General Board Guidance on the arrangements for external examiners

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<strong>Guidance</strong> for Faculty <strong>Board</strong>s and comparable authorities 1. Guidelines on the appointment of External Examiners Types of External Examiners There are two types of External Examiners, outlined below: Moderating External Examiner Moderating External Examiners are appointed by the <strong>General</strong> <strong>Board</strong> to fulfil the duties outlined in Appendix A for all or part of the examination to which they are appointed (which may include all of the papers for one subject in, for example, MML, MVST or NST). It is anticipated that, wherever possible, no more than two Moderating External Examiners will be appointed for each examination. Moderating External Examiners should be able to comment in their final report on the comparability of standards of the examination, with respect to the standards of courses in other higher education institutions. The <strong>General</strong> <strong>Board</strong> is aware, however, that in some examinations it is likely that more than two Moderating External Examiners are needed to ensure a complete overview of the course and its assessment because of the multiplicity of options and the complexity of the examination. In these circumstances, the number of Moderating External Examiners will be agreed between the <strong>General</strong> <strong>Board</strong> and the nominating body before appointment. Each Moderating External Examiner will be expected to report in the manner outlined above, indicating (if appropriate) the areas of the examination on which they are commenting. External Examiner In some examinations, an External Examiner may be appointed for a single element of the examination (e.g. to mark the scripts of a single paper or conduct performance or practical tests). In these cases, it is unlikely that the External Examiner would be able to comment on the overall performance of candidates and the standard of the whole examination. External Examiners will be required to fulfil the duties outlined in Appendix A for the part of the examination for which they are appointed and to report on the fairness of the assessment and the standards of the candidates for that part of the examination. Note: Faculty <strong>Board</strong>s may also wish to appoint people external to the University to act, for example, as second markers only. In these circumstances, where: • the person is not expected to take responsibility for the overall conduct of the examination or the classing decisions for individual candidates, and: • the Faculty <strong>Board</strong> does not consider it appropriate or necessary for the appointed person to report on the fairness of the assessment and the standards of the candidates for that part of the examination. These “external” people should be appointed as Assessors and will be paid the appropriate University rates. Additional duties The duties outlined in Appendix A are considered to be the minimum requirements for the duties of a Moderating External Examiner or an External Examiner; a Faculty <strong>Board</strong> or other authority may choose to enhance the role with other duties and responsibilities and should clearly outline to the individual External Examiners on appointment what these revised duties and responsibilities are. Any revised role should also be communicated by the Faculty <strong>Board</strong> or comparable authority to Educational and Student Policy. Last reviewed: 29/08/2013 Page 2 of 17 SD
Nomination and appointment The <strong>General</strong> <strong>Board</strong> is responsible for appointing all Examiners, including External Examiners and Moderating External Examiners. Examiners are appointed for one year at a time, but may be re-appointed on the nomination of the Faculty <strong>Board</strong> or comparable authority concerned. No Examiner shall normally serve for more than three consecutive years for a particular examination and thereafter may not be appointed until a period of five years has elapsed; exceptions to this rule may be possible if a nominating body can demonstrate that there are special circumstances (e.g. in a minority subject). To allow sufficient time for the proper performance of their duties, individuals should normally be expected to hold not more than two Moderating External Examinerships or other External Examinerships at first degree level concurrently. For most examinations leading to, or contributing to, a University award, the <strong>General</strong> <strong>Board</strong> shall appoint at least one Moderating External Examiner and a sufficient number of other Moderating External Examiners and/or External Examiners to ensure that the quality and standards of the course and examination are thoroughly scrutinised (see table below). The <strong>General</strong> <strong>Board</strong> may, in consultation with the relevant Faculty <strong>Board</strong> or other authority, agree to other arrangements to ensure that the quality and standards of the examination are appropriate. No. of Moderating External Examiners Responsibilities of Moderating External Examiners and Faculty <strong>Board</strong>s or comparable authorities 1 The Moderating External Examiner will be expected to moderate across all of the examination and be able to comment on: • the standards of the examination as a whole; • the fairness of the assessment policies and procedures; • the standard of student achievement in comparison with programmes elsewhere. • whether issues raised in previous report(s) have been addressed by the department 2 or 3 The Moderating External Examiners will jointly be expected to undertake their assigned duties and submit independent reports commenting on the points above. • Faculty <strong>Board</strong>s and comparable authorities should ensure that each External Examiner is aware of the other appointments. more than 3 They will jointly be expected to undertake their assigned duties and submit independent reports commenting on the points above. Faculty <strong>Board</strong>s and comparable authorities should ensure that each External Examiner is aware of the other appointments. In addition, the Faculty <strong>Board</strong> or comparable authority must indicate to the <strong>General</strong> <strong>Board</strong>: • how it will ensure there is appropriate moderation across the examination; • how it will take a collective view of and respond to the reports of the individual Moderating External Examiners. Last reviewed: 29/08/2013 Page 3 of 17 SD
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General Board Guidance on the arrangements for external examiners

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