Alongside degree grades, accounts of non-academic achievement will be noted in changes to university reports
A new project is to be implemented that will add a detailed account of the non-academic achievements of students in university reports.
The change is expected to be adopted by "most universities".
The Higher Education Achievement Report (HEARS) will provide potential employers with more information about the skills and successes of University graduates, giving them a more complete picture of potential employees.
The project is being led by Sir Robert Burgess, a sociologist and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester. Sir Burgess said the new system would move society away from a “damaging obsession with 'first' and 'upper second' degree classifications”.
Indeed, Carl Gilleard, chief executive of the Association of Graduate Recruiters, said three quarters of its members used a 2:1 as a cut-off point, excluding anyone below this grade.
The change is also partly in response to concerns that too many students are awarded upper second and first class degrees. It is hoped that the new system will make clear to potential employers which students possess drive and interests outside of their academic career.
“The degree classification system is not fit for purpose. As a recruitment tool it is a blunt and inconsistent measure,” argued Carl Gilleard, chief executive of the Association of Graduate Recruiters.
However, the information provided in the report will be informed only by the student’s time at the university, and will be unchangeable at the point of graduation.
The use of Hears is being endorsed by the representative bodies Universities UK and Guild HE, and has been extensively piloted. 45,000 Hears reports have been produced this year alone.
"The Hear is designed to encourage a more sophisticated approach to recording students' achievements in the 21st Century”, professor Burgess concluded.
Source: 4th October 2012, The Information Daily by Information Daily Staff Writer
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