Staff at a Russell Group university have been told that they will face investigation over their grading if they award average marks lower than a 2:1.

In an email seen by Times Higher Education, lecturers at Queen Mary University of London’s School of Business and Management are told that they must remember what is called the “60:60:60 principle” when assessing students’ work.


With 60 now widely used as the threshold for an upper second – often referred to, along with firsts, as a “good degree” – the memo reminds module organisers who “return marks for any element of assessment where the average mark is below 60 and/or fewer than 60 per cent of the students receive a mark of more than 60 will be asked to explain why this is the case”.

Moderators are also asked to “bear the 60:60:60 principle in mind” and to “sense-check with markers if the distribution of marks does not meet this principle, recommending scaling or other adjustments if justified” – a process used in universities to increase unusually low marks to reflect student achievement.

The email advised that “60:60:60 is not an aspirational target for marks” but is the “minimum threshold for further investigation” by moderators and “if necessary by the exam board chair as candidate assessments for scaling”.

News of the school’s rule is likely to fuel concerns over degree inflation at UK universities, where 75 per cent of students gained either a first or upper second in 2016-17, up from 68 per cent in 2012-13, according to figures released by the Higher Education Statistics Agency last month.

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In September, former universities minister Jo Johnson warned that grade inflation was “ripping through English higher education”. A new metric has been introduced to the teaching excellence framework in a bid to tackle the issue.

However, Queen Mary defended the “60:60:60 principle”, which it said was used only in its business school to address degree marks that were historically “significantly below” those awarded at comparable universities.

Only 63 per cent of its business studies graduates took a “good degree” in 2016-17, up from 53 per cent in 2012-13, it said. In contrast, at least 80 per cent of business studies graduates at 10 of its Russell Group peers took a minimum of a 2:1 last year.

“The 60:60:60 principle serves as a threshold, below which we look at the data and ask if the grading was fair and reasonable,” said a university spokesman, who added that the process is “subject to oversight and approval by the Degree Examination Board and external examiners”.

On the historically low marks awarded in its business school, the spokesman said that the university was “looking at why this is” because it “attracts highly capable students and we have a responsibility to ensure they reach their potential”.

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/lecturers-face-investigation-if-average-mark-below-21

Lalasticlala Desyner

Can Nigerian sadist lecturers hear this Some of them take delight in their students' failure.

This is a magnificent idea.

This continues to show and remind us how far Nigerian Universities have to go.

The truth is most lecturers (especially in Public varsities) are very subjective (and even sentimental) in marking. I have evidence to back my claims. We really need a complete overhaul in the sort of lecturers we bring into the system. I am very pained by this.

No fit happen for naija

SpoiltVirgin:
No fit happen for naija

You can't just fail people like that in nigerian private universities. Private Universities like Covenant also mandate students to rate and score lecturers anonymously, which is then used as criterion for promotion.

HigherEd:
Staff at a Russell Group university have been told that they will face investigation over their grading if they award average marks lower than a 2:1.

In an email seen by Times Higher Education, lecturers at Queen Mary University of London’s School of Business and Management are told that they must remember what is called the “60:60:60 principle” when assessing students’ work.


With 60 now widely used as the threshold for an upper second – often referred to, along with firsts, as a “good degree” – the memo reminds module organisers who “return marks for any element of assessment where the average mark is below 60 and/or fewer than 60 per cent of the students receive a mark of more than 60 will be asked to explain why this is the case”.

Moderators are also asked to “bear the 60:60:60 principle in mind” and to “sense-check with markers if the distribution of marks does not meet this principle, recommending scaling or other adjustments if justified” – a process used in universities to increase unusually low marks to reflect student achievement.

The email advised that “60:60:60 is not an aspirational target for marks” but is the “minimum threshold for further investigation” by moderators and “if necessary by the exam board chair as candidate assessments for scaling”.

News of the school’s rule is likely to fuel concerns over degree inflation at UK universities, where 75 per cent of students gained either a first or upper second in 2016-17, up from 68 per cent in 2012-13, according to figures released by the Higher Education Statistics Agency last month.

Search our database of more than 3,000 global university jobs

In September, former universities minister Jo Johnson warned that grade inflation was “ripping through English higher education”. A new metric has been introduced to the teaching excellence framework in a bid to tackle the issue.

However, Queen Mary defended the “60:60:60 principle”, which it said was used only in its business school to address degree marks that were historically “significantly below” those awarded at comparable universities.

Only 63 per cent of its business studies graduates took a “good degree” in 2016-17, up from 53 per cent in 2012-13, it said. In contrast, at least 80 per cent of business studies graduates at 10 of its Russell Group peers took a minimum of a 2:1 last year.

“The 60:60:60 principle serves as a threshold, below which we look at the data and ask if the grading was fair and reasonable,” said a university spokesman, who added that the process is “subject to oversight and approval by the Degree Examination Board and external examiners”.

On the historically low marks awarded in its business school, the spokesman said that the university was “looking at why this is” because it “attracts highly capable students and we have a responsibility to ensure they reach their potential”.

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/lecturers-face-investigation-if-average-mark-below-21

Lalasticlala

This country has a very very long way to go!!!

Bifrost:
This is a magnifent idea.

This continues to show and remind us how far Nigerian Universities have to go.

The truth is most lecturers (especially in Public varsities) are very subjective (and even sentimental) in marking. I have evidence to back my claims. We really need a complete overhaul in the sort of lecturers we bring into the system. I am very pained by this.

With the exception of UI though. UI intends to reach 70% of first and 2.1 in the next few years.

HigherEd:

With the exception of UI though. UI intends to reach 70% of first and 2.1 in the next few years.

Is that so? How does UI tends to achieve this?

Private schools don't do this in Nigeria yet people tag them as "dashing out first class".
In a country where standard is rated by the number of third class a lecturer can "dash out" this idea will be rejected.
It also explains why low number of graduate eventually practice what they studied. They govt subsidizes people's kpali and not the labour.

asuustrike2009:

Is that so? How does UI tends to achieve this?

1) They should mandate all lecturers to deliver using multimedia
2) Lecturer uploads all notes on university moodle even before class starts.
3) All classes to be taken by more than three lecturers(UI does this)
4) Retain small class sizes
5) Encourage diversified assessment-seminars, term papers, assignments are all very good and easy sources of marks for very serious students.
6) Reward teaching excellence ratings of faculty.
7) Query faculty with consistent poor teaching excellence rating across different levels -
Include class representatives in the exam time-table process.
There are many ways the UI can improve on itself but the major step which has been to admit there is a problem has shown that UI is more than ready to transform into the proper university.

HigherEd:

With the exception of UI though. UI intends to reach 70% of first and 2.1 in the next few years.

If that's the case, UNN is worthy of mention. Their proportion of First and 2¹ graduates have been consistently high over the years. It's always very close to UI's (or more) every convocation. For instance, the last convocation saw 132 graduates with First class degrees, with a very high number of 2¹s. But the truth is 70% projection in the next few years is just wishful thinking. I may be wrong.

HigherEd:


1) They should mandate all lecturers to deliver using multimedia
2) Lecturer uploads all notes on university moodle even before class starts.
3) All classes to be taken by more than three lecturers(UI does this)
4) Retain small class sizes
5) Encourage diversified assessment-seminars, term papers, assignments are all very good and easy sources of marks for very serious students.
6) Reward teaching excellence ratings of faculty.
7) Query faculty with consistent poor teaching excellence rating across different levels -
Include class representatives in the exam time-table process.
There are many ways the UI can improve on itself but the major step which has been to admit there is a problem has shown that UI is more than ready to transform into the proper university.

Wow

HigherEd:


1) They should mandate all lecturers to deliver using multimedia
2) Lecturer uploads all notes on university moodle even before class starts.
3) All classes to be taken by more than three lecturers(UI does this)
4) Retain small class sizes
5) Encourage diversified assessment-seminars, term papers, assignments are all very good and easy sources of marks for very serious students.
6) Reward teaching excellence ratings of faculty.
7) Query faculty with consistent poor teaching excellence rating across different levels -
Include class representatives in the exam time-table process.
There are many ways the UI can improve on itself but the major step which has been to admit there is a problem has shown that UI is more than ready to transform into the proper university.

I wish this could happen...but I doubt it..is UI not a Nigerian university..... The disease that affects the head..affects everyone

This can never happen in Nigeria o!!! if u survive with third class, run for ur life

babyfaceafrica:
I wish this could happen...but I doubt it..is UI not a Nigerian university..... The disease that affects the head..affects everyone

Funny it's happening already