External Examiner Induction Melanie Jarman Deputy Head of

External Examiner Induction Melanie Jarman, Deputy Head of Academic Quality

Role of the External Examiner Key role in quality assurance and enhancement: independence and objectivity. § § § Maintenance of threshold standards Ensuring rigour and fairness of assessment Comparability of standards and student achievements Identification of good practice and innovations Opportunities to enhance student experience

Appointment Right to Work: In accordance with HMRC legislation we are also required to carry out a check for eligibility to work in the UK before you start work. Handover: Appointments are normally made for four years, running from September in year one to December in year four. This provides overlap of appointments at the end of each term of office to ensure consistency and appropriate handover. Mentorship: Where a nominated External Examiner does not have previous or has limited external examination experience, arrangements are made to ensure that they are assigned a mentor for the first 12 months of their contract.

You should receive: Course teams (typically the Course Leader) are responsible for providing Examiners with: § a copy of the previous year’s Annual Evaluation Report (AER), which contains the outgoing External Examiner’s report and course response. § course specific information, including relevant course handbooks, programme and module specifications and, where appropriate, details of professional, statutory and regulatory body (PSRB) information including that related to continuing PSRB accreditation (e. g. fitness to practice requirements). § a schedule of key dates for the moderation of student assessments, and for ensuring that the dates of Examination Boards are communicated with adequate notice.

Key Elements of the Role § § § Review samples of student work (and practice) Review module grade profiles Review assessment tasks Comment on course and / or module amendments Meet with course team, and students Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) process § Right to provide confidential report to VC and to access QAA concerns scheme

External Moderation ‘… a process of objective engagement by experienced academic peers (External Examiners), independent of the University, to ensure that the level of achievement of students reflects the required academic standards and is comparable to similar programmes nationally. ’ § § Referencing (6) Assessment Briefs and Assessment Criteria (10) Assessment cycle (12) University minimum requirements for external moderation of marking (12) UW Assessment Policy

Boards of Examiners The full terms of reference and details of membership of Boards of Examiners are set out in the Taught Courses Regulatory Framework (TCRF). There is a two-stage process for considering the assessment taken by a student in any given year or other defined period of study: § Stage 1: Scrutinise module assessments § Stage 2: Exam Board confirm progression of students.

Boards of Examiners § Where it is not possible for External Examiners to attend Boards physically, virtual attendance via Skype or other appropriate means will be considered. § Where no form of attendance is possible, External Examiners will, exceptionally and as a maximum for an individual year, provide written comments to the Chair of the Board regarding satisfaction with marks.

External Examiner Report § External Examiners’ reports form an essential aspect of the quality assurance and enhancement processes operated by the University. § Discussions of External Examiner reports are incorporated specifically within the processes of annual evaluation and periodic review, and also through Course Management Committees where they are formally discussed with student representatives. External Examiner Report Template

External Examiner Report § Due 3 weeks after final Exam Board § Course Leader gives an initial response to issues raised within 8 weeks § Director of Quality and Educational Development will respond on institutional issues raised § Feeds into annual evaluation process and action plan § Shared with students § Overview report to Academic Board

Collaborative Provision § External Examiners for collaborative programmes normally meet with the partner course team and/or students at least once every two years (twice during a period of tenure), in addition to attendance at the Board of Examiners. § Where a programme/course is delivered either by multiple partner organisations and/or on multiple sites, the External Examiner should expect to see clearly identified samples for external scrutiny and statistical profiles from each partner organisation/site of delivery in order to ensure equivalence of standards.

Student Information § The name, position and institution of External Examiners is included in handbooks for students. § External Examiner reports are published in their entirety for access by staff, students, partners and External Examiners.

Fees and Expenses • The fee for external examining is paid normally on receipt of the Annual Report. • Expenses can be claimed in relation to attendance at meetings and other activities related to sampling of assessments. • Please submit all expenses via the electronic expenses system; if you do not have access to this system would you please contact m. chaffey@worc. ac. uk in the first instance.

AQU External Examiners web page