1. External Examiners Briefing Session Wednesday 12th April 2017

2. Responsibilities and Engagement of External Examiners
Martin Pinnick
Office for Quality Standards and Partnerships

3. Quality Assurance Agency
The QAA Quality Code sets out the following expectation about external examining, which Higher Education institutions are required to meet:
Higher Education providers make scrupulous use of External Examiners
Chapter B7 gives more detail

4. QAA Institutional Review 2012
1.2. Scrupulous use is made of External Examiners. The University of Lincoln has produced a full definition of the role of External Examiners and operates robust processes with clear criteria for their nomination, appointment and induction.

5. The Strategic Role of External Examiners
Ensure University is fit for purpose in terms of its strategic educational function – internationally, nationally and locally
Growing importance with annual return to HEFCE – reassures Governors

6. The Strategic Role of External Examiners
The University (and its Colleges and Schools) depend on External Examiner input and reports in order to check that:
national and/or professional standards are being maintained
standards of student performance are comparable with similar programmes in the UK
students are being treated fairly and equitably
subjects are responsive to External Examiner comments, as expected by the QAA Quality Code

7. Responsibilities of External Examiners
The HEA’s brief summary of the practicalities is that:
Acting as an External Examiner generally involves the review of a selection of exam scripts, assignments and dissertations followed by informal engagement with staff to discuss the assessed work; and then the formal meeting of the examination board.
But there is more to it than that… 7

8. Responsibilities of External Examiners
Confirm the maintenance of threshold academic standards
Confirm the assessment process measures student achievement rigorously and fairly
Confirm that academic standards and student achievement are comparable with other UK higher education institutions
Provide informative comment on good practice and opportunities for enhancing the student experience
Essential component of University quality assurance and enhancement processes
All needed for Annual monitoring 8

9. Practically this means…
Approval of modifications to modules or programmes
Approval of assessment tasks and examination papers
Reviewing samples of student work
Endorsement of student marks
Attendance at Boards of Examiners
Confirming programmes are in line with sector norms and expectations – Quality Code
Submission of an Annual Report
Liaison with programme teams

10. External Examiners are not responsible for:
The assessment of individual students
Encouragement to raise or lower marks for individual students
Individual cases relating to mitigating circumstances or academic integrity
Acting as final arbiter for the award of marks/grades
Communicating directly with individual students

11. Summary External Examiner system:
Is central to quality assurance and enhancement
Provides a checking system
Must help to ensure the whole University is educationally fit for purpose