External Examiner Workshop
The Assessment Process
Colin Davis
Academic Registry
20 November 2013
Scope
•This presentation covers the assessment
process for Middlesex qualifications
•This will include programmes delivered at
Middlesex campuses, and also those
delivered under joint and franchise
collaborations in the UK and overseas
•Also included are validated programmes
which have adopted Middlesex
arrangements for assessment
Topics
•Campuses and Schools
•Assessment Boards & Programme Progression Committees
•Timing of Boards
•Structure of degrees
•Module Grades and Administrative grades
•Re-assessment and deferred assessment
•Compensation
•Extenuating Circumstances and Deferrals
•Plagiarism
•Classification of degrees
Session 1:
1st tier boards, role of external examiner,
20-point scale
•Separate regulations for UG and PG students
•Sections A,B,C,E differ
•Section D relates to external examiners’
responsibilities
Campuses and Schools
•Campuses
–Hendon,
Dubai, Mauritius, Malta
–Other (collaborative programmes)
•Schools
–S&T, BS, H&E
–A&D, M&P, LAW, IWBL
•Student
–has one base campus
–studies a programme owned by one school
School Structure
A School has several Departments, each with a
Head of Department (HoD)
A Department has several groups, or clusters of
Programmes, each with a Director of
Programmes (DoP)
Each Programme has a Programme Leader
(PL)
Subjects and Programmes
Each module in the university belongs to one
Subject
e.g. module code PSY3000
-belongs to the PSYchology Subject
-is at level 6 (Honours)
Each Programme is made up of modules drawn
from one or more Subjects
Two-tier system of Assessment
Boards (D)
Subject Boards (1st tier)
[confirm module grades]
Programme Progression Committee (2nd tier)
[decide students’ progression]
OR
School Assessment Board (2nd tier)
[award final qualifications]
Timing of Undergraduate Boards (E1)
•September starters
–June: main Boards
–July: H&E, S&T resit Boards
–September: Other resit Boards
•January Yr 1 starters
–July: main Boards
–September: resit Boards
–Year 2 UG commences in September
–Jan start also for UG yr 2 & 3
•Summer School
–September: main Boards
–June: resit boards
Timing of Postgraduate Boards (E1)
TAUGHT MODULES
•September starters
–June: main Boards
–September: resit Boards
•January starters
–July: main Boards
–September: resit Boards
DISSERTATION
•September starters
–Nov/ Dec: main Boards
•January starters
–February: main Boards
Credit points and the 20 point
Grading Scale (E5)
Used for all modules within Middlesex
programmes, including joint and franchise
arrangements.
Also used on those validated programmes
which have adopted Middlesex credit point and
grading structures.
Structure of Full-Time Honours
Degree (A)
YEAR 1
YEAR 2
YEAR 3
Module
= 30 credits
Year
= 120 credits
Hons degree = 360 credits
(120+ level 6+
210+ level 5+
360 level 4+)
Module 1
Module 2
Module 3
Module 4
Module 5
Module 6
Module 7
Module 8
Module 9
Module 10
Module 11
Module 12
Structure of Full-Time Masters
Degree (A)
YEAR 1
Module 1
Module 2
Module 3
Module 4
Dissertation Module
Module = 30 credits
Dissertation = 60 credits
Masters = 180 credit points
(inc 150+ at level 7; 30- at level 6)
12 months (normally)
See table in section A for credit point
requirements for a variety of
qualifications
Module Grades (E5)
Grade
Honours Degree
Masters Degree
1-4
first
distinction
5-8
upper second
merit
9-12
lower second
pass
13-16
third
17
marginal fail: compensation allowed
18
fail: compensation allowed
19
fail
20
fail: incomplete
Administrative Grades (E5)
X
did not attend
20
I
attended – failed to participate in all
assessment
incomplete with good reason
U
academic misconduct under investigation
P
academic misconduct proven
Y
UNGRADED PASS
S
aegrotat
C
COMPENSATED FAILURE
H
not assessed
Re-assessment / deferred
assessment (E7)
Failure of a module (grades 17,18,19,20) results
in a re-assessment opportunity in the exam,
coursework or both
Deferral of exam/coursework is also possible
Example codes:
RE, RC, RA, DE, DC, DA
DERC etc
Capping of grades at re-assessment
Level 3/4
No capping
Level 5/6/7
Capping at component level only
Compensation (E10)
Modules at grade 17 or 18 may be compensated
Subject to satisfactory overall performance
By second tier Board
30 points at level 4 (60 if learning outcomes met)
30 points at level 5+ (60 if extenuating circumstances).
Maximum 30 points for Masters
Module mark sheet (subject board)
LAW1001 (grades)
Regno
50% exam
50% cwk
overall grade
nnn0435
11
7
nnn4523
18
18
18 RA
5
I DE
nnn4743
9
nnn6816
18
9
18 RE
nnn9284
15
20
20 RC
nnn1325
16
7
11
nnn1575
U
9
U
Module mark sheet (subject board)
LAW1001 (marks)
Regno
50% exam
50% cwk
av. mark
overall grade
nnn0435
63%
53%
58%
9
nnn4523
32%
34%
33%
18 RA
nnn4743
68%
I DE
58%
18 RE
nnn6816
30%
nnn9284
43%
nnn1325
40%
64%
nnn1575
U
58%
20 RC
52%
11
U
Submission of extenuating
circumstances (D9)
Submitted by the student electronically to the
assessment manager (via UniHelp). S/he will
decide whether to grant deferral of assessment
Considered by PPCs in making progression
decisions & School Assessment Boards in
making awards
Deferral of modules (E8)
Granted centrally by assessment managers, for
exams, coursework or both, on a module by module
basis, based on specific extenuating circumstances
submitted
A general statement of extenuating circumstances,
not linked to deferrals, may be made for
consideration at Boards
For confidential issues, the “sealed envelope”
system, for the attention of the chair only, is in place
Progressing Student :
Subject Assessment Board & PPC
At the end of each year
His/her module grades are decided by (one or
more) Subject Assessment Boards, then
His/her overall progression decided by (one)
Programme Progression Committee
Assessment grades and a
progression decision are published
for each student
Finalist Student
At the end of the final year of the
programme
His/her module grades are decided by (one or
more) Subject Assessment Boards, then
The final award is made by the School
Assessment Board
The conferred qualification is published
Academic Misconduct
(section F)
Reported to Chair of the Subject Assessment Board (U
grade)
Referred to Academic Registrar at MU for investigation
If disputed by student, investigation panel ensues
Registrar recommends penalty to Assessment Board
P grade & penalties
Applies to all programmes include all collaborative
programmes
Delegated responsibility to some collaborative partners
Classification of Honours
Degrees (E4.4)
2 profiles based on
level 5 and above (240points)
level 6 and above (120 points)
To achieve a clear class in a profile, a student must
achieve :
50% of credits in that class+,
No more than 25% low grades
for 1st and 2-1
A borderline profile has:
50% of credits in that class+,
More than 25% low grades
There are rules to decide class (E4.4.2 & E 4.4.3)
No discretion (E 4.4.2)
Both profiles give same clear class
Clear class at level 6, and not more than
1 class above profile at levels 5&6
Clear class at levels 5&6, and profile at
level 6 is on an adjacent lower borderline
Exercising Discretion 1 (E 4.4.3)
There is only 1 profile and it is borderline
There are two profiles and both are
borderline
The two profiles do not fall into any
combination specified under E 4.4.2
Exercising Discretion 2 (E 4.4.3)
Bear in mind
Level 6 / final stage work
Grade for dissertation / core module(s)
at level 6
Extenuating circumstances
The need to be consistent
Hons Class (50% in class)
lev 5 & 6
module
grade
ABC2000
3
xxxxxx
ABC2005
1
xxxxxx
ABC2010
2
xxxxxx
XYZ2666
4
ABC3000
9
ABC3500
11
XYZ 3000
13
XYZ3100
16
1st
Lev 6
xxxxxx
L2
Classification of Masters
degrees (E4.6)
1 profile based on level 7+
Minimum 60 graded credit points
Distinction
60 pt dissertation grade 4+
50% remaining credit grade 4+
Merit
60 pt dissertation grade 8+
50% remaining credit grade 8+
Masters 50% method
module
credit
grade
ABC4992
60
3
ABC4000
30
4
ABC4500
30
4
ABC4510
30
8
ABC4800
30
16
outcome
Distinction
Considering extenuating
circumstances (D8)
Subject Boards
Extenuating circumstances do not alter
grades
Finalist boards
Considered when discretion may be applied
(as defined in E 4.4.2)
But note D6, General Discretion
Example finalist profiles
Honours degree finalist
see example sheet
Masters finalist
see example sheet