Hill, Jennifer;
Walkington, Helen;
Page, Ben;
Wyse, Stephanie;
(2024)
The need for calibration in the disciplines.
In: Reimann, Nicola and Sadler, Ian and Hill, Jennifer, (eds.)
Academic Standards in Higher Education: Critical Perspectives and Practical Strategies.
(pp. 202-216).
Routledge
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Abstract
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.
| Type: | Book chapter |
|---|---|
| Title: | The need for calibration in the disciplines |
| ISBN-13: | 9781003379768 |
| DOI: | 10.4324/9781003379768-19 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003379768 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the author-accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Dept of Geography |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10198313 |
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