Load and academic attainment in two business schools

Abstract

In this paper the relationship between academic load (the number of modules attempted) and academic performance is investigated in a Scottish and an Australian university. An engagement approach to academic integration is employed, in which there is feedback between load and performance, and in which there is scope for diminishing returns to the study of additional modules once loads become high. The results indicate that full‐time students reduced module load in response to information on academic performance. At the Scottish business school many non‐traditional students had taken up opportunities to enter university under the UK government's drive to widen participation. In that school load reduction was undertaken at twice the rate of the Australian business school. For women, reductions from full‐time loads by one or two modules appear rational in that better average marks result. There are indications that status as a widening participation entrant, the learning and assessment environment, the funding regime and rest‐of‐life demands have influences on load reduction and on academic performance.

Notes

1. The Australian Business School is not the name of the school under study, although it is a business school within an Australian university. Data were made available provided that the name of the institution was not revealed.

2. In fact, the logarithm of average mark plus one was taken as the measure of academic performance. The logarithmic transformation was used as this assists in reducing possible heteroskedasticity (Gujarati, 2003).

3. In addition to 3SLS, the generalized method of moments with a correction for heteroskedasticity (GMM) was also applied to the data (Greene, 2002, 2003). For men and women at ABS and men at PBS results were very close to those shown in Table 2. For women, while the estimated GMM coefficients were similar, they did not satisfy the conventional criteria for convergence of the method (Greene, 2002). An indication of the difference is that the profile for PBS women obtained with GMM rose more quickly than is shown for the 3SLS solution in Figure 1. Consequently, while the GMM profile for women at PBS also attained its maximum value at the same load, it peaked at an average mark of around 70. Thus, GMM estimates imply greater benefits for PBS women who reduce load. Therefore, the decision to use the 3SLS estimates is a conservative decision, in that it provides estimates of the effects on PBS women that are low compared with the GMM outcomes.

4. Dummy variables for fee‐paying status were tried in estimations. They were insignificant and are not reported.

5. The hurdle of 56 at ABS is derived from the requirement in the AU handbook of gaining a grade of B or better. This corresponds to a mark of at least 70. The hurdle at PBS is at least B1, corresponding to a mark of at least 60. It might be argued that the appropriate scaling is 60:70. If so the hurdle becomes 60 rather than 56.