Post on 15-Dec-2015
transcript
UWE Bristol
External Examiner Annual Reporting
Rebecca Smith, Curriculum Enhancement ManagerRebecca24.Smith@uwe.ac.uk 0117 32 82545
Overview
• What is annual reporting?• Why do we carry out annual reporting?• Who is your audience?• The Report• UWE2020 Strategy - Theme• Submission• What happens with your report?• The ‘Faculty Response’• Reporting to the Vice-Chancellor• The Logistics
Points of Engagement with UWE• Moderation Reports/Process• Scrutiny Days/Pre-Examination Boards• Examination Boards Field/Award Boards/Boards• General correspondence with module leaders and
programme managers• Professional practice placement observations• The External Examiner Annual Report
What is annual reporting?
• QAA Quality Code: Chapter B7: External Examining • Indicator 12: External examiners submit a report
annually, at a time determined by the institution, to the head of the institution or to one or more named individuals that he/she designates.
• We require all of our External Examiners to submit a written report annually summarising their confidence in the standards of our curricula and recognition of good practice and areas for enhancement.
Why do we carry out annual reporting?• This is a critical aspect in the Monitoring and Evaluation of our
programmes to assure the quality and standards of our students’ degrees from an external standpoint. i.e. externality and independence.
• It will inform an overarching report at University, Faculty and Department level on the academic health of the University to Academic Board.
QAA Quality Code
• Underpinned by QAA Quality Code: Chapter B7 External Examining• Indicator 2: Awarding institutions expect their external examiners to
provide informative comment and recommendations upon whether or not: – an institution is maintaining the threshold academic standards set for its
awards in accordance with the frameworks for higher education qualifications and applicable subject benchmark statements
– the assessment process measures student achievement rigorously and fairly against the intended outcomes of the programme(s) and is conducted in line with the institution's policies and regulations
– the academic standards and the achievements of students are comparable with those in other UK higher education institutions of which the external examiners have experience.
QAA Quality Code Cont.
• Indicator 3: Awarding institutions expect their external examiners to provide informative comment and recommendations on: – good practice and innovation relating to learning, teaching and
assessment observed by the external examiners – opportunities to enhance the quality of the learning opportunities
provided to students.
Who is your audience?• Module leaders
• Programme leaders
• Field leaders (Quality) / Heads of Department
• Faculty Academic Standards and Quality Committees
• Academic Quality and Enhancement Committee
• Collaborative Provision Committee
• Collaborative Partners
• Learning and Teaching Enhancement Team (Me & QME Acc Man)
• Students – Student Rep Staff Forums
• Freedom of Information Requests
The Structure of the Report
• Each report aligns specifically to your role and there are minor differences within the questions:– Field External Examiner– Chief External Examiner– Non-Modular External Examiner
• Post Graduate Certificate in Education
• Graduate Diploma in Law
• Bristol’s International College
The Structure of the Report Cont.
1. Academic and Professional Standards (Questions 1.1-1.4);
2. Assessment Strategy (Questions 2.1-2.3)
3. Process and Procedure (Questions 3.1-3.3)
4. Collaborative Provision (Question 4.1)
5. Quality Enhancement (Questions 5.1-5.3)
6. Closing Comments (Questions 6.1-6.2)
7. External Examiner Resources (Questions 7.1-7.2)
Confidence Judgements
• Judgement Statements: Likert Scale – 1-4– Complete Confidence (1)– Broad Confidence (2)– Limited Confidence (3)– No Confidence (4)
• Two judgements per question:– UWE Delivered Provision– Collaborative Provision
• Supporting Commentary (Reviewing - 2 Boxes this year)– Please be specific e.g. identify partner/module
Example Report
General Pointers
• Be concise and specific – please see the good and poor examples of responses to the report on the External Examer Resources website
• Detail the module/programme, and if application the collaborative partner to which your comment relates so we can review & action
• When you highlight areas of good practice please expand on why it is good? i.e. substantiate your comment with the example
• As above for areas for enhancement
UWE2020 Strategy - Theme
• UWE 2020 Strategy Launched in 2013
• We will provide a theme and background information that is informed by our strategy
• Ask to identify areas of good practice and areas for enhancement in achieving the identified theme.
Submission
• Why meet the deadline?– Critical aspect of our internal Monitoring and
Evaluation – The sooner we can engage the sooner we
can share the identified good practice or action any areas of enhancement
– Chief External Examiner access
Feedback loops – What happens with your report?• Shared with your audience (discussed
earlier)
The ‘Faculty Response’
• Closing the feedback loop• A response from the Field Leader
– Acknowledge recognition for highlighted areas of good practice (to share with colleagues across Department/University as appropriate)
– Acknowledge any recommended areas for enhancement and actions that will be taken
– Rationale if we disagree with any aspects of your report
• Expect to receive your response by December
Reporting to the Vice-Chancellor
• External Examiners may, in exceptional circumstances, report separately and confidentially to the Vice-Chancellor on any matters of serious concern.
• Detailed in your report how you may do this.• Expected that these concerns would have been
raised through your initial engagement i.e. moderation process and Examination Boards.
The Logistics
• Receive an email from the Learning and Teaching Enhancement Team with your personalised report pro forma approx. 4 weeks before June Boards.
• Submission Date advised
• Submit to us by email
• Fee Payment
Thank you for listening!
Any questions?