of others, chairing meetings, etc.
o Types of assessment: oral examination, written examination, oral
presentation, test, paper/essay, portfolio, report about an internship, report on
fieldwork, continuous assessment, (final) thesis/dissertation, etc.
 Teachers estimate the time required to complete the activities foreseen for each
course unit/module. The workload expressed in time should match the number of
credits available for the course unit. Teachers must develop suitable strategies to use
the time available to best advantage.
 The teacher should have a notion of the average student work time required for each
of the activities selected for the module/course unit.
 The student has a crucial role in the monitoring process to determine whether the
estimated student workload is realistic, although monitoring is also a responsibility
of the teaching staff.
Tips for estimating student workload

 Requires teamwork and team sprit
 Requires institutional credit frameworks and regulations on the use of credits
 No direct link between contact hours and credits
 Types and number of educational activities
 Types of assessment
 Not a one time task but requires constant monitoring
 Improving through student evaluation (feedback) and analysis of the activities and
assessments
 Any change in the content, activities and assessment affects student workload (credit
point)
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___________________________________________________________________________
The team suggested the naming of the ECTS (European Credit Accumulation and Transfer System) to
be Ethiopian Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (EtCTS) based on the following assumptions.
A. In calculating ECTS and students’ workload, the number of academic weeks considered are 32
which is different from that of Europe.
B. The total study hour students are supposed to engage in academics is suggested as 50 hours per
a week which is not common in all European countries.
C. In the case of Ethiopia, the team suggested 1 EtCTS is equal to 27 study hours where there are
variations ranging from 25 to 30 hours among European countries in this regard.
Hence, for these reasons, it is better to adapt ECTS to EtCTS.
__________________________________________________________________________
3.4. Steps in Modularization

In designing modular curricula, there are series of steps that one has to follow. The major
steps used in both the models are suggested as follows.
1. Brainstorm major problems of the existing curriculum
2. Create awareness on modularization to different stakeholders (including students) and
establish common understanding through frequent workshops
3. Establish task forces at different levels
j. University
k. College/faculty
l. Program/department (module teams and leaders)
4. Revisit the graduate and professional profile of the existing programs
5. Formulate graduate profile/outcomes for new programs
6. Decide on core, elective and general modules that fit the graduate profile
7. Cluster existing courses into modules or check existing modules for fit with graduate
profile
8. Divide modules over program
9. Award credit points to the modules
10. Allocate study hours to various activities
m. Pay attention to generic competencies
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3.5. Principles for Modularization
 Principle one
 Using the current classification of courses by streams, try if all the courses can
be fit as one module and provided as a single course
 Remember that some of the courses designated as part of given stream
(example in Biology we can have botany, zoology, etc) are random and are
not properly related to the stream to decide the proper stream they belong to
or create a stream of their own.
 Principle two
 Consider fitting together courses currently provided as part I, part II etc as in
the case of Organic Chemistry I and II, Financial Accounting I and Financial
Accounting II,..Eng. I and II, Spoken English I and II and so on.
 Principle three
 Consider realigning together requisite and prerequisite courses into one
module
 Don’t forget that if a given course is a prerequisite to another, then logically
the contents of the two courses belong to the same area and in a given
hierarchical order
 Principle four
 Review the content of each of the courses delivered for a program and if there
are any unnecessary redundancies in the courses, the redundancies have to be
eliminated.
 Redundancies refer to topics, could be ideas, concepts, or theories that are
treated with the same level of depth in various courses and have no relevance
to strengthen the students’ learning.
 Principle five
 Attempt to make sure that content, if it is very important, is treated with
greater degree of complexity, ensuring relevance and novelty to the students
as the level increases.
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 Or delete topics that add little value to the students and appear to take
uniform level of complexity.
 This is a very useful technique in curriculum organization-termed as
reiteration. In fact, we should not repeat a topic with the same breadth and
depth in three courses.
 Principle six
 Include the courses relevant to reinforce learning, commonly called as
supportive course to which they fit
 Bring courses/fundamental contents from supporting areas into these
clustered or merged courses (see above figure III how basic mathematics is
made to fit in and reinforce learning).
A math course for Accounting students shall be integrated in the module where it fits best.
So, it is more than bringing together Financial accounting I, II, and III together and give
the course.
If there is a content /course from other subject areas that shall be brought in the middle of
these courses, it has to be brought there and reinforce the learning process.
 Principle Seven
 Courses currently given as common courses from other departments, for
example civic and ethical education, psychology for managers, math for
management, etc. given by other department staffs other students have to be
either
 realigned into the recipient program’s core courses and delivered by the
members of the department
 or come together as a package to form general foundation courses.
TIPS for clustering
 Ensure an end to end approach to course design (holistic approach)
 Ensure as much integrity and modularity between related topics incorporated in to a
course
 Avoid unnecessary and non-value adding redundancies of topics across courses
 Ensure that a module is NOT too large and too incomplete
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 Fit together courses currently provided as part I, part II into one module by maintaining
their identity (clustering)
 Integrate supportive courses with the modules of major courses
 Integrate major courses by considering pre-requisite knowledge and whole meaning
provision
 Consider current classification of course by streams (For example in chemistry we can
have organic, inorganic, analytic, etc. as stream areas)
 Identify unique streams and common streams
 Independence of module is as much maximized : complete modules
 All programs shall have basic/general courses on the general field e.g. basics in business &
economics
3.6. Opportunities, Challenges and Possible Suggestions in Implementing

Modularization
Opportunities
a. Develop learners’ autonomy
Modular curricula encourage students to take responsibility for their own learning as it
supports the shift of focus from the traditional teachers centered teaching to student centered
learning.
b. Ensure satisfactory minimum standard
Because the learning outcomes and the assessment techniques are clearly stated, modular
curricula allows teachers to check out whether or not students acquire minimum
competences identified for the module.
c. Enhance teachers competencies
Modular curricula demands teachers to employ progressive assessment, use diversified
teaching methods, carefully plan the lessons etc. As a result, teachers will have a chance to
monitor the progress of students learning and the whole provision of the module. This then
allows teachers to look in to the strength and pitfalls of the instructional process and take
remedies for further improvement. In so doing, teachers will produce a package of their
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teaching as evidence of improvement of their students’ learning. Hence, this will further
develop and be shown as evidence of their professional development.
d. Integrate theory and practice
Because modules are largely self-paced and the learners’ proceeds in small steps it is possible
to support each step in practical work by appropriate theoretical explanations.
e. Cater for individual differences in learning
Because the modules are self-paced, they do cater to an extent for individual differences in
the learner abilities, interests and degrees of application.
f. Encourage mastery
Allen and Sickle (1984) point out that conventional courses are usually graded normatively,
i.e. by comparing the work of each student with that of others. Sometimes students “pass” a
course with grades at lower than 50% implying that they have not mastered at least 50% of
the content. By contrast, modules have a built-in-fail-safe mechanism that encourages
students to master the whole of the content and so assessments are set with this aim in
mind. This avoids the hit-and-miss approach of the conventional course and ensures that
future work is based on a sound understanding of all previous learning.
g. Encourage a changed role for the teacher
As modules inherently are student centered, the teacher’s role is limited to facilitation of
students learning.
Challenges
 Resistance (students, staffs, and leaderships)
 Resource limitation (class rooms, laboratories, materials, time and experts)
 Lack of experience for the approach
 Absence of policy guideline
 Low commitment
 Absence of best practices (bench marks)
 Lack of harmonization prevents mobility
 Alignment problem with the job market
 Poor students’ academic background, leading to problems when starting
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modularised university education
Possible Suggestion
 Continuous training and advocacy workshop on poor competency of graduates,
fragmented curriculum and mode of delivery, relative advantages of modular
curriculum
 Plan to get resources and effective utilization of the available resources
 Share experiences and urge the MOE to take imitative for modularisation and
harmonization
 Provide students support service remedial action
 Creating enabling working environment
 Promotion of university–industry linkage
CHAPTER FOUR: LEARNING-TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT IN

MODULAR APPROACH
4.1. Active Learning in Modular Approach

The traditional curriculum focused on the teacher rather than the learner. However, in
recent years there has been a paradigm shift taking place, moving the emphasis from
teaching to learning and a more student-centered curriculum. This change has impacted on
the curriculum design process with a greater emphasis on the learning in terms of
knowledge, skills and competencies within courses and modules. The focus is on how
learners learn and the design of effective learning environments.
There are a variety of models for the design of courses in higher education (Toohey, 1999;
Biggs, 1999) and many of the same issues are relevant in the context of designing modules.
In the process of devising a module, the key is to forge educationally sound and logical links
between learner needs, aims, learning outcomes, resources, learning and teaching strategies,
assessment criteria and evaluation.
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In modular approach teaching, seeking to incorporate the following to your module design
can offer a greater likelihood of fostering a deep approach to learning (Donnelly and
Fitzmaurice, n.d.):
 sustained interaction with content and others;
 relating new ideas to previous knowledge;
 providing explicit explanations and a clear knowledge base to students;
 structuring in a reasonable student workload;
 providing opportunities for students to pursue topics in depth so that they can
understand the material for themselves;
 ensuring an appropriate formative and summative assessment strategy.
These ideas resonate with teachers in today’s higher education environment and have
implications both for our choice of learning and teaching strategies and how we assess
learning. An awareness of these approaches to learning is fundamental to the entire module
design process.
There is merit in ensuring that students are exposed to a range of teaching and learning
methods across their program of study. A defining characteristic of a ‘higher education’
should be one in which learner autonomy and responsibility are encouraged and rewarded.
As learning environment evolves, learners have become increasingly demanding on

personalized learning which allows them to build their own knowledge pathway. This
significant change in learning requirements imposes a new learning paradigm which ensures
learner-centered, with flexible mode of content configuration, and adaptive delivery and
assessment. As it is mentioned in chapter-2, the above issues are the core philosophies of
modular approach teaching and learning process. When we think about student-centered
teaching learning process, constructivist theory of learning is the leading one.
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4.2. Constructivist Learning and Modular Approach
Constructive alignment is an approach to curriculum design that maximizes the conditions
for quality learning by ensuring alignment throughout the process, from the forming of
learning outcomes, to the choice of teaching methods to assessment.
Within the constructivist paradigm, the accent is on the learner rather than the teacher. It is
the learner who interacts with his or her environment and thus gains an understanding of its
features and characteristics. The learner constructs his own conceptualisations and finds his
own solutions to problems, mastering autonomy and independence. According to
constructivism, learning is the result of individual mental construction, whereby the learner
learns by dint of matching new against given information and establishing meaningful
connections, rather than by internalising mere factoids to be regurgitated later on. In
constructivist thinking, learning is inescapably affected by the context and the beliefs and
attitudes of the learner. Here, learners are given more latitude in becoming effective problem
solvers, identifying and evaluating problems, as well as deciphering ways in which to
transfer their learning to these problems.
It could be argued that constructivism emphasizes the importance of the world knowledge,
beliefs, and skills an individual brings to bear on learning. Viewing the construction of new
knowledge as a combination of prior learning matched against new information, and
readiness to learn, this theory opens up new perspectives, leading individuals to informed
choices about what to accept and how to fit it into their existing schemata, as well as what
to reject. Recapitulating the main principles of constructivism, we could say that it
emphasises learning and not teaching, encourages learner autonomy and personal
involvement in learning, looks to learners as incumbents of significant roles and as agents
exercising will and purpose, fosters learners’ natural curiosity, and also takes account of
learners’ affect, in terms of their beliefs, attitudes, and motivation.
Teaching and Learning Methods in Higher Education (Adapted from Bourner and
Flowers (1997)
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Disseminate knowledge
• Lectures
• Up-to-date textbooks
• Reading
• Handouts
• Guest' lectures
• Use of exercises that require students to find up-to-date knowledge
• Develop skills in using library and other learning resources.
• Directed private study.
• Open learning materials.
• Use of the Internet
Develop capability to use ideas and information
• Case studies
• Practical activities
• Work experience
• Projects
• Demonstrations
• Group working
• Simulations (e.g. computer based)
• Workshops
• Discussion and debate
• Essay writing
Develop the student's ability to test ideas and evidence
• Seminars and tutorials
• Supervision
• Presentations
• Essays
• Feedback on written work
• Literature reviewing
• Exam papers
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• Open learning
• Peer assessment
• Self-assessment
Develop the student's ability to generate ideas and evidence

• Research projects
• Workshops on techniques of creative problem solving
• Group working
• Action learning
• Lateral thinking
• Brainstorming
• Mind-mapping
• Creative visualization
• Coaching
• Problem solving
Facilitate the personal development of students
• Feedback
• Experiential learning
• Learning contracts
• Action learning
• Learning logs
• Role play
• Structured experiences in groups
• Reflective documents
• Self-assessment
• Profiling
Develop the capacity of students to plan and manage their own learning
• Learning contracts
• Projects
• Action learning
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• Workshops
• Mentors
• Reflective logs and diaries
• Independent study
• Work placement
• Portfolio development
• Dissertations
4.3. Assessment in Modular Instruction
4.3.1. Concepts of Assessment

Some scholars suggested that current assessment practices in higher education did not equip
students well for a lifetime of learning and the assessment challenges they would face in the
future. It was argued that assessment practices should be judged from the point of view of
whether they effectively equip students for a lifetime of assessing their own learning.
Assessment could be sustainable if it meets the needs of the present without compromising
the ability of students to meet their own future learning needs. That is, assessment activities
should not only address the immediate needs of certification or feedback to students on their
current learning, but also contribute in some way to their prospective learning.
To ensure that assessment is part of the learning process, it should be learner-centered

assessment and should reflect a learner-centered curriculum. Assessment methods and
approaches need to be focused on evidence of achievement rather than the ability to regurgitate
information. Inevitably this means a lesser concentration on traditional written assessments,
particularly time-constrained unseen exams, and a greater emphasis on assessment
instruments that measure not just recall of facts, but also the students’ abilities to use the
material they have learned in live situations.
Modular assessment strategies are usually adopted wherever individualized competency-

based education and training is implemented. Typically, modular assessment is integrated in
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to the instructional package to ensure that mastery of the outcome is based on the
demonstration of the competencies defined rather than test taking skills.
The concepts of assessment have undergone changes, particularly with regard to CBE.
Differences between the old and new concepts of assessment are shown below.
Old concepts of assessment Modern concepts of assessment

• Summative assessment in a • Formative and informal
formal setting used as the main assessment
form of assessment • Continuous assessment is an
• Examination at the end of the integral part of the teaching-
term or the year learning process
• Norm-referencing, comparing a • Criterion-referenced,
student’s performance with comparing student’s
other students as an indicator performance against pre-
of final ranking and for determined criteria/ standards
placement/selection. to provide feedback and
• Knowledge and recall of improve performance
content is heavily stressed • Stress is placed on the learning
process
Points to consider in modular Assessment

1. Assessment measures are validly related to competency statements and discriminate
on the basis of pre-established standards of competencies.
2. The learner assumes greater responsibility for attaining specified competencies.
3. Assessment is timed according to the pace of learning.
4. The learner is assessed immediately on completion of each module.
5. Recognition is given on completion of each module.
6. Assessment is based primarily on the practical demonstration of competence;
knowledge and attitude are also assessed.
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7. Continuous feedback is given to a learner on assessment results i.e. the learner must
be aware of competencies achieved/not achieved.
8. Assessment records are organized to reflect the learner’s progress, i.e. competencies
achieved as well as those not achieved.
9. Performance criteria are clear to both instructor and learner
Feedback
Feedback is used to actively improve student learning. Feedback is informative and
supportive and facilitates a positive attitude to future learning. Students benefit from clear and
helpful feedback on their learning. Everyday learning activities as well as special tasks
and tests provide opportunities for the provision of feedback. This places responsibility
on staff to plan assessment in order to
(a) Develop their own skills in providing quality feedback, and
(b) Develop in students the skills they need to provide sound feedback to each other.
If assessment is to be integral to learning, feedback must be at the heart of the process.
Even though it is time-consuming, significant energy must be devoted to helping
students to understand not only where they have gone wrong, but also what they need
to do to improve. They also need feedback when they have done well, to help them
understand what is good about their work and how they can build on it and develop
further. No one can pretend this is an easy task. Summative feedback, which enables
judgments to be made for progression and completion, needs quite clearly and overtly to
relate to the assessment criteria and to be strongly, aligned to the curriculum objectives.
4.3.2. Types of Assessment Practices

Diagnostic assessment
• is often undertaken at the beginning of a unit of study to assess the skills, abilities,
interests, experiences, levels of achievement or difficulties of an individual
student or a whole class
• can involve formal measurements (e.g. tests, fitness tests) that are used to
establish a starting point or baseline OR informal measurements (e.g.
observation, discussions, questioning)
• Informs programming and planning, and learning and teaching methods used, as
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well as assessment choices.
Summative assessment
• assists you to make judgments about student achievement at certain relevant
points in the learning process or unit of study (e.g. end of course, project,
semester, unit, year)
• Can be used formally to measure the level of achievement of learning outcomes
(e.g. tests, labs, assignments, projects, presentations etc.)
• Can also be used to judge program, teaching and/or unit of study effectiveness
(that is as a form of evaluation).
Formative assessment
• is the practice of building a cumulative record of student achievement
• usually takes place during day to day learning experiences and involves ongoing,
informal observations throughout the term, course, semester or unit of study
• is used to monitor students’ ongoing progress and to provide immediate and
meaningful feedback
• Assists teachers in modifying or extending their programs or adapting their
learning and teaching methods.
• Is very applicable and helpful during early group work processes.
Informal assessment involves:
• systematically observing and monitoring students during in class learning and
teaching experiences
• interacting with students to gain a deeper knowledge of what they know,
understand and can do
• circulating the classroom and posing questions, guiding investigations,
motivating and quizzing students
• providing opportunities for students to present or report upon their learning and
teaching experiences
• Collecting, analyzing, and providing feedback on in and out of class work
samples (e.g. how their group work projects are progressing).
Formal assessment involves:
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• the use of specific assessment strategies to determine the degree to which students
have achieved the learning outcomes
• assessment strategies including: essays, exams, reports, projects, presentations,
performances, laboratories or workshops, resource development, artwork,
creative design tasks, quizzes and tests, journal writing, portfolio
• Individual and/or collaborative tasks that usually attract a mark (group work
may include both an individual and group component).
Assessment is effective when:
• Assessment is used to engage students in learning that is productive.
• Assessment is recognized as a learning activity that requires engagement on
appropriate tasks.
• Students seek and use timely feedback to improve the quality of their learning
and work.
• Students regularly receive specific information, not just mark and grades, about
how to improve the quality of their work.
• Students and teachers become responsible partners in learning and assessment.
• Students progressively take responsibility for assessment and feedback processes.
• Students develop and demonstrate the ability to judge the quality of their own
work and the work of others against agreed standards. and among staff and
students.
• Dialogue and interaction about assessment processes and standards are
commonplace between stages of course development.
• Assessment practices respond to the diverse expectations and experiences of
entering students.
• Assessment for learning is placed at the centre of subject and program design.
• Assessment design is recognized as an integral part of curriculum planning from
the earliest
• Assessment is organized holistically across subjects and programs with
complementary
• Students are inducted into the assessment practices and cultures of higher
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education.
4.4. Staff Workload

As the nature of modular approach demands extensive engagement of instructors, there has
to reasonable workload consideration. For instance, when determining instructors’
workload, it is necessary to consider the following elements among others:
• academic rank (related to research work)
• The type and nature of module he/she is going to deliver (lecture modules vs
practical modules)
• Additional responsibilities an instructor has
• Number of modules the instructor is delivering simultaneously
• Being postgraduate students (2nd degree, 3rd degree, etc.)
CHAPTER FIVE: MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF MODULAR

CURRICULA
5.1. Monitoring Implementation of Modular Curricula

Monitoring can be defined as a continuous or periodic check and overseeing by those
responsible for the course at every level. It should focus attention on processes and
performance with the objective of drawing attention to particular features that may require
corrective action. It includes putting activities in place to ensure that input deliveries, work
plans, expected output and other actions are proceeding according to plans. Monitoring
should enable curriculum planners and teachers to detect serious setbacks or bottlenecks of
the implementation process that may cause the programme not to achieve expected learning
outcomes (McKimm, 2003).
In this regard, there are many issues that need attention of all teachers and the management
in general in monitoring the implementation of modular approach
• Students’ entry behaviour
– do the students meet the required competence to take a nodule?
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– are the criteria or pre-test provided to students in identifying students entry behaviour
appropriate for the course or the module?
• Teaching staff – are the teachers available, motivated and capable of teaching the new
course?
• Have any training needs for teachers been identified and addressed with regard to the
required competencies of teachers to implement modular approach (for instance teachers
competence in assessing students’ performance, implementing active learning methods, etc)?
• The teaching and learning process
– how is the written curriculum translated into practice?
– Are the teaching and learning methods appropriate?
– Is the balance between different types of learning mode appropriate in achieving the stated
outcomes?
• Assessment
– are the assessments appropriate in terms of level, reliability and validity and do they
discriminate between assessing skills, knowledge and attitudes?
– Are the regulations and procedures appropriate and are they being followed?
• Learning resources
- are the recommended books and journals and other teaching materials available?
- Is access to the library and other resources adequate?
• Performance standards – are the minimum performance standards being reflected and
achieved?
The following competency check points could be employed to check whether the curricula
developed are in line with the competency based approach
• Are final qualifications or end terms formulated as core (key) competencies (graduate
profiles) in their context?
• Or as long lists of separate goals/objectives with disciplinary knowledge and skills
without context?
• Are stakeholders from the world of work involved?
• Or are the discipline experts/teachers determining what the content should be?
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• Are competencies formulated in terms of development stages? Are there levels and
indicators?
• Or are they simply scattered here and there without any levels and indicators?
• Are competencies inspiring and suitable to design learning lines and integrated
themes for projects?
• Or is it just a series of roles and tasks?
• Are assessment procedures used that are also used in the professional practice?
• Is learning strongly linked to situations from the professional practice?
• Or is there emphasis on acquiring basic knowledge before practice?
• Are knowledge, skills and attitudes integrated and are they learned in a professional
context
• Or are they taught separately in skills training sessions?
• Are situations from the professional practice point of departure for the curriculum
• Or is disciplinary content determining the structure of the curriculum
5.2. Methods of monitoring curriculum implementation

With regard to which methods to use in monitoring the implementation of modular
approach, our choice depends on purpose and what to assess among other factors. In doing
so, we may use different methods of monitoring such as observation, feedback
questionnaires, Focus groups/meetings/interviews, student assessment results, reports, etc.
5.3. Evaluating the implementation of modular curricula

Evaluation is a system of feedback, providing information to planners, teachers/trainers,
students, parents and decision-makers. Evaluation is a process involving on-going activities
aimed at gathering timely information about the quality of a programme.
Why do we need to evaluate our courses or modules?

• To identify successes and failures of the curriculum with a view to correcting
deficiencies
• To measure if stated objectives have been achieved
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• To assess if the curriculum is meeting the needs of learners, community etc
• To measure the cost effectiveness of the curriculum
Some questions to ask when evaluating a course/module or programme

• Whether the learning objectives are realistic and relevant
• Whether the different parts of the course relate to each other meaningfully in terms
of sequence and organization
• Whether the subject matter and content is relevant, accurate and up to date
No. Levels of members Frequency Points of Reporting remarks

monitoring of meeting discussion
and
evaluation
• Whether the learners’ entry requirements are well defined and at the right level
• Whether the materials and delivery are pitched at the right level for the learners at
different points in the course
• Whether the balance of teaching and learning methods is appropriate and whether
there is enough time to ensure learning
• Whether teachers have the knowledge and skills required to deliver the curriculum
• Whether the learning resources that have been identified are adequate, appropriate
and available
Monitoring and evaluation can be done at different levels. This can be done at course,
module, and program. It takes place at all steps and at the completion of each of them. The
table shows the possible procedures in monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of
the modular curriculum
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1 University AVP, APO, monthly  Teaching Report to
Registrar, deans, learning the president
heads, and student  Assessment
representatives  Resource
2 College Dean, heads, monthly  Student Report to
module team engagement the AVP
leaders, and  Team work every month
student  Student
representatives progress
3 School/depa Heads, module Per two  Strengths Report to
rtment/progr team leaders, and weeks college dean
 Areas of
am student every two
improvement
representatives weeks
 interventions
4 Module team Module team Per week Weekly
leaders and all report to the
members, and School/depa
student rtment/prog
representatives ram
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References
Allen, W. and Sickle, V. (1984). Learning teams and Low achiever. Social Education, FL.
Learning publication, New York: USA.
Biggs, J. (1999). Teaching for Quality Learning at University. Buckingham: SRHE/OU
Press.
Boud, D. and Falchikov,N.(2006). Aligning assessment with long-term learning. Assessment &
Evaluation in Higher Education Vol. 31, No. 4, August 2006, pp. 399–413: Sydney,
Australia
Bourner, T and Flowers, T. (1997). Teaching and Learning Methods in Higher Education: a
Glimpse of the Future. A Journal of the Higher Education Foundation, Vol 9, 1997, Pages
77 - 102.
Brown, S. (2004). Assessment for Learning. Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, Issue
1, 2004-05
Cooke L. & Dinkelmann, E., (2001). Modular Education: A Technikon Perspective, CTM
Quality Promotion Series, Curriculum Development Series, Modularization: No 1
Council on Education for Public Health .(2006). Competencies and Learning Objectives*
Website: http://www.ceph.org> Washington, DC 20001
Dochy, F., Wagemans, L. and Wolf, H .(1989). Modularization and student learning in
modular instruction in relation with prior knowledge. open university, Heerlen.
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Donnelly, R. & Fitzmaurice, M., (2005). Designing Modules for Learning. Learning and
Teaching Centre, Dublin Institute of Technology) retrieved on June 27, 2012 from
roisin.donnelly@dit.ie / marian.fitzmaurice@dit.ie)
Farooq, R.A. (1997). A handbook on module writing (3 volume). Ministry of education,
Islamabad, Pakistan.
Glenn M McEvoy; James C Hayton; Alan P Warnick; Troy V Mumford; et al. (2005). A
Competency-Based Model For Developing Human Resource PROFESSIONALS.
Journal of Management Education, 29, 3
Goode, K., Kingston,T., Grant, J.M. and Munson,L. (n.d.). Assessment for Learning. Retrieved
on 21 June, 2012
Judi Brownell and Beth G. Chung.( 2001).The Management Development Program: A

Competency-Based Model for Preparing Hospitality Leaders Journal of Management
Education 2001; 25; 124 http://jme.sagepub.com/cgi/content/ abstract/25/2/124
Kathleen, S. W. ( 2006). Competency Based Education and Content Standards Northern
Colorado Literacy Resource Center
Larry D., Gruppen, Rajesh S. Mangrulkar, Joseph C. & Kolars. (n.d). Competency-based
education in the health professions: Implications for improving global health.
Washington, DC 20006-5574
Lorna Power, Formal Education Adviser, DBE3, Joseph Cohen, Project Director, AED.(
2005).Competency-Based Education and Training Delivery: Status, Analysis and
Recommendations
McKimm, J. (2007.) Curriculum design and developmen. Head of Curriculum
Development, School of Medicine Imperial College Centre for Educational
Development
Richard A. Voorhees.(2001). Competency-Based Learning Models: A Necessary Future John
Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Sun,L. Williams, S. ( n.d.). An Instructional Design Model for Constructivist Learning.
Department of Computer Science, The University of Reading.
Thanasoulas, D. ( n.d.) Greece http://www3.telus.net/linguisticsissues/constructivist.html)
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Toohey, S. (1999). Designing Courses for Higher Education. Buckingham: SRHE and OU
Press.
U.S. Department of Education.(2002). Defining and Assessing Learning: Exploring
Competency-Based Initiatives. Report of the National Postsecondary Education
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A Revised Guideline For Curriculum Modularization in EHIs March 2013.

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A Revised Guidelines for Curriculum

Modularization in Ethiopian Higher Education

Prepared by A Consortium of Six Universities:

Organized by Higher Education Strategy Center (HESC),

1.1. Background ............................................................................................................................. 4

1.2. International Experience on Modularization......................................................................... 4

1.3. Modularization in Ethiopian Higher Education Context ...................................................... 6

CHAPTER TWO: COMPETENCE BASED EDUCATION ............................................................. 9

2.1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 9

2.2. The Concept of Competence .................................................................................................. 9

2.2.1. Characteristics of Competence ..................................................................................... 10

2.2.2. Kinds of Competency ................................................................................................... 11

2.3. Competency Based Education ............................................................................................. 12

2.3.1. The Need for Competency Based Education ............................................................... 13

2.3.2. Organizing curriculum for competency-based education............................................. 14

2.4. Professional Profile, Graduates Profile and Competencies ................................................. 17

2.4.1. Professional Profile ....................................................................................................... 17

2.4.2. Graduate Profile............................................................................................................ 17

CHAPTER THREE: MODULE AND MODULARIZATION ....................................................... 19

3.1. The Concept of Module ....................................................................................................... 19

3.1.1. Definition ...................................................................................................................... 19

3.1.2. Characteristics of a module .......................................................................................... 22

3.1.3. Module Profile .............................................................................................................. 25

a. Module name .......................................................................................................................... 25

3.2. The Concept of Modularization ........................................................................................... 27

3.2.1. Definition ...................................................................................................................... 27

3.3.1. Credit System ................................................................................................................ 30

3.3.2. The Concept and Development of ECTS ..................................................................... 30

What is ECTS? ................................................................................................................................. 30

Why ECTS? ..................................................................................................................................... 31

3.3.3. The Key Features of ECTS ........................................................................................... 31

3.3.4. Estimating Students’ Workload .................................................................................... 34

3.4. Steps in Modularization ....................................................................................................... 36

3.5. Principles for Modularization .............................................................................................. 37

3.6. Opportunities, Challenges and Possible Suggestions in Implementing Modularization ..... 39

CHAPTER FOUR: LEARNING-TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT IN MODULAR

4.1. Active Learning in Modular Approach ................................................................................ 41

4.2. Constructivist Learning and Modular Approach ................................................................. 43

4.3. Assessment in Modular Instruction ..................................................................................... 46

4.3.1. Concepts of Assessment................................................................................................ 46

4.3.2. Types of Assessment Practices...................................................................................... 48

4.4. Staff Workload .......................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

CHAPTER FIVE: MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF MODULAR CURRICULA ........ 51

5.1. Monitoring Implementation of Modular Curricula ............................................................. 51

5.2. Methods of monitoring curriculum implementation ........................................................... 53

5.3. Evaluating the implementation of modular curricula .......................................................... 53

The guideline consists of four chapters: introduction, concepts of modules and

1.2. International Experience on Modularization

According to UNESCO conference in Palermo 1998, a shift from teaching to learning

1.3. Modularization in Ethiopian Higher Education Context

In general, modularization is believed to increase degree comparability and compatibility,

2.2. The Concept of Competence

Competencies consist of a description of the essential skills, knowledge, attitudes, and

2.2.1. Characteristics of Competence

2. A competency reflects expectations that are external to the immediate instructional

2.2.2. Kinds of Competency

2.3. Competency Based Education

Educational outcomes (competencies) that are linked to workforce needs, as defined by

2.3.1. The Need for Competency Based Education

2.3.2. Organizing curriculum for competency-based education

In CBC learning has to be organized on the campus (thematic teaching, problem-based

2.4.1. Professional Profile