Has there been grade inflation in Irish universities? The argument against

Hyland, Áine

Has there been grade inflation in Irish universities? The argument against

Files

Grade Inflation - NAIRTL debate Nov 08.pdf(116.75 KB)

Accepted Version

Date

2008-11

Authors

Hyland, Áine

Abstract

The statistics speak for themselves. More students are graduating today with an honours degree than was the case a generation ago. Forty years ago, less than 30% of undergraduates were awarded an honours degree compared to 75% today. But to use words such as “dumbing down” or “grade inflation” to describe this phenomenon is, in my view, unfair to present day students who, I would argue, generally deserve the grades which they are awarded. I believe that it is wrong to interpret the improvement in the proportion of students getting an honours degree as artificial grade inflation or to imply that students are awarded grades or marks that are undeserved. The academic standard of most students entering Irish universities is considerably higher today than it was a generation ago. While the Leaving Certificate points system is far from perfect, it has resulted in students entering university today with Leaving Certificate results that were unheard of in the 1960s. It has also led to a culture of hard work, confidence and competitiveness among students on a scale unimagined a generation ago.

Description

Debate

Keywords

Honours degree , Grade inflation , Third level , Ireland , Irish universities

Citation

Hyland, Á. (2008) 'Has there been grade inflation in Irish universities? The argument against', Second Annual Conference of the National Academy for the Integration of Research and Teaching and Learning (NAIRTL): Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: Challenging Assumptions, Waterford Institute of Technology, 13-14 November.