Rob concludes in his thesis 'Raising the bar' that setting higher standards seems to increase students' study progress, examination grades, self-regulation and motivation.
Rob Kickert
From 2011, Erasmus University Rotterdam raised the standards of the Binding Study Advice (BSA) at all faculties, under the name Nominaal is Normaal (Nominal is Normal, N=N). Rob Kickert concludes in his thesis 'Raising the bar' that setting higher standards seems to increase students' study progress, examination grades, self-regulation and motivation. However, he also warns of the risks of higher standards: when exams do not sufficiently match learning objectives, performance may be better, but less learning takes place.
Kickert, R. (2020). Raising the Bar: Higher education students’ sensitivity to the assessment policy. [Doctoral Thesis, Erasmus University Rotterdam]. Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam (EUR).