%0 Book Section
%A Hill, Jennifer
%A Walkington, Helen
%A Page, Ben
%A Wyse, Stephanie
%B Academic Standards in Higher Education:  Critical Perspectives and Practical Strategies
%D 2024
%E Reimann, Nicola
%E Sadler, Ian
%E Hill, Jennifer
%F discovery:10198313
%I Routledge
%P 202-216
%T The need for calibration in the disciplines
%U https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10198313/
%X The debate about degree outcomes and comparability of academic standards in Higher  Education is increasingly prominent in academic, political and media discussions in the UK  and internationally. This chapter reports on work undertaken as part of the UK Degree  Standards Project in collaboration with the Royal Geographical Society (with Institute of  British Geographers). The intent of the work was for the geography community in the UK,  supported by its learned society and professional body, to respond to public concerns about  ‘grade inflation’ in relation to degree outcomes.  The chapter first presents data on degree outcomes in the UK and with respect to the  subject of geography more specifically. It goes on to report the results of training activities  within the discipline across a range of geographical scales to increase the use of calibration  as a means of providing transparent assurance about the quality of assessment practices.  Positive outcomes are highlighted, including participants acknowledging that they advanced  their understanding of shared academic standards, leading to more closely aligned  academic judgements and grade decisions. Despite the collaborative process engendering a  sense of ownership and willingness to engage with standards issues, the chapter also  highlights the challenges of maintaining such activities.  The chapter concludes that there is good reason for the geography community in the UK to  engage positively and actively with public debate about academic standards. Adoption of  calibration, at a variety of scales, might help to secure a sustainable process that can iterate  between teaching teams, departments, external examiners, and the national disciplinary  community. This system can help to ensure consistency, reliability and clarity in academic  standards, strengthening and supporting the external examining process.
%Z This version is the author-accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.