Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 October 2023
113. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the actions being taken by his Department or by any agency under the aegis of his Department to better understand the trends and to consider the causes and effects of grade inflation on further and higher education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45029/23]
View answerHigher education institutions are autonomous bodies, as set out in legislation, and as such the management of their academic affairs, including the awards offered, are a matter for each individual institution.
Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI), in its role as the state agency responsible for promoting quality and accountability in education and training in Ireland, is currently engaged in a collaborative project with the higher education institutions to examine the issue of grade allocation and distribution.
The key objective of this collaborative project is to understand the causes of variation in the classification profiles of degrees awarded by Irish higher education institutions over the past decade.
As part of this project, Higher Education Institutions will undertake case study analyses of a cross-section of honours bachelor’s degree programmes to consider changes to programme dimensions; approaches to teaching, learning and assessment; the impact of quality assurance and enhancement measures; and changes in student profiles; and how they may relate to degree classification profiles. Higher education institutions will also provide information on processes and perceptions pertaining to degree classifications generally.
An analysis of these institutional inputs will then be undertaken by QQI culminating in a Report which will outline the findings of these analyses. It is anticipated that the Report will be completed by end Q2 2024.
It is intended that this work will encourage reflection within Irish higher education institutions on perceptions of, and practices relating to, degree classifications and contribute to a better understanding of classification trends, the factors that influence them and the significance of degree classifications among broader stakeholder groups.
QQI’s initial focus is on higher education and changes in classification profiles in honour’s bachelor degrees. An analysis of trends in the further education and training sector will be considered thereafter.
