1. External Examiner Briefing Session
Thursday 29th March 2018

2. EXTERNAL EXAMINER BRIEFING SESSION
WELCOME
Nigel Horner
Head of School of Health and Social Care
and
member of the University of Lincoln
External Examiners Committee
Welcome
Why are you (the EE) here? – To give them a flavour of the University of Lincoln and an understanding about the process that the EE’s feed in to.
Housekeeping – toilets, fire alarms and exits

3. Session overview Welcome and housekeeping
Our hopes and expectations of you
Your hopes and expectations of us
Explaining how we work

4. 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”

5. 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.

6. The Strategic Role of External Examiners
Essential component of University quality assurance and enhancement processes
Ensure University is fit for purpose in terms of its strategic educational function – internationally, nationally and locally.

7. 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

8. 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. 8

9. 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; and
Provide informative comment on good practice and opportunities for enhancing the student experience 9

10. Responsibilities of External Examiners
Approval of modifications to modules or programmes
Approval of assessment tasks and examination papers
Review of samples of student work
Endorsement of student marks
Attendance at Boards of Examiners
Submission of an Annual Report

11. 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

12. Summary
High quality must be a key attribute of all provision in the University
External Examiner system is central to quality assurance and enhancement
External Examiner system must help to ensure whole University is educationally fit for purpose