Full Description
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.
Contents
1. Introduction
Part 1: Academic Standards Context and Concepts
2. Assuring Academic Standards: Policy and Practice in Context
3. Academic Standards: The Complexities of a Contested Concept
4. Academic Standards in a Globalised World
Part 2: Common Responses to the Social Construction of Academic Standards
5. The Role of Internal and External Moderation for Assuring Academic Standards
6. External Examining: A Peer-Led System for Guarding Academic Standards
7. Demystifying the Role of the External Examiner Through the Lens of Assessment Literacy
8. Using Social Processes to Maintain Academic Standards: Social Moderation and Calibration
Part 3: Practical Solutions
9. Strengthening Professional Development Provision for External Examiners: The UK Degree Standards Project
10. Designing and Developing a Professional Development Course for External Examiners
11. The Institutional Impact of the Professional Development Course for External Examiners: A Case Study
12. Lessons Learnt from the Evaluation of the Degree Standards Project
13. Working with Rubrics: Codification Plus Dialogue in Developing Shared Academic Standards
14. The Need for Calibration in the Disciplines: A Case Study from Sport and Exercise Science
15. The Need for Calibration in the Disciplines: A Case Study from Geography
16. Making Holistic Pairwise Judgements: Comparative Judgment
17. Taking Stock and Looking Ahead
