All Ireland Society for Higher Education
| Name: | Anne Jordan |
|---|---|
| Email: | ajordan@wit.ie |
| Institution: | WIT |
Orison Carlile, School of Education, College St Campus, Cork Rd, Waterford
The topic of 'academic' levels in higher education was rarely encountered in the past. However clear criteria are now needed to distinguish between different levels of performance within one programme, and to define threshold standards.
This is a political issue. The achievement of the learning outcomes at one (NQF) level allows entry to the next . It is counter to the traditional model where entry to an advanced qualification required a pass at a high grade to progress from a diploma to a degree. Here, traditional levels acted as gates to the next level. However, learning outcomes at threshold levels, stipulate the minimum acceptable standard performance. Modern NQF levels clearly act as stepping-stones rather than as gates.
Although there is a perceived lowering of standards associated with threshold levels, they may contribute to an opening up of educational opportunities for all citizens.
There is also a need for clarity about the levels of knowledge/expertise required of different programme stages. For example, how does the knowledge required of the initial modules of a Physics degree course compare with the knowledge requirements of the final modules? The Irish NQF descriptors have attempted with some success to delineate the breadth and depth of different types of knowledge, but it needs fleshing out.
Clarity is also important for the coherence of the Irish higher education system where one provider, the institutes of technology, traditionally utilised add-on degrees where the student moved from national certificate to diploma to degree (NQF framework levels 6,7.8.) - known as the 'scenic route'. In the universities which were regarded as providing the 'gold standard' in undergraduate study, there was no such requirement. This gives rise to a confused scenario where some degrees are entirely pitched at Level 8 whereas the add-on variety are still pitched at levels 6.7.8.
This paper will explore the concept of threshold standards and outline contested claims with regard to framework levels. Qualitative research will be conducted with experienced lecturing staff in WIT, to flesh out the nature of hierarchical levels of knowledge and the implications of decisions to opt for either of the two routes described above.