Anonymous Marking
NUS has been campaigning for institutions to introduce anonymous marking of their assessments for several years. Over the course of the campaign, many students’ unions have been successful in winning the argument on their campus, but there are still several HEIs that still employ unfair methods of marking. Highlighting the broad scale of the problem, the 2007 results of the National Student Survey showed that 40 per cent of students were not satisfied with their assessment and feedback.
NUS has been successful in winning the support of The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) and the Equality and Human Rights Commission; both of which consistently ask universities and colleges to use anonymous marking where fair and practical.
NUS’ position
Equality and fairness must lie at the heart of every aspect of the student experience, from admissions right through to assessment. NUS believes that where anonymous marking has not been introduced, institutions are leaving themselves susceptible to prejudice and perception of prejudice.
NUS Info
Download the briefing here
Click to download annonymous marking case studies here.
Why not try a postcard camapign to persuade your institution that this is a big issue for students. You can download a model postcard by clicking on the picture below.
Further reading:
Belsey, C. (1988) Marking by Numbers, AUT Woman, 15
Bradley, C. (1984) Sex bias in the evaluation of students, British Journal of Social Psychology, 23,
Bradley, C. (1993) Sex bias in student assessment overlooked?, Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education
Dennis, I. and Newstead, S.E. (1994) The strange case of the disappearing sex bias, Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education
Francis, B., Robson, J. and Read, B. (2001) An analysis of undergraduate writing styles in the context of gender and achievement, Studies in Higher Education
Newstead, S.E. and Dennis, I. (1990) Blind marking and sex bias in student assessment, Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education
Steinberg, J. (1982) On examining blind, New Society, 16 September
Links to other relevant organisations: