University lecturer who resigned in protest at dumbing down was unfairly treated

By Aislinn Laing Published: 7:30AM GMT twenty-five Feb 2010

Professor Paul Buckland, who had a entertain of a century"s experience in training and hearing marking, was taken to charge for unwell as well most Bournemouth University pupils receiving his charge course.

When the grades were remarked, he quiescent in criticism and began a prolonged authorised conflict that led to the Court of Appeal"s subsidy his explain of astray diagnosis yesterday.

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Speaking afterwards, he pronounced that the outcome "restores the right of particular academics to lapse outlines inside of the theme in that they are concurred experts".

The University and College Union, that corroborated his authorised claim, pronounced the statute was "an critical feat for everybody who values high standards and uprightness in the universities".

Dr Buckland ran in to difficulty when he unsuccessful twenty-six of his 60 second-year students since they did not reach the compulsory 40 per cent pass symbol in his march on "reconstruction of the sourroundings and economy" march in 2006.

When he was challenged over the "harsh" grades, he insisted that students did not merit to pass if they had not worked tough sufficient or simply did not have the required capability to succeed.

But notwithstanding thirteen of the students additionally unwell a resit, the university brought in a third pen but dilettante theme believe who handed 10 of them pass marks.

Professor Buckland resigned, observant the university"s actions constituted an "affront to his integrity" and an insult to students who had worked tough for their degrees.

"I have enjoyed operative in Bournemouth but I am not rebuilt to go on operative in an establishment where hearing play are merely a ritual that can be overturned by a head of propagandize but any consultation," he wrote in his abdication email.

The 63-year-old, who right away lives in Sheffield, pronounced his box was "part of a most incomparable routine of educational dumbing down".

"If you don"t have a mount somewhere, you competence as well begin offered the degrees on eBay since that"s all by they"ll be worth," he combined in a after interview.

His resignation, in Feb 2007, came at a time when academics at alternative former polytechnics had uttered concerns about the abilities of students and the obscure of standards as Labour sought to dramatically enlarge those in higher education.

A successive practice judiciary corroborated his explain that the university"s insistence on the asserting constituted a "fundamental crack of the pragmatic tenure of certitude and confidence" in his practice stipulate and found in his favour.

But last Mar the preference was overruled by the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT), that pronounced the university had "remedied" the on all sides by holding an inner exploration following the 2006 asserting in that the professor"s on all sides was vindicated.

Prof Buckland refused to give up his quarrel and yesterday, 3 Court of Appeal judges ruled that the university was "inexorably" in the wrong.

In their judgement, they ruled that the inner exploration done no disproportion to Prof Buckland"s box and the university had damaged his stipulate by undermining his imprinting decisions.

UCU ubiquitous secretary, Sally Hunt, combined that the statute was "an critical feat for everybody who values high standards and uprightness in the universities".

"Dr Bucklands counterclaim of educational standards and hearing procedures contingency be congratulated," she said. "However, we are deeply endangered about the events that led to this tribunal. Staff need the certainty to be blunt and honest in their comments and comment of work."

The university was systematic to compensate sizeable, nonetheless undisclosed, authorised costs and right away faces carrying to compensate Prof Buckland one more compensation.