Issues surrounding the Honours degree classification system
There has been criticism of the system, with some arguing that it is unhelpful to employers and is generally out of date. With the exception of a very few countries, it is a very unusual system.
Assessment and employability, both in terms of university assessment tasks that attempt to measure skills related to employability and to mirror working life experiences through different assessment techniques.
The Integrative Assessment Theme offered a detailed list of assignments and the learning opportunities that they offer. These opportunities not only help to stretch and define what students know, understand and are able to do, they also stem from greater alertness to what will be expected of those students on their working lives beyond graduation. (more detail). This notion was reflected in the overview of Streamlining assessment – how to make assessment more efficient and effective (see above and here), which was part of the Assessment Enhancement Theme
Application and recognition (through certification and accreditation of work done in the co-curriculum’ (a term used in preference to ‘extra curriculum’)
One example cited was the formal accreditation of student committee members of societies and sports clubs in universities. , and, it was argued, participation in ERASMUS should be encouraged
Use of technology in a variety of forms, including for career guidance
The Flexible Delivery Theme emphasised the use of technology in a variety of forms, including for career guidance. A key message of the Employability Enhancement Theme was the need for further integration of careers planning into the mainstream curriculum.
Evidence was cited of further development of web-based resources for careers guidance, including interactive careers materials and self-help career tools, such as on-line tutorials and job-search tools. Some institutions are looking at the development of career-planning modules, or the career-planning component of accredited PDP modules, as core or optional modules in programmes of study. The extended use of PDP as a means of facilitating careers planning aims to support a more developmental approach by students as they progress through their programme, as well as more explicitly addressing employability skills.
