Daily Times

The most robust predictor of university success is interpersonal competencies, which includes dispositional conscientiousness, the tendency to be self-controlled, to be responsible to others, be hardworking, persevering, rule abiding, and achievement oriented

Interest in assessing post graduate students’ learning outcomes continues to grow, driven partly by concerns of HEC and the broader public about higher education institutes effectiveness. These concerns often include questions about whether the outcomes of higher education justify its costs. A focal point of Higher Education Commission since its inception has been the assessment and program evaluation for the purpose of improving students’ learning.

The growing implementation of assessment tools and measures not only reflects universities growing interest in and responsibility for demonstrating the attainment of student learning outcomes, but also gives rise to a growing body of evidence on which to base institutional decision making. Furthermore, transparency in the documentation of learning outcomes has naturally fueled interest in how such outcomes can be improved and in what role quality assurance can and should play in improvement efforts.

It is well documented that individual differences in general cognitive ability, as well as in many specific intellectual skills, such as critical thinking, writing ability, and computational expertise, are associated with individual differences in academic success. Academically, students with a stronger and wider range of cognitive skills tend to do better in education. But other factors beyond cognitive abilities also appear to be predictive. The most frequently used standardised measures of cognitive indicators, such as the college entrance tests and the SAT account for a portion of the variance in the college success and degree completion.

At the level of the individual student, it is almost certain that a wide range of factors extending well beyond measured cognitive skills play important roles in determining the extent to which a student will succeed in studies. Although many of these factors reside in the student’s environment interpersonal competencies reside more clearly within individual students and therefore are more within their control.

Intrapersonal competencies involve self-management and the ability to regulate one’s behavior and emotions to reach goals and interpersonal competencies that involve expressing information to others as well as interpreting others’ messages and responding appropriately.

While cognitive competencies involve thinking, reasoning, and related skills, these competencies across all three domains are closely intertwined with and support the acquisition of the core knowledge and skills in science, mathematics, and English language and arts. Presently, teaching and assessment of cognitive competencies relative to the other two domains is not being generally targeted as a goal of education.

Individual differences in intrapersonal competencies include the personality trait of conscientiousness. The most robust predictor of university success is dispositional conscientiousness, the tendency to be self-controlled, responsible to others, hardworking, persevering, rule abiding, and achievement oriented. Conscientiousness is closely related to other constructs, such as self-control, self-discipline, persistence, and grit.

Indeed, scores on measures of conscientiousness are nearly as predictive of university success as measures of general cognitive ability. And while, it can be argued that conscientiousness is a deeply ingrained dispositional trait that is difficult to change, at least in the short term, a few interventions like task management and other specific manifestations of this trait have yielded significant effects on enhanced university success.

The HEC is persistently making huge efforts towards success in education. At the same time, it has to recognise that leaders in higher education need to target intrapersonal competencies such as ethics and lifelong learning

College and university faculty members are responsible for delivering and improving education provided to students, both individually through advising and mentoring and as a result through teaching and program and course design.

It is critical, that programs and strategies designed to support students’ sense of belonging take account of the college context and climate. In essence, it is necessary not only to assess how students feel about the climate, but also to evaluate whether the environment poses structural or normative barriers that inhibit a sense of belonging.

Similarly, the intra- and inter personal competencies of faculty members, counselors, instructors, and other college staff influence students’ success in their education.

Vice Chancellors, deans, and department heads, are responsible for delivering and improving the higher education provided to students in the aggregate. Whereas university faculty care about short cycle improvements in ongoing courses and course redesign to enhance student development and content knowledge. Educationalists should be more concerned with long-term development of students’ intra- and interpersonal competencies and the relationship of these competencies to retention, graduation, and success in careers.

The HEC is making huge efforts on persistence and success in education. At the same time, it has to recognise that leaders in higher education need to target intrapersonal competencies such as ethics, lifelong learning as well as teamwork and intercultural sensitivity as desired learning outcomes.

The importance of higher education has never been clearer. At present efforts to measure and assess these competencies in higher education are diffuse, and they often rely on methods that fail to meet professional testing standards of reliability. While it remains very important that colleges and universities focus on the development and assessment of student competencies, studies should not be the only appropriate focus of assessment, evaluation, and change.

The writer is a Director Quality Assurance Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University Islamabad. HOD Department of Behavioural Sciences STMU, Consultant Psychiatrist Shifa International Hospital