Grade boosting claim 'a reality'

By REBECCA WALSH

Academics have backed a claim by a university professor that students' grades are being bumped up to maintain numbers.

Some lecturers the Herald spoke to said "grade inflation" was a problem in universities and might be leading to a dumbing-down in some subjects.

Others vehemently denied it was happening.

The Herald reported yesterday that lecturers were pushed into giving pass marks to students who were not up to scratch.

Former Lincoln University economics professor Peter Earl, who has quit New Zealand to take up a position at the University of Queensland, said the funding crisis had led universities to enrol students who could not learn at the level required.

If he refused to pass them he was reprimanded because the university needed "bums on seats."

Denis Dutton, associate professor of the philosophy of art at Canterbury University, said that because funding for departments was largely dependent on student numbers, anyone who marked according to standards set 30 years ago risked seeing student numbers dwindle.

"The tendency is to push Ds into C-minus grades. What would have been Cs years ago have become Bs and on up the scale."

Professor Dutton said top students were competing internationally for scholarships and could be disadvantaged if lecturers marked in ways that were "out of line with today's inflated norms."

"I started awarding A-pluses to my most outstanding students because I realised those marks were being given out elsewhere. I didn't want to see them disadvantaged."

Professor Dutton believed some subjects in some degrees had been dumbed down and said "grade inflation" was something universities should be worried about.

Bob Stephens, a senior lecturer in public policy at Victoria University, did not believe there was institutional pressure to pass more students but said there had been a slight easing of pass rates.

"There's a group of students in the 45 to 50-mark range whom we will look at more closely. Some of those who will pass now would have failed 10 to 15 years ago."

Mr Stephens said students' grades overall had probably increased 2 to 3 per cent, but he did not believe the increase was serious or significant.

A "C pass degree" was recognised by employers as someone who had barely got through.

"The good students will do honours and masters; there's not much change there. It's at the bottom end that more students are getting through."

Auckland University's deputy vice-chancellor (research), Professor Marston Conder, said he had no evidence staff were being forced to pass students who were below standard.

"Although it might be tempting in the short term to have a higher number pass, in the longer term that will reflect badly on the reputation of the institution and on the value of the degrees it is awarding."

Professor Conder said it was tempting to say the quality of students was declining because the greater numbers of students attending university meant there were more students of lower ability.

The allegations have deeply concerned Professor Graeme Fraser, chairman of the Committee for University Academic Programmes, who said he would raise the issue at the next meeting.

Professor Fraser had no evidence academics were forced to boost grades of incompetent students. If it were true, he would want an inquiry.

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