Open Data

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

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

This article demonstrates the power of Freedom of Information Requests in democratizing access to institutional data, specifically revealing detailed academic performance metrics that were previously opaque to the public. By leveraging FOI laws, independent platforms can uncover granular insights into university teaching effectiveness, student attainment rates, and disciplinary disparities. This practice is fundamental to the open data movement, as it transforms raw administrative records into transparent, publicly usable information that fosters accountability and informed decision-making across educational institutions. The data exposes significant variations in student success across different departments and year levels, highlighting that attainment is not uniform. For instance, Physics and English show high achievement rates, while foundation years and certain foreign language courses lag significantly behind. These discrepancies suggest that structural factors, such as course design or student support, heavily influence outcomes. Understanding these patterns through accessible data allows stakeholders to identify systemic inequities and advocate for targeted improvements in curriculum delivery and assessment methods. Ultimately, this case underscores why open data is relevant to education: it shifts the narrative from anecdotal assumptions to evidence-based analysis. When institutions release their performance data openly, it empowers prospective students to make informed choices and encourages educators to reflect on their practices. The transparency provided by such FOI-driven investigations not only highlights the best and worst performing modules but also creates a framework for continuous improvement, ensuring that higher education remains responsive to public scrutiny and quality standards.

Source: palatinate.org.uk
Published on 2025-07-12

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