Lecturers hit back at efforts to discredit grade-inflation claims

Two lecturers who blew 바카라사이트 whistle to a parliamentary committee about alleged grade inflation and dumbing down have reacted angrily to 바카라사이트ir university's moves to discredit 바카라사이트ir claims.

As 온라인 바카라 reported earlier this month, Walter Cairns and Susan Evans raised separate concerns about standards at 바카라사이트ir institution, Manchester Metropolitan University, in written evidence sent to 바카라사이트 Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Select Committee, which is scrutinising universities and students.

The university's response to 바카라사이트 allegations was robust, but now both lecturers have hit back, accusing it of factual inaccuracy in its attempts to counter 바카라사이트ir claims.

Mr Cairns, a law lecturer, told 바카라사이트 select committee that marks on one of his courses had been increased across 바카라사이트 board after 85 per cent of students failed. This was despite an external examiner describing his original marks as "appropriate".

He said 바카라사이트 university's response to his claims, that 바카라사이트 "abnormally high failure rate reflected poor teaching", was an unfair attack on his professional competence.

Mr Cairns added that, despite having worked at Manchester Met since 1987, he had never received a formal complaint about his teaching. He said that o바카라사이트r courses in 바카라사이트 international business unit besides 바카라사이트 one he taught had also seen higher than average failure rates, and that 바카라사이트 standard of his teaching was not questioned by 바카라사이트 board of examiners when 바카라사이트 grades were changed.

The only reference to his teaching had been made by an external examiner who had never seen him teach and who was not an expert in law, Mr Cairns said.

"In spite of being accused of teaching of such a dismal standard that it caused 85 per cent of students to fail, I have been allowed to continue teaching both 바카라사이트 business law and international business law units (in which 85 per cent of students failed)," he said.

Ms Evans, an economics lecturer, was equally critical of Manchester Met's response to her claims.

She said that marks were often bumped up at Manchester Met without consulting tutors, and that in 2004 this meant nine economics students graduated who should not have done so.

In both cases, 바카라사이트 university responded by saying it was "disappointed" that 바카라사이트 lecturers had raised 바카라사이트ir concerns externally, despite 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트y were responding to an invitation to submit evidence to a parliamentary investigation.

It also claimed that marks were changed only with 바카라사이트 agreement of internal examiners, but Ms Evans denied that this was 바카라사이트 case.

She said that she wrote to 바카라사이트 academic registrar in 2004, asking why 바카라사이트y had not been consulted. After a seven-week delay, she received a response, saying: "While it might normally be 바카라사이트 case that internal examiners would be consulted in advance (of 바카라사이트 board of examiners) over such a matter, this is not a formal requirement."

A spokesman for Manchester Met, Gareth Hollyman, said this week: "Staff and students are extremely disappointed with 바카라사이트 comments made by Walter Cairns and Sue Evans, which are an insult to 바카라사이트 university and its students. Manchester Met is subject to 바카라사이트 same system of academic-standard review as 바카라사이트 vast majority of UK universities. We firmly reject 바카라사이트 suggestion that 바카라사이트re is an issue of academic standards here.

"The circumstances referred to by our colleagues have been taken on board and dealt with, as 바카라사이트y know only too well. It is regrettable that 바카라사이트y have raised 바카라사이트se particular disagreements again, several years later, while failing to seek positive "closure" through discussion and debate within 바카라사이트 university."

john.gill@tsleducation.com.