Paul H Bridges

UK Credit Forum

HE Credit Practice in the UK

The Implications for the Standards of Awards

  Credit is a formal quantified recognition of learning achievement awarded to learners

 

Definition of credit

The formal recognition of learning achieved in various settingsRecording progress towards qualificationsEnabling transfer between programmes and between institutions

The roles of credit

The amount of learning

The credit level

Academic context

The number of credits

Intellectual demand and

depth of learning

The curriculum

Academic Standard

HOW MUCH HAS BEEN LEARNT?

WHAT HAS BEEN LEARNT?

HOW DEEP IS THE LEARNING?

  Previous surveys in 1998, 1999 and 2004; but 2012 was the first UK wide survey

 

A Survey of HE Credit Practice in the UK

  Is there, in effect, a single credit system in operation in the UK

   Have institutions adopted common labels for levels and common level descriptors?

  Have institutions adopted common credit requirements for major awards?

   Are there significant differences in credit

practice which have implications for students?  

  Questionnaire was designed with help and advice of members of the credit consortia

   Some continuity with previous surveys and also new questions

   Separate versions for England & NI, Wales and Scotland to reflect national frameworks?

  Questionnaire placed online    Total 65 responses; 53 England & NI; 5 Wales

and 7 Scotland; one-third pre-1992 universities

 

Research method and response

Credit level label Yes %

Entry Level to Level 8 28 53%

Level HE 0 to Level HE 5 7 13%

Level HE 3 to Level HE 7 26 49%

Basic Level and Advanced Level 1 2%

Framework for Qualifications in the European HE area (Bologna cycles)

6 11%

None 1 2%

How do you label the credit levels?

England and Northern Ireland

Descriptors Yes %

Higher Education Credit Framework (NICATS)

36 68%

Southern England Consortium (SEEC)

13 25%

Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF)

7 13%

Institution’s own descriptors 9 17%

None 3 6%

Which credit level descriptors?

Creditsize

Undergraduate Number of institutions

Postgraduate Number of Institutions

10 1 1

15 10 9

20 24 18

24 1 0

30 7 12

45 0 1

Standard module size

Position Yes %

Every module has an approved or validated set of learning outcomes

63 97%

In some modules students may negotiate the learning outcomes

24 37%

An assignment may be designed to test more than one learning outcome

62 95%

Assessment criteria are used to test whether learning outcomes are achieved

59 91%

Assessment criteria are used to determine the grade or mark

63 97%

Learning outcomes and assessment criteria

Position Yes %

Satisfy all the module learning outcomes 37 57%

Satisfy most of the module learning outcomes

22 34%

A pass in each module assessment 30 46%An overall pass in the aggregated module assessments

52 80%

An overall pass in the aggregated module assessments and at least a threshold mark in each assessment

33 51%

A pass in the summative assessment 25 38%

Other criteria? 8 12%

Basis for the award of credit

Position Yes %

Condonement is permitted 34 52

Credit is awarded for condoned modules 18 28

Compensation is permitted 39 60

Credit is awarded for compensated modules

34 52

Both condonement and compensation are permitted

12 18

Neither condonement nor compensation is permitted

5 8

Condonement and compensation

Institutional position Yes

Does your institution normally issue transcripts showing the credits achieved?

97%

Does your institution offer students the opportunity to keep a progress file?

66%

Does your institution normally issue a European Diploma Supplement to students who have completed their HE awards?

71%

Does the Diploma Supplement show the ECTS credits awarded?

72%

Does your institution use or plan to implement the Higher Education Achievement Report?

86%

Record of achievement

Is it acceptable to condone module failure and award credit in respect of the condoned module?

Is it acceptable to compensate module failure and award credit in respect of the compensated module

Is it acceptable to set aside or discount weaker modules performances in calculating the class of honours achieved by a candidate

Should there be a framework or convention for minor HE awards?

What is the best way to determine the shelf-life of credits?

Is it acceptable to allow credit which as already been used to award a major qualification to be re-used towards another?

The marginal fail is not a significant shortcoming so the fail performance has been condoned and you may pass

Condonement

The marginal fail is not a significant shortcoming so the fail performance has been compensated by your positive performance elsewhere and you may pass

Compensation

Condonement and compensation

02468

1012

15 20 30 4002468

1012

15 20 30 40

02468

1012

15 20 30 40

02468

1012

20 30 40 60 80 90120

Level 4 Level 5

Level 6 Levels 4, 5 and 6

Number of institutions

credits

02468

101214

1520 30406002468

101214

1520304060

02468

101214

1520 304060

Level 4 Level 5

Level 6 Levels 4, 5 and 6

Number of institutions

02468

101214

30 40 60 80 90 120

credits

The marginal fail has been forgiven and a retake is not required but there is no evidential basis for the award of credit

Condoned failure

The marginal fail has been compensated by a positive performance elsewhere. This formal recognition of achievement may be used as the basis for the award of credit.

Compensated failure

Should credit be awarded?

0123456

15 20 30 40

0123456

15 20 30 40

0

1

2

3

15 20 30 40

0

2

4

6

8

15 20 30 40

Number of institutions

credits

Level 5 Level 6

Unspecified levels The total permitted

The average mark excluding the two weakest marks

The two weakest module marks

Average mark with no discount

Average mark with discount

1 70% 65 : 65 69.2% 70%

2 70% 55 : 55 67.5% 70%

3 60% 55: 55 59.4% 60%

4 70% 45 :45 65.8% 70%

5 60% 45: 45 57.5% 60%

6 70% 35: 35 64.2% 70%

7 60% 35: 35 55.8% 60%

Credit is awarded in respect of achievement but if the same credit is used repeatedly for major awards, this is a form of abuse

Everyone accepts that there are situations where the credit may count towards an minor award and then may be used for major award

So how do we frame rules to permit the acceptable and stop the unacceptable?

The use and abuse of credit

The Undergraduate family

The Postgraduate family

7 The Integrated Master’s Degree

8 The Professional Doctorate

6 Honours Degree 7iii Master’s Degree

6 Degree/Ordinary Degree/Unclassified

7ii Postgraduate Diploma

5 Foundation Degree 7i Postgraduate Certificate

5 Higher National Diploma The Graduate family5 Diploma of Higher Education 6 Graduate Diploma

4 Higher National Certificate 6 Graduate Certificate

4 Certificate of Higher Education 6 Professional Certificate of Education

Credit from a certificated award may contribute to higher and larger awards in same family

Once the highest award in a family has been certificated, the constituent credit has been spent. It is not re-usable for any award.

A proposed way forward

Credit from a certificated award may not contribute to an equivalent or lower award

Credit achieved may be used for any award in any family for which it is deemed acceptable

The terms certificate and diploma are used inconsistently

• Differentiate between awards at different levels• Differentiate between awards of different sizes at the same

level

Certificate awards range from 20 to 120 creditsDiploma awards range from 40 to 180 credits.

Also variation in the use of foundation. • the term for awards at level 3 • The term for awards at level 4• One institution offers preparatory awards at level 3• Advanced is applied to awards from level 4 to level 6• Half of institutions prefix small awards with the word University

Minor awards

Shelf-life of credit

No policy

Varies by programme

2 yrs 5 yrs 6 yrs 9 yrs 10 yrs

Yes 19 2 1 20 1 1 1

The shelf-life of credit

Condoning or compensating large amounts of module failure

Discounting or excluding numerous weaker module performances from the calculation of the honours classification

Permitting students to re-use credit which has already been used for a certificated major award such as an honours degree

Risks to academic standards