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Change by degree
Student grades are to be reformed. But has the new system already been watered down? Polly Curtis reports
Tuesday October 16, 2007
The Guardian
Firsts, upper seconds, lower seconds and thirds have been part of the academic landscape in the UK for 200 years. Bob Burgess, the vice-chancellor of Leicester University, has spent three years examining how degrees are classified. When he issued interim reports declaring the current system "not fit for purpose", he triggered reports of a death sentence.
Today, the system gets a reprieve. His final 76-page report suggests the present classifications should remain, but a new Higher Education Achievement Report (Hear), will be issued alongside them, giving the "fine-grained" details of a student's learning: what they studied and how it was assessed. It is hoped this will be in place in all UK higher education institutions by 2010. Link
Graduates to get details of marks
- Current degree system not fit for purpose, report says
- Universities resist move to scrap existing grades
Polly Curtis, education editor
Tuesday October 16, 2007
The Guardian
Students will be given a detailed breakdown of every mark they receive in their degree and how it was assessed from 2011 in an effort to help employers distinguish between the increasing number who graduate with 2:1s and firsts.
The marking details will be given in a new two-page Higher Education Achievement Report (Hear), which will allow employers to scrutinise the detail of applicants' degrees and even to advertise for applicants who got a certain mark in a particular module. Link
