External Examiners’ Conference Context

Professor Pauline KnealePro-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

• Faculties: – 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

Institutional Context: Plymouth University

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

• 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

• 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 athttp://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 briefingLetter of appointment and contractInduction packAnnual briefing pack

• Monitoring of reports and response to university issuesSummary of institutional issues

• Website: http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/extexam

Responsibilities for External Examiners – Faculties

• Management of their External Examiners:NominationReportingFee payment

• Support – subject level induction and mentoring arrangements

• Ongoing support for the External Examining role eg arrangements for visits; provision of assessment material