Implications of the undergraduate degree classification algorithms and procedures in the University of Nairobi

Abstract

In recent .years the higher education in Kenya has undergone various transformations. One of the major causes of such changes is the ever increasing demand for higher education. The government has responded to this challenge through the creation of an enabling environment for an expanded higher education. As such the number of degree awarding institutions has risen to 24, both public and private. This scenario has brought about a number of issues that are of interest to the general public. Of great concern is the comparability of these institutions regarding academic quality vis-a-vis whether the treatment of students by the institutional procedures of assessment and degree classification is fair or random.

These challenges can be framed within the context of the signalling theory of education. The theory works on the assumption that education is the correct signal of the actual quality of the future employee so that employers can discriminate between applicants. Consequently, if the signal is distorted then the degree classes that are usually taken as a measure of one's ability are misleading.

This work investigated whether this distortion is actually present in the University of Nairobi. In particular this work looked at the regulations concerning the determination of the degree classification in five faculties in the University of Nairobi. The evidence shows a high degree of heterogeneity in the rules applied across different faculties. The most important implication of this investigation is that students with similar mark profiles can be awarded different degree classifications depending on the faculties that they are in.