9th August 2012 13:01
By Blue Tutors
University of Bedfordshire criticised over PhD appeal.
The university standards watchdog has severely criticised the University of Bedfordshire after a PhD which was failed by an external examiner was awarded a pass, on appeal, by the university panel.
This highlights the general fuzziness surrounding standards between universities and compromises qualifications gained at huge expense to the student. The controversy, unfortunately, undermines all postgraduate qualifications from this university.
The use of external examiners is supposed to protect against this fuzziness, bringing all qualifications into some sort of agreement. The fact the that university has overturned the decision of the external examiner, not only makes a mockery of the safeguards such a system put in place, but also calls into question all qualifications from this university, which seems to have a lower pass standard than the external body considers appropriate.
The question that really needs asking here is what the supervisor of this student was doing in allowing a PhD to be submitted that was so close to, if not under, the quality required to pass.