Why getting an A at university is so easy now

In this episode of The New Zealand Initiative's podcast, Oliver Hartwich interviews research fellow James Keirstead about his report, "Amazing Grades," which investigates grade inflation in New Zealand universities. Keirstead defines grade inflation as rising grades not justified by student performance and presents evidence of a significant increase in A grades and pass rates across all universities and disciplines. They discuss potential causes, dismissing factors like improved student quality, increased female students, more funding, or more staff per student. Keirstead attributes grade inflation to incentives linked to student numbers and funding, where academics may inflate grades to attract students and secure their jobs. The report suggests potential solutions such as de-emphasizing student numbers in funding, reducing the importance of student evaluations, implementing statistical moderation techniques, or introducing state exams to separate instruction from grading.