External Examiners’ Conference
Context
Professor Pauline Kneale
Pro-Vice Chancellor, Teaching and Learning
External Context
• Centrality of external examiner’s role to
assurance of standards and maintenance of
quality
• QAA Institutional Audit: confidence in our
management of standards and quality
• Mid-cycle follow up confirmed confidence
Institutional Context: Plymouth University
• The Enterprise University
• 2012 was our 150th Anniversary year
• Winner of the Queen’s Anniversary Prize
• One of the top 100 global universities under 50 years
old/ranked 10th in the UK
• The leading ‘green university’
• 30,000 students and 3,000 staff
• We are ‘off the curve’ - Research excellence with
strong inclusivity
Institutional Context: Plymouth University
• Faculties:
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Faculty of Arts
Faculty of Health, Education and Society
Plymouth Business School
Faculty of Science and Technology
• Academic Partnerships
• Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of
Medicine and Dentistry
Institutional Context: Plymouth University
• Commitment to excellence in teaching and learning –
‘transforming lives through knowledge’
• Research-led teaching, with a focus on practical ‘real
world’ learning
• Enterprise and Employability:
– Placements, internships and volunteering
– 12,000 students in placements
– Student Enterprise – Business Ideas Challenge
Institutional Context: Plymouth University
• Students as Partners – Students involved at every
level, including in quality assurance and
enhancement
• Teaching, Learning and Student Experience Strategy
and Assessment Policy
• External examiners comment on whether
assessment policy is realised in programmes
QAA Quality Code
• Chapter B7: External Examining
• Induction and briefing
The Role of the External
Examiner at
Plymouth University
Dr Hilary Duckett
Director, Plymouth
Business School
Role of the External Examiner
- assessment of standards
External Examiner involvement ensures that:
• the University’s awards are comparable in
standard to awards in other UK HE institutions
• standards are appropriate by reference to
published national subject benchmarks, FHEQ
and the University’s programme and module
specifications
Role of the External Examiner
– assessment process
External Examiner involvement also ensures
that the assessment process:
• measures student achievement against the
intended learning outcomes
• is in line with the University’s Assessment
Policy
• is operated fairly and equitably and in
accordance with University Regulations
Underpinning processes
• Common academic regulations
• Two-tier assessment panels/boards: separate roles
of Subject and Award External Examiners clarified in
External Examiners’ Notes for Guidance:
Subject external: reviews standards and
achievement of learning outcomes
Award external: ensures that decisions on
progression/awards for students are in line with
the regulations and students treated equitably
Expectations of an Award External Examiner
• Acts as ‘critical friend’ to the Award
Assessment Board
• Notes for Guidance made more explicit in
response to Chapter B7 of QAA Quality
Code:
– Role also to provide informative comment
upon whether or not the University is
maintaining the threshold academic standards
of its awards
Expectations of a Subject
External Examiner
• Agree assessments
• Review appropriate sample of work (and
agree with subject team the means by
which the sample is to be selected)
• Agree with subject team an appropriate
method for adjusting module marks if
necessary
Subject External Examiners
are not expected to:
• Act as second or third markers or conduct
viva voce examinations
• Amend individual student marks or review
student profiles
• Consider extenuating circumstances
Subject External Examiner
The University also expects the Subject
External Examiner to
• carry out an interim visit to see
assessment in practice, and meet with
students and with the programme team
• submit an annual report
Assessment offences and
anonymous marking
• Assessment offences
– Committee of Investigation
– Role of panel/board
– Use of Turnitin
• Policy re anonymous marking of exams
and coursework
Responding to External
Examiners’ Reports
Sue Gregory
Annual Report
• Integral part of annual review process
• Available at
http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/extexam
• Deadline – 31 July 2013
• Revised in response to publication of
Chapter B7: External Examining
• Separate Award External Examiner form
Annual Report cont’d/
Contact with Students
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Formal written response
Annual institutional overview report
Shared with student representatives
Sharing External Examiners’ details with
students
How do we use reports?
Institutional example 1
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Strengthened briefing arrangements
Institution level EE conference
Subject level checklist developed
Available at
http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/extexam
How do we use reports?
Institutional example 2
• Provide feedback on progress re
Assessment Policy
• Guidelines for assessing Group work
available at
http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/extexam
How do we use reports?
Institutional example 3
• Student engagement with their programme
of study
Ongoing support for
External Examiners
Sue Gregory
Responsibilities for External
Examiners – Central Quality Office
• Appointment and institutional level briefing
Letter of appointment and contract
Induction pack
Annual briefing pack
• Monitoring of reports and response to university
issues
Summary of institutional issues
• Website: http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/extexam
Responsibilities for External Examiners – Faculties
• Management of their External Examiners:
Nomination
Reporting
Fee payment
• Support – subject level induction and
mentoring arrangements
• Ongoing support for the External
Examining role eg arrangements for visits;
provision of assessment material