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1 TRANSPARENCY, RELIABILITY AND FAIRNESS IN DEGREE CLASSIFICATION – A STATEMENT OF INTENT
DEGREE CLASSIFICATION TRANSPARENCY, RELIABILITY AND FAIRNESS – A STATEMENT OF INTENT
UKSCQAUK Standing Committee for Quality Assessment
DEGREE CLASSIFICATION TRANSPARENCY, RELIABILITY AND FAIRNESS – A STATEMENT OF INTENT 2
The UK higher education sector is committed to protecting the value of UK degrees. This statement represents that commitment. It is signed by sector representative groups and endorsed by the UK Standing Committee for Quality Assessment, and is founded on the following principles:• Protectingthevalueofqualificationsisintheinterestofstudents–past,presentandfuture– whodeservequalificationsthattheycantakepridein.
• Allhighereducationinstitutionsareresponsibleforprotectingthevalueandthesustainability oftheclassificationsystem.
• Qualificationsshouldbebasedonclearcriteriathatrecognise,demonstrate,andcelebrate academicstretchandsuccess.
• Highereducationinstitutionsareresponsibleforawardingdegreesthatbenefitfrom commonarrangementstoprotecttheirvalue.
• ThediversityoftheUKhighereducationsectorisastrengthwhichisfoundedonshared, consistent,andcomparableacademicpractices.
Thisstatementbuildsonthefindingsandrecommendationsoftheresearchreport‘Degree classification: transparent, consistent and fair academic standards’andtheoutcomesofthe associatedconsultationpresentedin‘Transparency, reliability and fairness in degree classification: consultation report’.
STATEMENT OF INTENT
UK higher education institutions will to continue to protect the value of degrees by:
a. ensuringassessmentandclassificationcriteriastretchandchallengealltheirstudents,includingmeetingandexceedingsharedsectorqualificationscriteria
b. reviewingandexplaininghowtheirprocessforcalculatingfinalclassifications1: –fullyreflectstudentattainmentagainstlearningcriteria –protecttheintegrityofclassificationboundaryconventions –maintaincomparabilityofqualificationsinthesectorandovertime
c. enablingstafftoprotectthevalueofqualificationby:–supportingopportunitiesforacademicstoworkasexternalexaminers,includingprofessionaldevelopmentandsubjectcalibrationactivities
–supportingnew,andexisting,academicsandexternalexaminerstoapplyinstitutionalassessmentcriteriaandregulations
–reviewingandreiteratingpoliciesoninternalandexternalmoderationtoensurethey enablechallenge
d. reviewingandpublishingstudentoutcomesdataaspartoftheongoingcalibration ofassessmentandclassificationpractices
1.Furtherinformationoncommondegreealgorithmscomponentsissetoutinannexea.
DEGREE CLASSIFICATION TRANSPARENCY, RELIABILITY AND FAIRNESS – A STATEMENT OF INTENT 3
IMPLEMENTING THE STATEMENT OF INTENTTo help achieve the aims and objectives of the statement, institutions should take the following steps through their national quality assessment arrangements.
ENGLANDInstitutionsawardingdegreesshouldpublisha‘degree outcomes statement’ articulating the resultsofaninternalinstitutionalreview.WebelievethatthisstepwillhelpinstitutionstoassurethemselvesthattheyaremeetingtheexpectationsoftheQualityCode,andtheOfficeforStudents’ongoingconditionsofregistration(B4andB5)thatrelatetoprotectingthevalueofqualifications,including:
i. quantitativetrendsinstudentdegreeoutcomesovertime,includingtheimpactofstudentdemographics,subjectmixandacademicregulations
ii. whetherassessmentcriteriameetcommonsectorreferencepointsandareappliedconsistentlybyacademicstaffandexternalexaminers
iii. whethertherationalefordegreealgorithm(s)isclearandpubliclyaccessible
iv. whethertheinstitutionismakinguseofAdvanceHE’sexternalexaminerprofessionaldevelopmentprogrammeandsubject-specificcalibrationactivity,orprovidingalternativearrangements
Governingbodiesoracademicsenatesshouldincorporateexternalassuranceofthedegreeoutcomesstatement,eitherthroughexistingornewarrangements,suchasadedicatedexternaladvisorondegreeclassification.
Whereappropriate,thedegreeawardingbodyshouldworkwithproviderswhoseawardstheyaccredittoinformtheirdegreeoutcomesstatement.
Degreeoutcomesstatements,outliningtheoutcomesofthereviewandassociatedactions, shouldbepublishedintheacademicyear2019–20.
NORTHERN IRELANDThestatementissecuredbytheAnnualPerformanceReview(APR)process,including:
• assurancestatementsfromaprovider’sgoverningbody,focusingoncontinuousimprovementofstudents’academicexperiencesandoutcomes;andthestepstakentoassure(withexternality)degreestandardsatallclassificationlevels,especiallyatthethresholdlevel
• scrutinyofstudentandotherdataalreadysubmittedtotheHigherEducationStatisticsAgency(HESA)andtheDepartmentforEducation–NorthernIreland(DfE-NI)andpresentedasan‘APRdashboard’.
InstitutionsinNorthernIrelandwouldconsiderwhereitmaybeappropriatetoincorporatethehigh-levelprinciplesofthestatementofintentintothisprocess–andwhereadditionalinternalreviewmaybenecessaryasregardstoclassificationpractices,supportforexternalexaminersthroughtheAdvanceHEexternalexaminingprogramme,andcalibrationofassessmentcriteriaagainsttheFrameworkforHigherEducationQualifications.
DEGREE CLASSIFICATION TRANSPARENCY, RELIABILITY AND FAIRNESS – A STATEMENT OF INTENT 4
SCOTLANDThestatementofintentissecuredbyScotland’sdistinctiveQualityEnhancementFramework(QEF).Itincludesrigorousinstitution-ledreviewusingexternalreferencepointsandexternalreviewonafive-yearcycle,knownasEnhancement-ledInstitutionalReview(ELIR).TheQEFincludesafirmcommitmenttostudentpartnershipandanationalsuiteofEnhancementThemes.InstitutionsdemonstratetheymeettheexpectationsoftheQualityCodewhichisconfirmedasaformalpartofELIR.EachyeareveryinstitutionreportstotheScottishFundingCouncilontheoutcomesofitsinstitution-ledreview,andthesereportsinformannualmeetingsbetweeneachinstitutionandQAAScotland.QAAScotlandsharessector-wideanalysisofthesereportstohelpidentifytrends.
InstitutionsmakeextensiveuseofdataaspartoftheQEF,notleastinthecurrentEnhancementTheme,Evidence for Enhancement: improving the student experience,inwhichthesectorcollectivelyseekstoimproveitsuseofdataandwiderevidencetobenefitstudents.Previousenhancementactivityhasconsideredstudentsupport,research-teachinglinkages,assessment,feedbackonassessment,andgraduateskillsandattributes.
TheScottishsectorhasconsidereddegreeclassificationsdataandhasidentifiedseveralfactorsinfluencingtheupwardtrend,includingtheincreaseinentrytariffsovertheperiodandtheextensiveworkcarriedoutbythesector,andinstitutionsindividually,tosupportstudentsuccess.ThesectoriscommittedtoundertakingfurtherworkaimedatunderstandingtheclassificationsprofileandtheworkwillbeoverseenbytheQualityArrangementsinScottishHigherEducation(QASHE)groupwhichbringstogetherthepartiestotheQEFalongsidetheScottishGovernment.
WALESImplementationofthestatementofintentissecuredbytheQualityAssessmentFramework(QAF)andelementsoftheQualityEnhancementReviewprocess.TheprocessofreviewoutlinedforadegreeoutcomesstatementinEnglandcanbeadaptedbyWelshinstitutionsaspart oftheirinternalevaluationandcontextualisedself-evaluationofqualityandrisk.Principles oftheQAFinclude:
• useofpeerreviewandappropriateexternalscrutinyasacorecomponentofquality assessmentandassuranceapproaches
• accountability,valueformoneyandeasilyunderstoodassurancetostudents,employers,government
• robustevidencetoidentifyandexploitopportunitiesforcontinuousimprovement
Institutionswillconsiderhowtheyaresupportingacademicstafftoworkasexternalexaminers,includingwhethertheinstitutionismakinguseofAdvanceHE’sexternalexaminerstrainingandsubject-specificcalibrationactivities,orprovidingalternativearrangementsforprofessionaldevelopment.
TheWelshsectormaycollectivelyconsidertheroleofsharedqualificationsframeworksandclassificationdescriptionswithinassessmentpracticetoensureacademicstretchandchallengeforstudentsaboveandbeyondcurrentthresholds.
DEGREE CLASSIFICATION TRANSPARENCY, RELIABILITY AND FAIRNESS – A STATEMENT OF INTENT 5
SECTOR-LEVEL ACTIONSAs a sector, we are committed to considering ways in which long-established conventions and practices may need to adapt, and how they can remain relevant and sustainable for our students and for employers. Tosupporttheimplementationofthestatementofintent,theUKSCQAworkingwithitsmembers,includingthesectorrepresentativegroupswill:
• worktoraiseawarenessofthestatementofintentacrossthehighereducationsectorand withemployers,emphasisingthevalueofdegrees
• reviewtheoutcomesresultingfromthestatementofintent,includingasector-levelprofile ofactionsoneyearonfrompublication
• workwithHESAtodevelopdatatoolsthatcansupportinstitutionstounderstandand benchmarktheirowndegreeoutcomesandpatterns
• engagewithleaguetableproviderstoensurestudentdecision-makingisnotdistortedby theinclusionofdegreeoutcomesdatainrankingmethodologies
• keeptheneedforadditionalinformationondegreeoutcomesunderconsideration, includingtheHigherEducationAchievementReport
DEGREE CLASSIFICATION TRANSPARENCY, RELIABILITY AND FAIRNESS – A STATEMENT OF INTENT 6
ANNEXE A: EXPLAINING DEGREE CLASSIFICATION ALGORITHMSThis section is included to aid common understanding of degree algorithm practices in use by higher education institutions across the UK. Adegreealgorithmistheprocessorsetofrulesthatinstitutionsfollowtodeterminethefinalclassificationofacourseorprogramme.Algorithmsaresetwithinabroadcontext,andareinformed–amongotherthings–bydisciplinaryapproaches,programmestructuresandwiderqualityassurancearrangements.Commonelementsinclude:
• Aggregation method:includingwhetherornottoconsideralleligiblemodulesorunits (weightedaverageapproaches),orthemostfrequentlyawardedmarksorclassifications overtheprogramme(modalorpreponderanceapproaches).
• Level of study and weighting:howdifferentyearsorlevelsofstudyarecountedinthefinalclassification.Commondecisionsincludewhethertoincludesomefirstyear/level4 performanceandthebalanceofweightingbetweenlateryears,ega50/50splitthrough to100%finalyearweighting.
• Discounting:whetheroutlierorlowmarksaresystematicallydiscarded(uptoaspecifiedproportionofcredits),and‘condonement’wherefailureofamoduleorunitdoesnotdisqualify astudentfromprogressingorreceivinganaward.Thisdoesnotincludemeasuresapplied inspecialcircumstances.
• Borderline rules and zones of consideration:whetheradditionalconsideration,typicallythroughacademicboards,isgiventoastudent’sfinalclassificationwhentheaveragescoreiswithin acertaindistancefromaclassificationband.
• Resits and retakes:whetherornot,andwhen,topermitstudentstoretakemodulesorunitswheretheyhavefailedtoachieveapassmark,includingdecisionsonhowmanycredits,maximumpossiblemarks,andatwhichlevels.
Furtherinformationaboutdegreealgorithmsandcommonpracticescanbefoundinthereport‘UnderstandingDegreeAlgorithms’(UUK2017)
DEGREE CLASSIFICATION TRANSPARENCY, RELIABILITY AND FAIRNESS – A STATEMENT OF INTENT 7
ThispublicationistheresultofresearchandpublicconsultationconductedbyUniversitiesUK,GuildHEandtheQualityAssuranceAgencyforHigherEducationonbehalfandwiththesupportoftheUKStandingCommitteeforQualityAssessment.
TheUKStandingCommitteeforQualityAssessmentprovidessector-ledoversightofhighereducationqualityassessmentarrangementsthatcontinuetobesharedacrosstheUK.ThecommitteehasmembersdrawnfromregulatedprovidersinEnglandandWales,publicly-fundeduniversitiesandcollegesinScotlandandNorthernIreland,andproviderscurrentlydesignatedforstudentsupportbytheSecretaryofStateinEngland.StudentinterestsarerepresentedbyboththeNationalUnionofStudentsandindividualstudentmembers.MembershipisalsodrawnfromthefourUKhighereducationfunding/regulatorybodies,sectorbodiesandregulatorypartners.
UniversitiesWalesPrifysgolionCymru
WoburnHouse 20TavistockSquare LondonWC1H9HQ
+44(0)[email protected]
@UniversitiesUK
May2019
ISBN978-1-84036-424-8
UKSCQAUK Standing Committee for Quality Assessment
UniversitiesUKisthecollectivevoiceof137universitiesinEngland,Scotland,WalesandNorthernIreland.OurmissionistocreatetheconditionsforUKuniversitiestobethebestintheworld;maximisingtheirpositiveimpactlocally,nationallyandglobally.UniversitiesUKactsonbehalfofuniversities,representedbytheirheadsofinstitution.
