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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jul/21/why-students-more-first-class-degrees-university
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| Why are students getting more firsts at university? | Why are students getting more firsts at university? |
| (6 months later) | |
| The number of UK degree students receiving first-class degreess has soared. Here academics and students give their explanations for why this is | |
| Sarah Marsh and | |
| Guardian readers | |
| Fri 21 Jul 2017 14.58 BST | |
| Last modified on Fri 21 Jul 2017 15.25 BST | |
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| More UK universities and colleges are awarding the top grade to students, figures show. One-third of UK universities and colleges awarded a first for 25% of degrees granted in 2015-16 – four times as many as in 2010-11. We asked students and academics about why they think this is. Here are a selection of your responses. | More UK universities and colleges are awarding the top grade to students, figures show. One-third of UK universities and colleges awarded a first for 25% of degrees granted in 2015-16 – four times as many as in 2010-11. We asked students and academics about why they think this is. Here are a selection of your responses. |
| Ali, 45, a humanities lecturer from the south of England: Pressure mean academics err on the side of generosity | Ali, 45, a humanities lecturer from the south of England: Pressure mean academics err on the side of generosity |
| There is intense pressure on academics from university management to gain high scores in the National Student Survey, because this feeds into university league tables. Added to this, there is an increasing expectation among students, who pay £9,000 per year. They feel they should receive high results for their degrees because they pay so much for them. Students obsess about gaining a first-class degree. In many cases they are more focused on the grade than upon the actual subject that they are studying and this sabotages their results. Their view of higher education has become instrumentalised; many see it exclusively as a path to employment and they forget to take an interest in and enjoy the subject that they are studying. | There is intense pressure on academics from university management to gain high scores in the National Student Survey, because this feeds into university league tables. Added to this, there is an increasing expectation among students, who pay £9,000 per year. They feel they should receive high results for their degrees because they pay so much for them. Students obsess about gaining a first-class degree. In many cases they are more focused on the grade than upon the actual subject that they are studying and this sabotages their results. Their view of higher education has become instrumentalised; many see it exclusively as a path to employment and they forget to take an interest in and enjoy the subject that they are studying. |
| The UK system of external examining is relatively robust. Staff spend a large amount of time preparing samples for external examiners. The system is labour intensive, but in my view robust and worthwhile. What needs to be overhauled is not the grading system. The level of fees is the main problem, as well as the survey culture. This leads students to think of themselves as customers of the university rather than as students. At least at universities, the “customer” is not always right and the importance of the National Student Survey is ridiculously overinflated by government and university management. | The UK system of external examining is relatively robust. Staff spend a large amount of time preparing samples for external examiners. The system is labour intensive, but in my view robust and worthwhile. What needs to be overhauled is not the grading system. The level of fees is the main problem, as well as the survey culture. This leads students to think of themselves as customers of the university rather than as students. At least at universities, the “customer” is not always right and the importance of the National Student Survey is ridiculously overinflated by government and university management. |
| The combination of high student fees, intense pressure on young people to gain well-paid work and enter the housing market, and a survey culture in university management has produced something like a perfect storm leading to grade inflation. The pressures on academics mean that they (probably unconsciously in many cases) err on the side of generosity when awarding grades in order to gain positive student survey results and to avoid student complaints. This is the main consequence of privatising higher education and making the student into a paying customer. | The combination of high student fees, intense pressure on young people to gain well-paid work and enter the housing market, and a survey culture in university management has produced something like a perfect storm leading to grade inflation. The pressures on academics mean that they (probably unconsciously in many cases) err on the side of generosity when awarding grades in order to gain positive student survey results and to avoid student complaints. This is the main consequence of privatising higher education and making the student into a paying customer. |
| Anna, 20, from East Anglia: Students are getting more firsts because the stakes and standards are so much higher | Anna, 20, from East Anglia: Students are getting more firsts because the stakes and standards are so much higher |
| There’s a real misconception about how and why students are getting more firsts. I can only share my personal experience. My second year average stands at 72%, but I pushed, and continue to push myself dangerously hard, to get this sort of result. During my first year, when I was unable to properly juggle all of my commitments, I didn’t care for myself properly during the assessment period. I lost weight, I had panic attacks regularly, I cried on the phone home every day. I did all of this because I wanted to push my autumn semester grade (a middling 2:1) up to a first. This year it has been mildly better, but the pressure remains. I can’t express how difficult and damaging it is to see so many people on the outside declaring how easy it is to get a first, when some students make themselves ill to get good grades. | There’s a real misconception about how and why students are getting more firsts. I can only share my personal experience. My second year average stands at 72%, but I pushed, and continue to push myself dangerously hard, to get this sort of result. During my first year, when I was unable to properly juggle all of my commitments, I didn’t care for myself properly during the assessment period. I lost weight, I had panic attacks regularly, I cried on the phone home every day. I did all of this because I wanted to push my autumn semester grade (a middling 2:1) up to a first. This year it has been mildly better, but the pressure remains. I can’t express how difficult and damaging it is to see so many people on the outside declaring how easy it is to get a first, when some students make themselves ill to get good grades. |
| At my university, firsts are not awarded lightly. They are not easy to attain. I would argue that the first rate has increased across the board because the stakes and standards are so much higher. We’re told every day that the graduate market is saturated, that we need at least a 2:1 and a host of internships, volunteering placements and the like in order to have a chance at a post-uni position. What’s more, tuition fees now stand at £9,250 per annum in England. University is now an investment, and in order for the investment to pay off students simply have to be a lot more savvy. | At my university, firsts are not awarded lightly. They are not easy to attain. I would argue that the first rate has increased across the board because the stakes and standards are so much higher. We’re told every day that the graduate market is saturated, that we need at least a 2:1 and a host of internships, volunteering placements and the like in order to have a chance at a post-uni position. What’s more, tuition fees now stand at £9,250 per annum in England. University is now an investment, and in order for the investment to pay off students simply have to be a lot more savvy. |
| Gee, 22, from Scotland: Universities worry more and more about rankings and student satisfaction | Gee, 22, from Scotland: Universities worry more and more about rankings and student satisfaction |
| More and more students are eager to achieve better grades and take university more seriously because they are self-aware of the financial commitment they are making. This is especially true since university fees went up in England. | More and more students are eager to achieve better grades and take university more seriously because they are self-aware of the financial commitment they are making. This is especially true since university fees went up in England. |
| Secondly, I think that universities feel more pressure since fees increased and students’ expectations are higher. Universities have also started worrying more and more about rankings and about students’ satisfaction rates. As a result grade inflation is real because it is an easy fix to improve satisfaction rates, without addressing the real problems. | Secondly, I think that universities feel more pressure since fees increased and students’ expectations are higher. Universities have also started worrying more and more about rankings and about students’ satisfaction rates. As a result grade inflation is real because it is an easy fix to improve satisfaction rates, without addressing the real problems. |
| Tim, 52, a professor from London: Universities are involved in game-playing | Tim, 52, a professor from London: Universities are involved in game-playing |
| In my university the metric is that you have to get more firsts than2:1s. This means almost all universities are involved in this game-playing. It is a race to the bottom. When every institution awards 100% first and 2:1 degrees how do we then discriminate between more able and less able students? Even more worryingly what is the worth of that degree if it has been so devalued that everyone gets the best grades? This regrettable grade inflation has already occurred in the school system where they had to invent the A* grade to differentiate at the top end of the ability range. Universities will no doubt have to award first-plus or similar in the future. | In my university the metric is that you have to get more firsts than2:1s. This means almost all universities are involved in this game-playing. It is a race to the bottom. When every institution awards 100% first and 2:1 degrees how do we then discriminate between more able and less able students? Even more worryingly what is the worth of that degree if it has been so devalued that everyone gets the best grades? This regrettable grade inflation has already occurred in the school system where they had to invent the A* grade to differentiate at the top end of the ability range. Universities will no doubt have to award first-plus or similar in the future. |
| I have been, and currently am, an external examiner at a number of institutions in both the pre and post-1992 environments and all universities seem to be experiencing the same managerial pressure to boost student grades. Largely this is done by requiring less student effort over the course of a degree. This will ultimately have a very negative societal effect especially in those disciplines where one needs to master technical, artistic, creative or practical skills. | I have been, and currently am, an external examiner at a number of institutions in both the pre and post-1992 environments and all universities seem to be experiencing the same managerial pressure to boost student grades. Largely this is done by requiring less student effort over the course of a degree. This will ultimately have a very negative societal effect especially in those disciplines where one needs to master technical, artistic, creative or practical skills. |
| Universities have also streamlined the number of assessments in recent years. So before I did little bits of summative assessment, but don’t do that any more – there are two of three main assessment per modules. This means they get more chance to practice. But it reduces what they do and are exposed to. It’s teaching to the test. | Universities have also streamlined the number of assessments in recent years. So before I did little bits of summative assessment, but don’t do that any more – there are two of three main assessment per modules. This means they get more chance to practice. But it reduces what they do and are exposed to. It’s teaching to the test. |
| Some names have been changed | Some names have been changed |
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