Grading: Harmonising standards and stakeholder expectations

Abstract

This paper suggests that when a course is planned within one culture for delivery to members of another culture, appropriate quality control of assessment becomes an issue of major proportions. Based on their experience of presenting an Aid Agency-funded Masters course in a developing country in the Pacific, the authors describe the processes to address the needs and wants of all the stakeholders, with different cultural expectations. Maintaining a balance between the standards required by university processes and equity between domestic and Pacific student cohorts regarding resources and opportunities for study was especially challenging. However, grounding grades in course curriculum and clearly stated objectives permitted the teaching team to meet external requirements while maintaining their professional and academic freedom.