MDXSU is campaigning to ensure that work is marked fairly and without bias or prejudice. This can be achieved by a very simple change to the way your work is marked: mark it anonymously. This means that the person marking your work can see only your work - not your face or your name. 

Why do we support Anonymous Marking?

We believe your work should be marked based on how good it is, and not on anything else.  At the University of Wales, when anonymous marking was introduced, there was a 13% increase in the number of female students receiving 2:1’s or firsts.

How can it be fair that women were doing worse than men until their gender was hidden? If it is clear that your gender can affect your grade then what about your ethnicity, or even your personality?

Introducing anonymous marking at Middlesex will give you more faith in the integrity of your marks by improving fairness and consistency. It would also help to protect teaching staff against accusations of unfairness. 

44 universities already have anonymous marking policies. Let's make Middlesex number 45. 

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

How will my work be anonymous if I do a creative course?

We are asking for work to be made anonymous wherever possible, and realise that different types of work can mean that this isn’t possible. However, we see no reason as to why work cannot be made anonymous where it is possible.

How will I get feedback if my lecturers do not know which essay is mine?

We’re only asking for work to be anonymous at the point at which it is marked. This doesn’t mean that after the work is marked that lecturers are not able to look up who wrote it, and you would be absolutely free to talk through your work with your lecturers. 

It's also important to note that it is you who is anonymous, not the marker. Once the work is marked, they can identify you and you can identify them, so you can still get feedback. 

How would it work?

At some universities, students put their student number on their work, or a special examination number instead of their names. Others supply students with barcode stickers to put on cover sheets which means they can be identified after the work has been marked, but not before.

What about students with disabilities?

Students can be given stickers to identify this on a cover sheet, and during exams the special requirements can be made while still keeping the exam script anonymous.

I don’t think my lecturer would mark in a biased way, isn’t it unfair to say they would?

We don’t think there are many (if any) lecturers that would mark in an intentionally based way. However, all of us can be susceptible to unintentional basis, based on a variety of things. It also means that students would never be afraid of speaking out in seminars and then be afraid that it would impact the lecturer’s view of them that could affect their marks.