Ministry of Education

Identified Competency Focus Areas and Core Courses for Ethiopian

Higher Education Institutions’ Exit Examination

Program: - BSc in Information Systems

Prepared By:

1. Asemrie Yemata (University of Gondar)

Validated By:
1. Demeke Alene (Injibara University)
2. Kedir Abdu (Wollo University)
3. Mulat Shiferaw (Hawassa University)
4. Lakachew Yayeh (Debre Berhan University)

August, 2022
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

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 Table of Contents
1. Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 3
2. Objectives of the Exit Examination ........................................................................................................... 4
3. Significance of the Document ................................................................................................................... 4
4. Expected profiles of graduates ................................................................................................................. 5
5. Competencies and learning outcomes ..................................................................................................... 6
6. Courses included in the exit exam ............................................................................................................ 8
7. Categorizing courses in to themes ............................................................................................................ 9
8. Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................... 10

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1. Introduction
Computer-based information systems are an integral part of organizations. Information systems
(IS) support management processes at all levels (e.g., operational, tactical, and strategic
management) in informed decision making, coordination, and control. In addition, ISs help
managers and workers to identify and analyze problems, visualize complex subjects, create new
products, and cope up the dynamics in the business environment.

The undergraduate IS program is one of the departments that has been producing educated
citizens who can actively participate in the development endeavor of the country. The curriculum
of the undergraduate degree program consists of twelve core and one elective modules.
Generally, the four year study program consists of a total of 56 courses and 256 ECTS.

Thus, it is essential to check whether graduates have attained the expected learning outcomes of
the program they have attended. An exit examination is one of the ways of assessing the
attainment of the intended program outcomes with competencies at the end of the undergraduate
study. The exit exam is a comprehensive examination that provides a means of measuring
students’ performance, competencies, and level of achievement. It also demonstrates students’
aptitude and proficiency at the program level rather than the course level.

For this program, from 56 courses totally 15 core courses are selected for exit examination. The
courses included in the exit exam are programming, networking, database system development,
project management concepts. Mainly the courses are grouped into 5 themes such as Computer
programming and Web-Technology, Computer networking and information security, Data and
Information Management, Intelligent Systems and Information Systems Development and
Management.

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2. Objectives of the Exit Examination
The national public administration exit exam shall have the following objectives

 To produce skilled and competent manpower to national and international market

 Assessing students’ educational achievement in major areas of public administration
and development management (PADM)
 Ensuring whether the graduation profile of PADM curriculum have achieved at least
common standards of knowledge and practical skills
 Improving public trust and confidence in public administration activities of
professionals
 Facilitating the efforts of students to revise the core learning outcomes of the courses
covered by the exit examination
 Ensuring all graduates from HEIs satisfy the requirements of the labor market and
employability through the national wide implementation of competency-based exit
exam
 Creating competitive sprit among PADM departments in Ethiopia with the vies to
encouraging them to give due attention to the national standards

3. Significance of the Document

It is important to set competency areas of the subject matter (program) in order to measure the
how much graduates are acquired with skills, knowledge and attitudes. The following shows us
the significance or setting competencies and identifying core courses of the program;

 To set competencies that helps to assess the basic skills, knowledge and attitude of
graduating students;
 To systematically identify the core courses which will be included the exit exam;

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 4. Expected profiles of graduates

A graduate profile is a document that uses to specify the cognitive, personal, and interpersonal
competencies that students should have when they graduate. It describes the attributes that the
students should have at the end. The graduate profile for information systems program are shows
as follow:
Graduate Profile (Competence) Professional Profile

1. Analyze, Design, Implement, Test and  Develop business application

Maintain Information Systems  analyze information systems
 Design information systems
 Write software programmes
 Analyze business processes
 Design user interfaces

2. Design, Implement, Test, Administer and  Administer database systems

Maintain Database Systems  Analyze database systems
 Develop database

3. Analyze, Design, Configure, Test,  Design and Develop Computer Networks

Administer and Maintain Networks and
Network Resources

4. Plan, Organize, Direct, Control, Lead  Manage web content

Information Systems, Services and Resources  Manage e-business
 Serve as erp specialist
 Serve as chief information officer
 Shoulder responsibility of information auditing and
compliance specialist
 Manage information systems architectures
 Manage information systems assets
 Manage information systems operations
 Manage information system projects
 Information systems security and risks

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5. Develop Information Systems Projects,  Develop ICT Policies
and Policies  Conduct research in Information Systems
 Offer Information Systems Consultancy and Training
6. Provide Training and Consultancy services
Services

Table 1: graduated profiles

5. Competencies and learning outcomes

Competencies in terms of:

Knowledge is the “know-what” component of a competency that is most familiar and commonly
associated with any curriculum.

Skills constitute the method and means by which “know-what” is fulfilled by “know-how.” As
there is a significant time and practice aspect to skill and skill acquisition, skill development
requires a progression through experience and the application of higher orders of cognitive load.

Attitude outline the “know-why” component of the skilled application of knowledge and capture
the nuances brought about by the contextual application of knowledge-skill pairs. There is often
a character and quality of application inherent in the domain and context of application that
suggests the qualifiers inherent to that domain.

Information systems graduate’s competencies expected to have Management, Development,

and Administrate and data and business Analysis competencies. In general, the competencies
in terms of Knowledge, skill and attitude of the graduates are explained in the following tables.

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 Competencies and learning outcomes
In terms of Knowledge In terms of Skill In terms of Attitude
 Elaborate the underlying principles of Internet and  Develop web-based systems To have good
Web-Technology  Administer online systems personal confidence
 Clarify programming principles and logic  Develop applications using on application and
 Explain the underlying princiles of computer programming languages system development
networks and network resources  Design and configure computer To have the sense of
 Acquire an understanding of network security and networks co-operation in
its changing character  Develop database systems system
 Realize how network security is conceptualized  Administer database systems development.
and carried out  Represent knowledge and implement Coordinate and
 Understand the underlying princiles of database and inference techniques to provide facilitate system
database managment systems solutions partially observable projects in a
 Explain the data and file structures for information environments using propositional professional manner
retrieval and first To have
 Understand content-based multimedia systems and  Develop intelligent systems interpersonal group
compression applications  Able to prepare data and apply skills in software
 Describe different types and characteristics of machine learning methods to achieve development
intelligent agents a learning goal within an intelligent To have
 Evaluate knowledge management system system. interpersonal
 Understand the principles and theories of  Develop project proposal and project communication
Management Information Systems (MIS) and its plan To have information
impact on organizations.  Apply software development process systems ethics
 Describe IT’s strategic importance in business and principles, and practices and crate a To have
the essential elements of strategic plan development high-quality software responsibilities, and
 Define strategies for the effective utilization of  Analyze user requirements using characteristics of the
IS/IT in organizations. uml of oo techniques. IS professional
 Understand contemporary managerial issues in  Design systems using uml diagrams
effectively choosing,  Apply cryptography security
 Explain models and issues of organizational technique, systems and network
transformation and convergence. security applications.
 Understand the concepts, experiences and practices  Develop multimedia systems
of managing IT related projects  Deploying, and utilizing it in
 Explain how an organizational process often spans business to gain competitive
different functional areas advantage
 Demonstrate basic computational

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 Understand how enterprise systems integrate and design problems using IS
functional areas into one enterprise wide development with appropriate
information system. methodologies, software tools and
 Explain the system development process, from innovative methods for improving
planning though analysis and design to processes and organizational change.
implementation and maintenance.
 Explain the need for object-oriented systems
analysis and design
 Understand the object technology and modeling
principles.
 Know the techniques of modeling aspects of
systems
 Identify and investigate threats to information
systems security

Table 2: List of competencies

6. Courses included in the exit exam

As it explained earlier at introduction, exit exam plays key role for quality education. The main
idea behind an exit exam is the need to check whether students have attained the intended
learning outcomes of the program they have attended. Providing quality education is a major
goal of universities in the Ethiopia. Being able to track and evaluate student knowledge before
students graduate is a key in determining the direction of the university and whether it is meeting
its mission objectives. Exit Exam is use as a tool to measure educational quality. The
examination tests students’ knowledge of their program learning outcomes as well as measuring
the university’s educational quality. As a result, in order to measure students’ knowledge of their
program learning outcomes the following courses are selected for information systems program.

No. Course name Credit hours ECTS

1 Basic Computer Programming 1 3 5
2 Object Oriented Programming 4 7
3 Multimedia Information Systems 3 5
4 Internet Programming 3 5
5 System Analysis and Design 3 6

1
Basic Computer Programming and Basic Computer Programming II

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 6 Database Systems2 3 5
7 Introduction to Information Storage and Retrieval 3 5
8 Data Communication and Computer Networks 3 5
9 Information System Security 3 5
10 Fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence 3 5
11 Knowledge Management 3 5
12 Introduction to Machine Learning 3 5
13 Management of Information Systems and Services 3 5
14 Information Systems Project Management 3 5
15 Enterprise Systems 3 5
Total 49 83
Table 3: List of courses

7. Categorizing courses in to themes

Bused on those relations those courses which listed above are grouped into following themes.

Theme 1: Computer programming and Web-Technology: this theme includes the courses
that enable to develop different computer applications.

Theme 2: Computer network and information security: the theme contains list of course that
enables network development skills and information security.

Theme 3: Data and Information Management: it contains the concepts related to data base
design and managements, database administration and the way of information managements.

Theme 4: Intelligent Systems: this theme includes knowledge extraction concepts.

Theme 5: Information Systems Development and Management: this part covers the
management at development and practical labels.

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Fundamental of Database systems and Advanced database systems

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8. Conclusion
This guideline is designed to implement the national exit exam for BSc in information systems
undergraduate program throughout Ethiopian higher education institution. The guideline contains
the following components to be considered during the implementation:

 Professional and graduate profiles

 Competency and learning outcomes of the program
 Alignments of graduate profile and competency of the program
 Core courses for the selected competency
The key competencies of the program and the courses which align the competency areas are
selected for the national exit exam. The program has twelve core and one elective modules that is
designed to be completed within 4 academic years with a total of 56 courses and 256 ECTS. For
the national exit examination 15 major courses are selected and clustered under five themes.

The National exit exam contents must focus on selected core courses of the program and the
exam emphases on competencies of information systems program as stipulated in the curriculum.
This guideline will be modified and changed when the curriculum is revised.

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