Oxford and Cambridge accused of 'dumbing down' university courses to boost grades of minority groups
A former Tory Education Minister called the change 'deeply insulting to students from minority backgrounds', while another MP called it 'patronising'
Top British universities are set to offer âinclusive assessmentsâ for minority groups to yield better results.
The Office for Students (OfS) has approved plans proposed by Russell Group universities to replace in-person, unseen exams with open-book tests and take-home papers popularised during the pandemic.
Institutions are being encouraged to close the attainment gap between the number of Firsts and 2:1s awarded to white, middle-class students compared with other groups, the Daily Mail reports.
Traditional exams are seen to put ethnic minorities, poorer groups, and those with mental health issues and disabilities at a disadvantage.
Top British universities are set to offer âinclusive assessmentsâ for minority groups to yield better results
GETTY/PA
Research into the attainment gaps between minority groups show that the divide is reduced when results do not solely rely on traditional exams, although studies have not identified a clear factor as to why this is the case.
Former Conservative chairman Richard Holden hit out at the decisions, saying: âThis knee-jerk and patronising approach to dumbing down university education serves no one.
âChildren from every background can thrive in a highly rigorous academic environment.â
Meanwhile, Sir John Hayes, who used to serve as a Conservative Education Minister, called the change âdeeply insulting to students from minority backgroundsâ, insisting that it would âundermine the integrity of the assessment processâ.
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The Access and Participation Plans (APPs) have been approved by the OfS.
Universities must ring up a list of ways they have been supporting their students from disadvantaged backgrounds in order to keep on the regulatorâs register each year.
The University of Oxfordâs proposals are to âuse a more diverse and inclusive range of assessmentsâ to âimprove the likelihoodâ of those from âlower socio-economic backgroundsâ obtaining quality degrees.
More explicitly, pledges by Cambridge include â'improving outcomesâ for âBlack-British and British-Bangladeshi studentsâ and mentions that âassessment practicesâ might be the root cause for âawarding gapsâ.
However, Kingâs College London has set out plans to âdiversify assessmentâ to make the process âfairerâ while keeping some semblance of traditional exams.
Kingâs College London has set out plans to âdiversify assessmentâ to make the process âfairerâ while keeping some elements of traditional exams
GETTY
Currently, data from the regulatory body revealed a 22 per cent difference between white and black students achieving 2:1s, while there is an 11 per cent between advantaged and disadvantaged students.
A spokesman for the OfS said: âThrough APPs, we encourage universities to consider whether their assessments are working properly for all students because we know that some students are more likely to attain lower grades than their peers, even when their prior academic performance is the same.
âWhere there is evidence that current assessment models may not be fair, it is appropriate for universities to trial and evaluate changes in the way they grade students.â
However, he maintained that programmes must continue to be âacademically robust, credible, and a reliable reflection of students' hard workâ.
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