1. External Examiners Induction Edge Hill University
Tuesday 15th January 2019
Room B003, Business School Ormskirk Campus

2. 0845-0930 Registration and refreshments
Welcome and housekeeping; The role of the external examiner
(Tony Turjansky, Director of Quality Assurance)
Introduction to Assessment and Standards followed by Group activity (1) –
The external examiner’s report (Professor Mark Schofield, Dean of Teaching and
Learning Development)
Refreshments
Group activity (2) – Moderation: Practical Scenarios (Dr Chris Lawton,
Academic Quality Officer, Monitoring and Development)
Questions and discussion (panel session):
Tony Turjansky, Director of Quality Assurance;
Professor Mark Schofield, Dean of Teaching and Learning Development;
Helen Smallbone, Academic Registrar;
Dr Chris Lawton, Academic Quality Officer, Monitoring and Development
External examiner administration (Leoni Stanton, External Examiners
Administrator) followed by LUNCH
Department meetings

3. Director of Quality Assurance
The Role of the
External Examiner
Tony Turjansky,
Director of Quality Assurance

4. HE providers appoint external examiners who are:
Qualified
Experienced and familiar with the assessment process and national degree reference points (QAA)
Esteemed (by their peers)
Independent
Objective

5. HE providers use external examiners to verify that:
Academic standards set during programme validation are and remain appropriate in relation to national degree reference points:
Framework for Higher Education Qualifications degree level descriptors
Subject Benchmark Statements (where available)
Professional body standards and competencies (where applicable)

6. HE providers use external examiners to verify that:
The academic standards set by HE providers meet or exceed national minimum threshold standards (Pass) and are broadly comparable with other providers above the threshold (3rd, 2.2, 2.1, 1st)
Students are achieving the standards set for them through the relevant assessment of Intended Learning Outcomes that are appropriate to the subject and level of study

7. HE providers use external examiners to verify that:
Assessment is conducted in relation to defined marking criteria and the provider’s own regulations
Internal moderation and standardisation secure the fairness and consistency of assessment decisions across markers
Summative written feedback is of high quality and aligned with marking criteria and the grades awarded to students

8. External examiners do:
Comment on good practice and innovation they have observed in relation to the provider’s learning, teaching and assessment
Comment on opportunities to enhance the quality of learning opportunities for the provider’s students

9. External examiners don’t:
Impose their own thoughts, values and practices on others
Seek to change a provider’s regulations (although they may comment on them critically and constructively)

10. Question 1
How do you think that staff whose courses are examined perceive an external examiner? Please rank the following in order of importance, where 1 represents the highest level of importance
An authority in the subject
An authority in quality assurance
A peer
A critical friend
A nuisance
Other

11. The national view External examiners believed they were perceived as
(in rank order)
Critical Friend
Authority on the subject
Peer
Authority in quality assurance
HE Academy (2017)

12. Our survey said…
How do you think that staff whose courses are examined perceive an external examiner?
An authority in the subject X
An authority in quality assurance
A peer
A critical friend
A nuisance X
Other
EHU, 2019

13. Question 2
Considering your current view of the role of the external examiner, please state to what extent you agree with the following statement:
“A critical aspect of the external examiner's role should be to act as  a ‘process-checker’  to ensure assessment procedures and practices have been carried out fairly and according to regulations".

14. National picture: Role and process checking
45% of external examiners thought the role has been reduced to ‘process checking’
HE Academy, 2017

15. Our survey said…
xx% of you thought the role has been reduced to ‘process checking’
EHU, 2019

16. Question 3
Considering your current view of the role of the External Examiner, please state to what extent you agree with the following statement:
“The most important aspect of the external examiner's role should be to ensure comparability of assessment standards between universities"

17. Our survey said…
xx% of you agreed that the most important aspect of the external examiner's role should be to ensure comparability of assessment standards
xx% of you disagreed
EHU, 2019

18. Question 4
Considering your current view of the role of the external examiner, please state to what extent you agree with the following statement:
"The external examiner has made a positive contribution to the quality of the programmes I teach"

19. Our survey said…
xx% of you agreed that external examiners make a positive contribution to teaching within programmes
xx% of you disagreed
EHU, 2019

20. Question 5
Considering your current view of the role of the external examiner, to whom do you consider they are primarily responsible?
Academic staff contributing to the programme
Head of department (or equivalent)
Senior management of the institution
Students
Employers
Professional body
Office for Students/ the Quality Assurance Agency
The University
Other (please define below)

21. National Picture: external examiners’ perception of their primary responsibility to:

22. Our survey said… Academic staff contributing to the programme xx%
Head of department (or equivalent)
Senior management of the institution
Students
Employers
Professional body
Office for Students/ the Quality Assurance Agency
The University
Other
EHU, 2019