The University’s external examining policy - which is based on the expectations of the 2013 UK Quality Code for Higher Education – outlines the role of the external examiner as being to comment and advise on:
- whether the University is maintaining the threshold academic standards set for its awards, in accordance with the frameworks for higher education qualifications and applicable subject benchmark statements;
- whether the assessment process measures student achievement rigorously and fairly against the intended learning outcomes of the programme/s and is conducted in accordance with the University’s policies and regulations;
- the comparability of the academic achievement of students with those in other higher education providers;
- good practice and innovation relating to learning, teaching and assessment;
- potential opportunities to enhance the quality of learning opportunities offered to students.
Duties
The minimum duties associated with your role are therefore:
- to approve proposed examination papers and draft coursework assignment briefs for assessments which count towards final awards, including those set by partner organisations;
- see and agree samples of assessed work from across the grades, including failures, in order to satisfy yourself that all students are being fairly classified;
- attendance at the appropriate examination committee – you will be asked to give your formal assent to the recommendations of the examination committee;
- the submission of an annual report on the University template, providing comments on the standards of marking, and other aspects of teaching, learning and assessment, for the programme team to act on during the following year.
Other duties, as appropriate to provision being examined, may include:
- for examiners of collaborative provision, visits to the partner organisation/s delivering the programme;
- for examiners on professional programmes, visits to see students on practice placements;
- for examiners of apprenticeships with integrated End Point Assessments, additional duties and reporting requirements will be specified according to the requirements of the apprenticeship standard.
In respect of your moderation duties, any significant differences between first and second markers should have been resolved through the internal moderation process before submission to the external examiner. However, in exceptional circumstances, external examiners may also be asked to:
- act as arbitrator on borderline cases;
- comment on the marking standards of internal examiners and make recommendations for changes to marks (taking into account the potential impact on the whole cohort – you may not alter individual grades).
Meeting students
You are not required to meet with students, unless this has been specified as a requirement, but many examiners find this very useful - if you wish to do so, please ask the Programme Lead to arrange this for you.
Rights and responsibilities
The University and its partners should ensure that you receive the documentation you require in sufficient time to enable you to carry out your duties, and you should be provided with a schedule at the start of the academic year giving key dates, so that you know when to expect to receive draft papers for approval, assessed work, for moderation, dates of examination committees, etc – please contact your Programme Lead if you do not receive this information.
In carrying out your role, you also have the right to:
- gain reasonable access to any assessed parts of the programme/s you examine;
- comment on work other than that submitted towards final awards;
- request additional sampling of students’ work where an equity issue is highlighted by the internal external examining procedures;
- access the evidence used in the assessment of APL claims and comment on the procedure;
- select candidates for individual interview, if appropriate;
- participate in discussions relating to cases of suspected or proven academic misconduct by students.
Modifications to provision
External examiners also play a valuable role in the continued improvement of Brookes’ provision through the processes for modification of provision, and you may therefore on occasion also be asked to comment and advise on proposed changes to (in particular) the assessment strategies for the modules/programmes you examine