Formative Assessment Of An Outcomes- Based Co-Curricular Program

Abstract

Co-curricular programs are fundamental part in the educational process and are designed to support students’ holistic development. The Outcomes-Based Co-Curricular Program (OBCoP) was conceived by a state university in Manila as part of its advocacy for outcomes-based education (OBE). The OBCoP organizes and reviews outcomes-based co-curricular activities to facilitate the development of nonacademic and lifelong skills among university students. Henceforth, this study conducted formative assessment to examine the program delivery and the quality of its implementation using both quantitative through survey questionnaire and qualitative approaches through focus group discussions to gather data from students, student leaders, organization/ club advisers, and program implementers. Quantitative data were analyzed by examining the mean rating scores of the respondents in each item while qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis. Findings revealed that the OBCoP has a significant role in student outcomes encompassing both academic and non-academic domains. Across students’ assessment of the quality of their respective student organizations, their perception on co-curricular activities, and their perceived impact of co-curricular activities, the findings indicate a positive view of their experiences as student organization members or leaders within the OBCoP. In consonance with the quantitative findings, the role of OBCoP on student development as reflected in the identified themes of OBCoP as enabler of student outcomes and OBCoP as a bridge between student life and professional life, is also indicative of the positive view of students on OBCoP and its contribution to their lifelong learning and holistic development. This study recommends outcomes-based co-curricular programs for universities which adopted outcomes-based education framework. This study further suggests that there must be a more systematic approach in integrating academic and cocurricular learning experiences and that the outcomes-based co-curricular programs undergo internal quality assurance processes.