Instead of writing your name on your exam, filling in a student number should be enough.

‘Research shows that writing your name on your exam has more influence on your final results than we may think’, the party says. ‘Women experience set backs as a result, and ethnicity can also play a role.’ An instructor may also be influenced if they have a certain image of a student, SOG thinks.

The faction has been calling for anonymous exams for years. In 2012, the University Board announced that it was in favour of anonymous exam testing, but since then, little has been done to address the issue, according to SOG, even though it is common practice to administer tests anonymously at many international universities. ‘English and American universities and Uppsala University, among others, use an anonymous exam system so that their students can be assessed as objectively as possible.’

‘We aren’t responsible’

The University Board concurs and has put the point on the agenda for the University Council meeting in February. ‘We support this whole-heartedly and are prepared introduce this point to the faculties’, says RUG president Sibrand Poppema.

There is one caveat: ‘Those responsible for the testing procedures are the exam committees, not us. That does not, however, diminish the fact that we want to raise this issue with them’, says Poppema.