By Laurie Watson

DUNDEE UNIVERSITY last night defended its decision to force 200 nursing students to retake an exam, despite student voices becoming increasingly more frustrated at the perceived slight.

A spokeswoman for Dundee University said, “We regret that all first-year students in the bachelor of nursing programme will be required to retake the developing care delivery exam, which constitutes 25% of their mark for the year.

“However, we regard this as an essential step in order to protect academic standards and the integrity of the nursing degree programme. These are absolutely paramount, and it is in all our students’ interests that they are upheld.”

When allegations surfaced, the university moved quickly to declare the examination void and order that all first-year nursing students—a total of 219 across the institution’s Dundee and Kirkcaldy campuses—take a second paper.

Though it is not yet clear how the exam information was leaked, according to sources who contacted The Courier it is thought up to 30 Dundee students were given “exact rather than subtle hints” in advance by university staff about the paper’s contents.

Meanwhile the university spokeswoman said the allegations of cheating had come from some students coming forward to say they had prior knowledge of the content of the paper they would be sitting.

She added, “This has been further confirmed through interviews with students conducted as part of the university’s ongoing investigation.

“In these circumstances the only reasonable solution is to have all students on the course retake the exam. The exam will be held on August 27.”

The spokeswoman said the university was now focused on making every effort to support students in arranging extra-study days, as well as for students in Fife to sit the exam in Kirkcaldy rather than having to journey to Dundee.

She added, “The Nursing and Midwifery Council, the regulatory body, is fully supportive of the university’s actions in ordering the exam be retaken.”

Despite the university explanations and assurances, feelings are running high amongst affected students, with an over-riding sense they have been unfairly labelled as cheats, and they are insistent they did not illegitimately take copies of the exam paper.

As a result of the furore, there is speculation that students are considering producing a petition, as well as rumours emerging of students feeling they are being subject to intense scrutiny from university staff and increased monitoring of their activities.