How Australian universities are forced to 'dumb down' their courses because they have so many foreign students who barely speak English - who COMPLAIN if they fail
- Some of Australia's highest-ranking universities forced to dumb down courses
- University of Sydney said it received high number of complaints about marking
- One anonymous professor said group complaints often signed by 100 students
- Another said students with loose grasp of English can use pathways programs
- Those with modest English study for a year at college before going to university
Some of Australia's most elite universities are being forced to dumb down their lectures for foreign students who cannot understand English out of fear they will complain in large and 'highly organised' groups, lecturers have claimed.
The University of Sydney alone has received 135 complaints about academic assessment in the past year, and said a significant number of them involved allegations of unfair marking.
One anonymous professor at a leading Sydney university said even the slightest issue with exams could lead to joint complaints signed by 100 aggrieved students.
'International students didn't used to be organised but in the past two years that has all changed,' the professor told The Australian.
Some of Australia's most elite universities are being forced to dumb down their curriculum, academics have claimed. UNSW (pictured) denied receiving any of the large-scale complaints
He added international students tend to study in a very narrow manner using exams from previous years, and complain when the next year's assessment is not the same.
'The trade-off is clear. It is actually easier for us to adapt to these students' expectations,' he said.
Share this article
'We know they'll give us very good evaluations, and then we're not going to get into trouble and we are even going to be praised.'
He said lecturers often then find it easier to give students positive evaluations than have meetings with superiors about exams being perceived as too difficult.
Pictured: University of Sydney professor Salvatore Babones. He said controversial college courses allow students who previously only had a loose understanding of English to attend university in just a year
University of Sydney professor Salvatore Babones claimed foreign students could reach university by first being accepted by the city's Taylors College with only a modest and partial ability to speak English.
'The rationale is they attend a year-long English language curriculum at Taylors College, but we hear a lot of stories about the program not being taken seriously by students and that it's a culture in which it is impossible to fail,' he explained.
A parliamentary inquiry led by the NSW government is scheduled to raise issues surrounding the courses, known as pathway programs.
Students at the University of New South Wales. The University of Sydney said they had received a significant number of them involved allegations of unfair marking
Other universities including the University of New South Wales have denied being subject to large-scale letter-writing campaigns.
International students contribute $40billion annually to Australia's economy and support up to 250,000 jobs.
Modelling released by the Australian sector's peak body estimates revenues will drop by $16billion over the next three years because of the reduction in global travel due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the University of Sydney, UNSW and Taylors College for further comment.
At present, foreign students are not allowed to fly into Australia because of the international travel ban, which began on March 18.
Comments 0
Share what you think
No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.
