| The UK higher education year is almost half way | | | | expressed his concern. |
| through and many students will now be starting to | | | | Interestingly, since these points were raised, it seems |
| plan the work that will count towards their degree | | | | that very little direct action has been taken by |
| grades. However, what many of them might not | | | | universities to put an end to so-called 'league table |
| know is that the beginning of the year saw a | | | | culture'. This lack of action is notable in regards to |
| significant debate on the worth of a degree in light | | | | similar accusations made about the standards and |
| of accusations made by a number of highly regarded | | | | worth of GCSEs and A-Levels in response to exam |
| academics. | | | | league tables. In the following August, many |
| In June last year Professor Geoffrey Alderman, | | | | respected independent schools (albeit, ones with |
| during his inaugural lecture at the University of | | | | well-established reputations), such as Eton, St Paul's, |
| Buckingham, highlighted that 'academic standards at | | | | and Radley, decided to boycott these league tables. |
| many British universities are in danger of collapse - | | | | Martin Stephen, of St Paul's, stated, 'league tables |
| and at some have already collapsed - because those | | | | have rather subtly injected a kind of poison into the |
| responsible for them are unwilling or unable to | | | | education system.' |
| withstand the pressures coming from the culture of | | | | Since then, enrollment figures for UK students (which |
| league-tables.' In a press release issued by the | | | | had increased as dramatically as first degrees) have |
| university, Alderman stated, 'I have heard it seriously | | | | now started to decline for the first time in many |
| argued that international students who plagiarize | | | | years. Although, it may be too soon to consider that |
| should be treated more leniently that British students, | | | | this as an echo of lack of faith in the system, the |
| because of "differential cultural norms".' | | | | rise of distance learning, online education, and the |
| According to a report in The Independent at the | | | | newly proposed open content plans might well be the |
| time, Alderman was not the only academic with such | | | | savior of the degree - especially in terms of |
| an opinion. Accompanied by a graph showing an | | | | establishing a better method to measure the quality |
| explosion in first degrees (the numbers jumped from | | | | of courses, and implementing up to date measures |
| 16,708 to 36,645 in a decade), the Professor of | | | | on issues such as plagiarism in the 21st Century. |
| English at Warwick University, Jonathan Bate, also | | | | |