Changes to degree classification system to aid employers
A higher education advisory group has proposed changes to improve the visibility of a graduate's academic attainment.
The Grade Point Average (GPA) Advisory group has proposed changes to way degrees are classified. The GPA Advisory Group has put forward a system similar to the system in place in the United States, where graduates receive a numerical accreditation for their degree, rather than the class system currently in place in the UK.
Currently graduates receive a classification ranging from a First down to a Third and pass, the GPA Advisory Group recommends the adoption of this new system so that employers can see more detailed and accurate attainment, believing the GPA system can be used as a 'precise indicator'. The group has also highlighted the international element to the change, adding they could become more internationally recognised.
One of the leaders of the GPA Advisory Group, Professor Bob Burgess, has outlined how the changes will help employers understanding of an applicant's attainment. Professor Burgess said alongside the Group's report 'GPA offers an important opportunity to meet the vital need for a more precise indicator of degree grades and to provide students with a more internationally recognisable measure. Our recommendations have been carefully constructed to build upon the evidence from the sector regarding the appetite and capacity for change.'
'A process of "dual running" will allow institutions to adopt GPA within timescales that suit their institutional context whilst ensuring that a national system is retained.'
The proposed changes have also received some support from Higher Education institutions themselves. Chair of Universities UK, the elite group of universities in the UK, also believes the current system to be blunt. Nicola Dandridge was quoted in The Independent saying 'The sector has recognised for some time that the current degree classification system is a blunt instrument. The aim is to provide a more detailed account of what a student has actually achieved during their studies, rather than just a one-off degree classification.'
Dandridge added 'The report outlines the benefits of a GPA system and an agreed scale of average marks. It will provide a good platform now to test the value of GPA with the whole higher education sector'