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UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL CITED IN ‘FALLING DEGREE STANDARDS’ ROW

A top academic has stated that the quality of degrees given by British universities is being compromised by an obsession with league tables and has singled out the University of Liverpool for particular attack.

Professor Geoffrey Alderman, former chairman of the University of London’s academic council, has accused universities of piling pressure on lecturers to award more first class and upper second class honours to students in order to acquire a higher ranking in the national league tables. He has pointed to a reform in grading at the University of Liverpool as an example of how marks are changing in the face of a ‘league table culture’ – within a year, the number of first class honours degrees awarded to students has risen from 7% to 17%.

Professor Alderman also alleges that University of Liverpool students can obtain a first class mark without achieving the equivalent of a first in any individual part of their degree. The university has denied that this claim is true.

The increase in first class and upper second class degrees appears to be a common situation in many universities across the country. In the past decade, the amount of first class honours awarded has risen by over a 100% from 16,708 to 36,645. Simultaneously, the number of undergraduates has increased by 40%. A number of academics and critics have argued that the increased blurring of boundaries between the grading of degrees is unfair on students, especially those on the borderline between a first and a 2:1.

Yet, the amount of firsts distributed by universities appears important when it comes to league table rankings. It is estimated that approximately 10% of an individual university’s table position accounts for how many top-end degrees are awarded. The University of Liverpool saw a 34% rise in the total of first class and upper second class degrees from 1999 to 2007, placing it third overall in a list of 10 of the country’s top 30 universities with the most proportional increase in top-end degrees by the Sunday Times University Guide.

Professor Alderman also suggests that many instances of plagiarism are being overlooked in universities and that students that should be failing are given passes. Particular lenience is thought to be shown to international students, who by paying full fees are vital for under-funded universities.

Universities UK, the body representing vice-chancellors, have answered Professor Alderman’s claims. “The UK model for assuring quality and standards in higher education is sound and well-established. It is also well respected internationally and has informed and influenced parallel developments worldwide. All courses are subject to regular internal monitoring and review by the university, including through the external examiner system, and the university’s processes and mechanisms are, in turn, subject to additional external scrutiny by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education.”

The argument comes at the same time when it has been revealed that students are borrowing more student loans than ever before to pay their way through university. Money loaned to students totalled nearly £4 billion in the academic year 2007-08. Most of this was spent on the cost of living which in all came to £2,835 million. Tuition fees loans rose a staggering 176.7% compared to the previous year.

Stephen Williams, the Liberal Democrat higher education spokesperson, has called for a fairer financial system to be put in place for students to avoid the burden of increasing debt. However, the government insists that students have more opportunities for financial help now, with two thirds of new and eligible undergraduates entitled to yearly non-repayable maintenance grants.

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