King's College London tells lecturers to ignore students' poor grammar in 'diversity and inclusion' drive
A top British university has told its lecturers to ignore their students' poor grammar in order to "embrace linguistic diversity".King's College, London, a member of the Russell Group, has also said it plans to scale back traditional exams in an effort to be more "inclusive".Staff were told to give students a "choice in assessment formats" in a presentation.Word limits on essays will also be shortened to prevent students from being "overburdened".One of the slides had the heading of "equality, diversity and inclusion" and said the university's new framework will "focus on ideas, not grammar".Another recommended that tests should be "culturally responsive" and "reward the use of culture, language and identity".Lecturers have said the move marked a "dumbing down" of the unviversity.One King's academic told the Daily Mail: "This whole framework, dreamt up by middle management to justify their existence, is about sending a message about which side of the culture war the university is on.King's College London has told staff to give a 'choice in assessment formats' and to 'focus on ideas, not grammar' | GETTY"They seem to be claiming students are snowflakes and can't cope, but students have set up a petition against it."These young people are looking at the tough labour market and they haven't got time for all this."The academic said the drive was an attempt by the university's management to be "down-with-the-kids" - but they were "getting it wrong".He feared a change in policy could open up university academics to challenges from students objecting to their grade on the basis that their "culture and identity" was not respected.Dr Edward Skidelsky, lecturer in philosophy at the University of Exeter and director of the Committee for Academic Freedom, also lamented the inclusive move.King's College London has said it will place a lower cap of 1,300 words on essays, a move opposed by some students | WIKIMEDIA"These attempts to dumb down assessment in the name of 'inclusivity' are being pushed by university managers against the will of academics and students themselves, the best of whom hunger for an education that is deep and rigorous," he said.Separately, students were told some essays would be capped at 1,300 words - down from 2,000.The decision has seen backlash from undergraduates, who said the changes would not "provide sufficient preparation" for postgraduate life.They warn the reduced word count would make them less competitive than other students when applying for jobs, and would not allow them to "engage as meaningfully" with their subject.King's - where 41 per cent of undergraduates are black and minority ethnic students - has said it is committed to "inclusion" in it its official "access plan".A spokesman for the university said: "Standards at King's remain as high as ever."Our approach still includes rigorous exams, alongside other forms of assessment that help students build the practical skills employers are looking for."We have worked closely with students, alongside academic experts, to develop this approach so that our graduates are ready for the workplace - without compromising academic integrity."
