Bridging the Theory-Practice Gap: The Need for Implementing Hybrid Curriculum to Yield Quality Education in Ethiopian Higher Institutions: Systematic Review

Abstract

Higher institutions are expected to produce graduates with the 21^st-century’s skills, like critical thinking and digital literacy, needed for the modern workforce by combining competency-based curriculum, which focuses on demonstrable mastery, with outcome-based curriculum, which focuses on what students know at the end. Using a hybrid-curriculum could be one way to improve the quality and relevance of education. Higher Education Proclamation No. 1152/2019 and the Higher Education Reform Agenda (2021-2030) mandate that institutions ensure graduates' employability and academic relevance. The ability of the hybrid method to align theory and practice may be advantageous for higher education institutions. By switching from "content presented" to "knowledge applied" paradigms, the hybrid-curriculum prioritizes the application of information over rote memorization. The hybrid-curriculum is one practical way to address the employability gap. The discrepancy between degree holders and the skills needed for the workforce is a national concern. Competency-based curriculum delivers the practical depth required for a modern economy, while outcome-based curriculum supplies the necessary high-level framework.