External Examiners’ Conference Context

Professor Pauline Kneale Pro-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 150 th 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

Institutional Context: Plymouth University

• 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

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 at http://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 briefing  Letter of appointment and contract  Induction pack  Annual briefing pack • Monitoring of reports and response to university issues  Summary of institutional issues • Website: http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/extexam

Responsibilities for External Examiners – Faculties • Management of their External Examiners:  Nomination  Reporting  Fee payment • Support – subject level induction and mentoring arrangements • Ongoing support for the External Examining role eg arrangements for visits; provision of assessment material