[Seriously?] Give students more credits

Students should get credits for serving at the bar too, says rector-to-be Caroline Cruise.

For academic staff, the new system of Recognition & Rewards comes into force this year. In the new approach, researchers are assessed on more capacities than just getting cited and obtaining funding. The new rector – says the still secret memo Make a point of a point – wants to bring in something similar for students.   

Officially, there is no comment from Cruise right now. ‘I don’t want to steal my predecessor’s thunder.’ But reliable sources have it that she does want to start her term of office with a bang. From now on, you’ll be able to get study points in a range of ways. The binding study advice won’t change, but the assessment will be more broad-based.

Quite what this means is still a mystery, but it appears that you’re going to be able to score points for serving at the bar, being creative with ChatGPT, or being hyperactive on social media.

Students are human too. Let’s treat them as such and evaluate the whole person

What is more, you can compensate for a poor performance in one area with a better one in another. So doing the dishes regularly in your flat could make up for a poor grade for Computer Modelling or Biomolecules.

‘Yes, well, I’m not sure what to think of it,’ says Joyce Minor of the Student Council. ‘I hate doing the dishes and I’ve just closed my X account. My parents won’t be happy about it, I’m sure about that. My grades are very important to them. I think it’s lousy timing. I’ve just been revising so hard for Advanced Statistics. Was all that for nothing?’

But Arnie Right, chair of the Recognition & Rewards committee, applauds the idea. ‘This shows tremendous appreciation of our committee’s work. Students are human too. So let’s approach them as such and evaluate the whole person. After all, a credit is only an opinion.’

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