Diagnosing grade inflation: a curriculum analytics approach to quality assurance in higher education
通过智利和西班牙大学的案例，利用课程分析学方法分析课程设计与实施如何影响学生成绩，发现非标准评估易导致分数膨胀，降低区分度，而标准评估则更可靠但可能低估学分需求。
We examined how curriculum design and its implementation shape student outcomes through case studies from Chilean and Spanish universities. Using a Curriculum Analytics approach, we analyzed program-level grade distributions and introduced quantitative indicators to detect patterns in instructors' assessment practices. Courses relying on non-standard evaluations – driven by perceptions, limited rubrics, or few assessments – tend to inflate grades, granting higher marks than standard evaluations, which employ multiple independent assessments with rigorous rubrics. Grade inflation reduces differentiation between high- and low-performing students and artificially increases completion rates. Conversely, programs dominated by standard evaluations provide more reliable evidence of learning but often underestimate credit requirements for foundational courses, lowering completion rates and extending study duration. Our analysis revealed systematic correlations between gaps in credit allocation, assessment types, and performance indicators, with potential consequences for equity and funding in publicly financed systems. This study is, to our knowledge, the first to integrate program-level grade-distribution analytics with credit points estimation to quantitatively diagnose grade inflation and expose its link to instructors' assessment practices, offering actionable evidence for curriculum redesign and quality-assurance policy.