Join us for the third installation in the Colourism and Racism in School Seminar Series.

The third seminar, The racialized degree awarding gap in UK HE: Wait, are marking practices part of the problem? will be presented by Jessi Jackson, a PhD candidate at King’s College London, and takes place at 12:30pm on February 3, 2026.

Abstract

At this point, researchers know that ‘assessment’ can play a significant role in shaping UK HE degree awarding gaps (DAG). But there isn’t much research yet on how specifically marking practices – e.g., feedback, rubric criteria, mark schemes, grading decisions – can sustain, even widen, existing gaps. Historically, university marking was a form of gatekeeping to exclude groups that didn’t conform to dominant cultural norms; and to privilege those who did. The legacies of exclusive marking are typically still embedded, however subtly, in current university marking practices – continuing to disadvantage students whose linguistic, cultural, and/or social backgrounds or learning needs differ from the dominant norms. Often, racialized student groups bear the brunt of exclusive marking practices. And a recent overreliance on anonymous marking as a form of ‘anti-racism/anti-bias’ has sadly done little to address gaps; in fact, often masking the true systemic issues.

Why are marking practices typically unchanged over generations of instructors, even when there are efforts to reform ‘assessment’ as a whole? How do current marking practices impact diverse student communities? What do students and staff say about potential marking reforms? And is there such a thing as ‘anti-racist marking’? This will be the focus of the talk.

Meet the speaker

Jessi Johnson is a PhD candidate and visiting lecturer at King’s College London, investigating how reforming marking practices could impact the UK HE degree awarding gap. She began a new module at King’s that actively collaborates with students to implement marking reforms and track potential impacts. Before King's, she was a Professor of Writing & Social Justice for 12 years, seeing firsthand how students were impacted differently by assessment & marking; and before that, she was a disadvantaged student struggling with an awarding gap. In 2022, she was awarded theFaculty of Social Science & Public PolicySchool of Education, Communication and Society (ECS)Page 2 of 2Master Teacher award by her university for her work in inclusive assessment and student collaboration. Her intriguing accent is Californian. Ask her about Lord of the Rings and/or pugs.