E-mail leak of 'degree inflation'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/e...on/7483330.stm
A leaked e-mail shows how university staff are being urged
to increase the number of top degree grades to keep pace with
competing universities.
The internal e-mail from Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU)
tells staff to "bear this in mind" when they do their student
assessments.
The university told the BBC this was in no way related to
university policy.
Last week, the higher education exams watchdog warned that the
university grading system was "rotten".
The MMU e-mail, sent to computing and mathematics staff by that
department's academic standards manager, calls for an increase in
the number of first class and upper second degrees.
The e-mail, sent several months ago and now obtained by the BBC
News website, reveals how staff have to consider more than the
quality of students' work - and the tension between academic
standards and universities' external ambitions.
Student satisfaction
"As a university we do not award as many Firsts and 2.1s as other
comparable institutions so there is an understandable desire to
increase the proportion of such awards," it says.
"Please bear this in mind when setting your second and final year
assessments, especially the latter."
The e-mail goes on: "We have never received any external examiner
criticism that our 'standards' are too low so there should be quite
a lot of leeway available to us all when assessments are
set."
The e-mail also includes a joke about boosting the student
satisfaction rating. Earlier this year, staff at Kingston
University were caught urging students to falsify their responses
to improve the university's standing in league tables.
It says: "Please do not complain when all the BSc (Hons)
mathematics students gain first class awards next summer. Now that
really would increase our student satisfaction!"
Higher grades
The leaking of the e-mail provides further evidence of the concern among academics
over the pressure to manipulate degree awards to improve the public
image of universities and to make them more attractive to
applicants.
The number of students achieving a first class degree at UK
universities has more than doubled since the mid-1990s.
Among last year's university leavers,
61% achieved a first class or upper second class
degree.
Such is the level of concern that Phil Willis, chair of the House
of Commons select committee on innovation, universities, science
and skills, wants to examine the threat to higher education
standards.
Manchester Metropolitan University confirmed the e-mail was
genuine.
A spokesman said: "This is an informal comment by a member of staff
below the level of head of department to immediate
colleagues.
"It is merely the interpretation of a single member of staff which
reflects the increased awareness of comparable and
publicly-available statistics, and in no way relates to university
policy.
"Decisions about degree classifications are made by boards of
examiners in accordance with the university's assessment
regulations, which specify how classifications are
determined."
Financial pressures
This is the latest warning about university standards, following a
whistleblower's account of postgraduate degrees being awarded to
students who could barely speak English.
This prompted thousands of academics and students to get in touch
with the BBC with their own worries - including that financial
pressures were leading universities to recruit and pass overseas
students who did not reach the adequate academic standards.
The response from BBC News website readers also included e-mails
showing how an external examiner had been persuaded to change her
mind over criticisms of a degree course.
Many have described the conflict of interest between universities'
self-regulation on degree grades and their need to compete in
league tables.
The chief executive of the Quality Assurance Agency, Peter
Williams, reflected some of these concerns about an over-dependence
on overseas students.
He was also explicit in his criticism of the current system: "The
way that degrees are classified is a rotten system. It just doesn't
work any more."
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