Interesting article here from the BBC regarding grade inflation at UK Universities and Reform’s recommendations on how to tackle it.
The report is fascinating for several reasons, firstly, Universities are under increasing pressure with the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) to award ‘good’ degrees and have high levels of students satisfaction. Well, fundamentally, the concern with that is students will be very satisfied if they get a ‘good degree’ and those who get a third or a 2:2 might well be unsatisfied, especially as many higher education students have a perception that they are buying a degree for £30, 000. Furthermore, anyone who has studied marketing or customer service will tell you that an unsatisfied customer is more like to be vocal bout that than a satisfied customer, satisfaction becomes the expectation not the extraordinary. Hence, unsatisfied students will vocalise their unhappiness in students surveys.
Secondly, the report states that ‘since 1995 the proportion of 2:1 degrees rose from 40% to 49%’, which in its self is not a shocking rise, but has anyone pointed out that number of students accessing higher education since the mid nineties has more than doubled. However, for me, the really stand out statistic is that ‘in more than 50 universities the proportion of first class degrees has doubled since 2010’.
Universities have always been the guardians of their own standards. However, with increased importance being put on student outcomes has the pressure of students satisfaction been a factor in grade inflation? Previously, if University staff wanted to move up the pay scales then they focused on research which brought in money and prestige to the university. Now, that focus is rapidly shifting towards the learner or as University staff are now learning – the customer. Higher education staff across the country are currently being asked about their non-continuation rates, retention, attendance and the number of ‘good’ degrees they get. This is more like the further education sector, at this rate universities will be adopting performance management processes in line with schools and colleges.
If, as the report recommends, the government step into ensure only the top 10% get a first class degree this will throw a spot light on the actual quality of teaching and learning that goes on in our higher education classrooms. That in itself can’t be a bad thing as Universities have been the custodians of this for a very long time, whereas in schools and the further education sector OFSTED have had the final say on matters of teaching, learning and assessment.
The Office for Students may have some impact on this, however, their preferred quality inspection partner, the QAA, don’t observe teaching and learning during inspection… instead they look at data and if student satisfaction is high and the number of ‘good degrees’ are high then the quality of teaching and learning is ‘assumed’ to be good or better.
So, when your inspection regime exclusively fits around students satisfaction and the number of ‘good degrees’ awarded by an institution is anyone really surprised that Universities will do what ever it takes to make sure they have satisfied learners with good degrees? Interestingly, the report does not comment of ‘satisfaction inflation’. I wonder what the percentage increase since 2010 is on student satisfaction, I suspect that has likely increased in line with grade inflation as well.
However, that said, if the Government intervene and follows Reform’s suggestions whereby ‘the top 10% of students would receive a first, the next 40% a 2:1, and the 40% after that a 2:2. The bottom 10% would get a third.’ Then it will mean one year 70% is enough to be awarded a first class degree and another year it will not, which leads us to a point where gaining a first class degree is more about what year you join a programme, or more importantly an accident of birth. When you were born will determine if you can gain a first class degree, regardless of ability. Where is the equality in that system? It’s called a bell curve, where the top 10% get awarded the highest grades but that boundary changes with each cohort that takes the exam and has been criticised in GCSE’s for many years.
Don’t get me wrong. I want to see a degree as a highly valued qualification and a first even more so. A degree awarded at one institution should be comparable to a degree awarded another institution, regardless of the designer label that comes with some of our more prestigious higher education institutions. However, is artificially restricting the grade a students can achieve the right idea?
Take a look through the article below, I would be very interested in peoples thoughts on how the government should progress with this.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-4454832
JD
The Equality Blog 