Revealed: Durham modules ranked by student attainment in 2021-2022 - Palatinate

This article demonstrates the power of Freedom of Information requests in uncovering granular academic performance data. By utilizing publicly available datasets, researchers can move beyond general institutional statistics to analyze specific module outcomes. This transparency allows for a deeper understanding of educational effectiveness and student achievement across different disciplines, highlighting how open data initiatives can reveal hidden patterns in university operations. The findings reveal significant disparities in attainment rates across various subjects and year levels. Physics and English demonstrated high overall success, while foundation years and specific language courses showed notably lower performance metrics. Furthermore, individual modules exhibited extreme variation, with some first-year classes awarding zero top grades while others saw overwhelming majority success. These variations suggest that factors such as module difficulty, assessment style, and student preparedness heavily influence final grades. The relevance to open data lies in its ability to foster accountability and comparative analysis within higher education. When such detailed grading information is accessible, it empowers students to make informed decisions about their course selections. It also encourages institutions to scrutinize their teaching methods and assessment structures. Ultimately, this case illustrates how releasing specific, actionable data supports a more transparent and data-driven educational environment, enabling stakeholders to identify best practices and areas needing improvement.

Source: palatinate.org.uk
Published on 2025-05-28

Revealed: Durham modules ranked by student attainment in 2021-2022 - Palatinate

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