By Grant Smith, education reporter

DUNDEE UNIVERSITY nursing students have been cleared of any blame for an exam fiasco but “appropriate action” will be taken against a number of staff.

More than 200 first-year students were ordered to resit a test after it emerged that some of them had been given potentially-helpful information in advance.

An investigation was set up to find out what had gone wrong and staff and students were interviewed. A report drawn up by the inquiry team was submitted to the university authorities and the conclusions were announced yesterday.

These make it clear the exam paper itself was not leaked, but some students were given more information than they should have been in a tutorial.

It remains unknown if disciplinary action is to be taken against any staff member, although all relevant staff are to be reminded of the need for exam security.

The exam for the delivering care module was sat in June by students at the university’s Dundee and Kirkcaldy campuses. It only emerged the following month that a serious problem had been uncovered.

To the anger of many students, the university announced they would all have to take a fresh exam on August 27. This was felt to be the only way to ensure fairness and academic integrity.

The exam will be treated as a completely new sitting, so anyone who fails will still have the normal rights of appeal.

A university spokesman said, “The school of nursing and midwifery has carried out a thorough investigation into the alleged irregularity surrounding the exam for the delivering care module.

“In the course of the investigation, interviews were carried out with 38 students and all academic staff involved in teaching the course. The investigation confirms the concerns that some students had access to more information than they should have had before the examination.

“The students in question had not been given precise questions that were to come up in the exam and we stress that there is no question that the exam paper itself was leaked.

“However, an irregularity did arise in the course of a revision tutorial where some students were given more assistance than they should have received in identifying areas to revise for the exam.”

The spokesman stressed, “No blame for this can be attached to the students and there is no suspicion that students acted in- appropriately at any stage.

“The investigation fully endorses the decision to require all students to retake the exam in order to protect the integrity of the university’s academic standards, ” he added.

He said the university had apologised to the students for the extra work the resit would involve and offered “every possible assistance” to those affected.

“Senior managers will now be meeting with relevant staff regarding this matter and appropriate action will be taken.

“In addition, all staff will be reminded of the importance of maintaining confidentiality and security of examination information.”

He was unable to comment on whether one or more members of staff were facing action, nor whether this would involve formal disciplinary proceedings.