Revealed: Durham modules ranked by student attainment

The article illustrates how Freedom of Information requests can unlock valuable institutional data, transforming opaque academic records into transparent resources for analysis. By obtaining module-level attainment statistics, the publication reveals significant disparities in grading standards across different departments. This case study demonstrates the practical utility of open data initiatives in holding universities accountable, allowing the public to scrutinize equity and rigor in higher education. Key findings highlight that Physics and English departments achieved notably high average marks, whereas foundation year modules and specific language courses lagged significantly behind. Furthermore, performance varied drastically between year groups, with certain first-year design modules failing to award any top grades, while others saw nearly unanimous success. These variations suggest that assessment difficulty is not uniform, raising questions about grading consistency and student support across the curriculum. Relevance to open data lies in the power of FOI-driven transparency to democratize access to institutional performance metrics. Such data empowers prospective students, researchers, and policymakers to make informed decisions based on empirical evidence rather than reputation. Ultimately, this example underscores how accessible, granular data can foster greater accountability and drive meaningful conversations about educational standards and outcomes.

Source: palatinate.org.uk
Published on 2024-06-19

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