Academic Standards in Higher Education
Critical Perspectives and Practical Strategies
Ian Sadler editor Jennifer Hill editor Nicola Reimann editor
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd
Publishing:14th Aug '24
£29.99
This title is due to be published on 14th August, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
Academic standards in higher education are important but largely misunderstood. This book examines the notion of academic standards, explaining what they are and why they are important, and identifying the many myths that surround them.
Based on the lessons learnt from the UK-wide Degree Standards Project, which developed, piloted and evaluated a professional development course on degree standards aimed at external examiners, the book offers practical suggestions for ways in which higher education staff can develop a more sophisticated understanding of standards. It discusses the implications of rethinking academic standards for higher education policy and practice, through examples and case studies derived from research evidence, the Degree Standards Project and contributors’ own experience and expertise. As a broader approach to assessment literacy, this volume aims to develop readers’ standards literacy by challenging routine practices and proposing promising alternatives.
Written with a diverse readership in mind, this book is relevant to discipline-based academics, quality officers, academic developers, university leaders and managers, as well as policy makers.
“Efforts to demonstrate academic standards across universities amidst concerns about grade inflation often clash with attempts to use meaningful assessment aligned with learning outcomes. This book fills an important gap in the literature on this topic. It clearly outlines the issues and evaluates current practices such as the use of external examiners. But its greatest strength is detailing a range of strategies for improving existing methods, grounding formal descriptors of achievement, and developing consistency in assessment judgements within and across institutions. I’d highly recommend it, especially to those who think they don’t have a problem with academic standards.”
Sue Bloxham, Professor Emerita in Academic Practice, University of Cumbria, UK.
“Efforts to demonstrate academic standards across universities amidst concerns about grade inflation often clash with attempts to use meaningful assessment aligned with learning outcomes. This book fills an important gap in the literature on this topic. It clearly outlines the issues and evaluates current practices such as the use of external examiners. But its greatest strength is detailing a range of strategies for improving existing methods, grounding formal descriptors of achievement, and developing consistency in assessment judgements within and across institutions. I’d highly recommend it, especially to those who think they don’t have a problem with academic standards.”
Sue Bloxham, Professor Emerita in Academic Practice, University of Cumbria, UK.
ISBN: 9781032460260
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 453g
250 pages