External Examiner Induction - Welcome and Eligibility to Work in the UK

1. WELCOME External Examiners’ InductionOctober 2017 Checking Eligibility to Work in the UK To comply with UK Border Agency legal obligations for employment checks under the provision of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 it is a requirement of your appointment that you are able to provide documentary proof that you are eligible to work in the UK. Today you will be asked to sign to confirm that you have provided original documentary proof to comply with the above requirement Your passport will be checked and copied to confirm that the documentary proof is acceptable. Your passport will be returned to you later in the morning. Please do not leave without it EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

2. WELCOME External Examiners’ InductionOctober 2017 Nikki Pierce (Academic Registrar) Kavita Patel (Senior Academic Quality & Enhancement Business Partner) Sue Ledger (Academic Quality & Enhancement Business Partner) EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

3. Housekeeping • Pack contents: • Programme for the day • Presentation slides • Guide to External Examining for Taught Programmes • Sample Board of Examiners result sheet • Sample completed Annual Report • QAA UK Quality Code for HE – Chapter 7 – External Examining • University of Bradford Strategy 2015 – 2025 • Evaluation Form, Expenses Claim Form and return envelope EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

4. Welcome to the University and Introductions • UK Quality Code for Higher Education (Quality and Enhancement) • Current initiatives EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

5. Assessment Committees and Boards of Examiners EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

6. Assessment Committees • Consider performance in individual modules and assign definitive marks which may not be changed thereafter • Membership includes Internal Examiners and Module External Examiners. • Quorum: Chair, Module Leader, or nominee, for all modules under consideration. • If Module External Examiners are unable to attend their views should be taken into account and they should agree the outcomes. • Alternatively, they may attend by Skype/telephone or video conference. No approval needed for non-attendance or use of Skype etc. EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

7. Assessment Committees (2) • May scale marks and should report any scaling to Boards of Examiners who received the marks concerned. • An Assessment Committee may change an individual mark provided that this is done with the concurrence of those internal examiners who have reviewed all the work for the module concerned. • This might be done on the basis of a recommendation to the Internal Examiners for the module from the External Examiner who has reviewed only a sample of work. EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

8. Extenuating Circumstances Sub-committees • Consider claims for extenuating circumstances submitted by students • meet prior to the Board of Examiners • make recommendations on whether circumstances should be accepted to the Board of Examiners. • the Board of Examiners receives recommendations and makes a decision on course of action to be taken EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

9. Boards of Examiners • Consider progression and award, including classification of Honours Degrees • May not change any of the marks awarded by an Assessment Committee • Take Extenuating Circumstances into account EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

10. Boards of Examiners (2) • Membership includes Internal Examiners and course and/or personal tutors for students under review plus Programme External Examiners • Quorum: Chair, Programme Leader, or nominee, for all Programmes under consideration, Programme External Examiner. A representative from AQEO must also be in attendance • Faculties should consult External Examiners when arranging dates for Boards EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

11. Boards of Examiners (3) Undergraduate Programmes • External Examiners are required to attend all meetings, including those for Partnership Provision, which are considering for the first time the progression and award for that cohort of students. • Attendance is not required at supplementary Boards of Examiners considering progression and award following re-assessment, if no issues are identified with module assessments at the Main Board and none are anticipated in relation to supplementary assessments. • If significant issues have emerged in the supplementary period then the External Examiner will be expected to attend. EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

12. Boards of Examiners (4) Postgraduate Programmes • External Examiners are required to attend all meetings, including those for Partnership Provision, where awards are being considered for the first time. • External Examiners are not required at any interim Boards held at the end of the taught component to consider either the supplementary assessment required for students to gain the award or making awards to students following re-assessment in the project/dissertation. • Again, if issues are identified in the original assessments or significant issues are anticipated, or have emerged, in relation to the supplementary assessment, then the External Examiner will be expected to attend. EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

13. Boards of Examiners (5) • If External Examiner is unable to attend the Board, the approval of the PVC (Learning, Teaching & Quality) must be given in order for the Board to go ahead. The External Examiner’s views must be taken into account and they should agree the outcomes before results are released. • If an External Examiner cannot attend a meeting, it is possible to facilitate this, if appropriate, via Skype or Telephone/Video Conferencing. This should be done in such a way as to enable the External to participate in the meeting as if they were actually present. EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

14. Progression and Award(University Regulations) EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

15. SUMMARY OF PROGRESSION REGULATIONS (Individual Faculties may have waivers in relation to specific programmes, due to professional/validating Body requirements) Foundation Year / Certificate of HE / Diploma of HE / Foundation Degree / Honours Degree of Bachelor • All Stages: 40.0% in 100 credits, 35.0% in the other 20. EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

16. Ordinary Degree • The Ordinary Degree route is no longer offered to students commencing programmes from 2016/17. However, the route will be honoured for all students who commenced studies before this date. • Ordinary Degree as an exit award will be retained for all undergraduate Honours and Integrated Masters programmes, however, the credit requirements brought in line with sector to120 credits at Levels 4 and 5 and at least 60 credits at Level 6 which must be passed at 40.0% or above. Also no longer made with Merit or Distinction. • Students who registered prior to 2016/17 will progress to the Ordinary Degree (if offered) at Stage 2 or Stage 3 if they do not meet the criteria for Honours progression at the end of Stage 1or Stage 2, but achieve 40.0% in 80 credits, and 35.0% in another 20 credits. • At Stages 2 & 3: 40.0% in 80 credits, 35.0% in 20 credits. • Students must have undertaken all permitted attempts at supplementary assessment for the Honours Programme before transfer to the Ordinary Degree. EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

17. Integrated Degree of Master (e.g. MPharm, MEng, MChem) • Students take 480 credits over 4 Stages. • Eligibility at each Stage is the same as that for the Honours Degree of Bachelor, unless a waiver applies EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

18. Postgraduate Taught Programmes Postgraduate Certificate • 60 credits, with at least 40.0% in 40 credits and 35.0% in other 20 Postgraduate Diploma • 120 credits, with at least 40.0% in 100 credits and 35.0% in other 20. Master's Degree • 180 credits, with at least 40% in 160 credits and 35.0% in other 20. EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

19. PROGRESSION REGULATIONS: Undergraduate • All students have a right to a Second attempt although this might not be in the August supplementary period. Will be permitted to take supplementary Assessment as follows: • 80 credits or more below 40% - repeat year with attendance • 70 credits or more below 40% - repeat individual modules • 60 credits or less below 40% - supplementary assessment in August. • Automatic Third Attempt if meet requirement to achieve 40% in 80 credits • Automatic referral in up to 20 credits • 40% Carry forward mark Postgraduate • All students have the right to one supplementary assessment • 35% Carry forward mark EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

20. AWARD OF UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE: Calculation and Classification • Students are required to meet the credit requirements • Best 100 Credits from Stage 2 and Stage 3 used in calculation of Degree • Weighting between Stages 2 and 3 is 20/80 • Setting of Degree Classification Boundaries is fixed as follows: • First Class Honours 68.0% • Second Class Honours - First Division 58.0% • Second Class Honours - Second Division 48.0% • Third class HonoursBelow 48% EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

21. AWARD OF UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE (2): Merit and Distinction • Boundaries for Merit and Distinction at undergraduate level, for example, Cert HE, Dip HE are now fixed as follows: • 68.0% = Distinction • 58.0% = Merit • The Best 100 credits will be used when calculating the award of Merit or Distinction • Students with agreed Extenuating Circumstances may be considered for a classification of award other than that indicated by the above calculation EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

22. AWARD OF POSTGRADUATE DEGREE:Calculation and Award of Merit and Distinction • Students are required to meet the credit requirements and all credit is used in calculation of the award of Merit or Distinction. • The boundaries for Merit and Distinction are now fixed as follows: • 68.0% = Distinction • 58.0% = Merit • In addition to the overall average, students on the Masters programme are required to achieve a Project/Dissertation mark of at least 60% for Merit and at least 70% for Distinction. • Students with agreed Extenuating Circumstances may be considered for a classification of award other than that indicated by the above calculation EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

23. External Examining at Bradford EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

24. External Examining at Bradford • The QAA UK Quality Code for Higher Education, Chapter B7,External Examining, 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 EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

25. External Examining at Bradford • Guide for External Examining of Taught Programmes has been developed in line with the QAA UK Quality Code Chapter B7 to assist External Examiners, staff, partners and students understand the role at Bradford • http://www.brad.ac.uk/aqpo/documents-templates-and-downloads/a-z/external-examining-for-taught-programmes.php EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

26. What we expect from our External Examiners We hope that our External Examiners will: • Be a Critical Friend • Offer independent assessment of our academic standards and quality • Ensure that our students are dealt with fairly in the assessment and classification process • Identify and share good practice EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

27. What our External Examiners can expect from us We hope that our External Examiners will: • Feel supported by dedicated Central and Faculty resources • Understand what their role is from the outset • Receive all the information required in a timely manner to carry out their duties effectively • Feel confident to have open and frank discussion and to know that their comments have been considered EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

28. External Examiner roles at Bradford All our External Examiners are responsible for a group of Modules. In addition, most of our External Examiners are also responsible for a Programme or group of Programmes. An important element of the role is to ensure that the threshold academic standards across all Modules and Programmes are: • Being maintained • Comparable • In line with University regulations EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

29. Main Duties of External Examiners Modules This part of the role is to provide confirmation that the module assessments have been: • Appropriately designed in line with FHEQ levels and individual module learning outcomes • Marked in a fair and equitable manner And that good quality feedback has been given to students in a timely way EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

30. Main Duties of External Examiners Programmes This part of the role, where applicable, is to ensure that Programmes are: • Aligned to National Subject benchmarks • In line with University regulations • Meet the Programme learning outcomes And that the assessment process has been carried out in a fair and equitable manner. EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

31. Main Duties of External Examiners • Preparation Handbooks, Regulations, FHEQ, Subject benchmark statements, ongoing dialogue with teams • Review all assessment briefs – both examination and coursework titles • Sampling representative sample of work • Confirmation of marks and of awards made • Reporting Annual report form, one per examiner EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

32. Recognition of Prior Learning All Recognition of Prior Learning is approved at an Assessment Committee/RPL meeting. External Examiners are required to sample: • Mapping documents for recognition of prior certificated learning • Proposals for recognition of prior experiential learning The process is outlined in the Guide to Recognition of Prior Learning and on the web at: http://www.bradford.ac.uk/aqpo/assessment-and-external-examining/recognition-of-prior-learning/ EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

33. Working with Partner Institutions The University of Bradford assumes full responsibility for external examining at Partner Institutions: • Some External Examiners will have a role examining programmes and modules studied at Partner institutions in the UK and overseas • External Examiners have the same role for programmes and modules operating at Partner Institutions; this includes sampling work, confirming marks, progression and award and assuring the quality of the provision there • There is a specific section in the Annual Report to compare Partner programmes with the onsite programmes and to identify any specific strengths or weaknesses there. EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

34. Student Information • The name, position and institution of External Examiners are included in handbooks for students • Students may not contact External Examiners directly and any such contact should be referred to Academic Quality & Partnerships Office in the first instance • External Examiner reports are published in their entirety on a secured part of the AQPO website for access by staff, students, partners and external examiners • Students have access to Annual Reports as members of University decision making committees EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

35. Reporting All External Examiners are required to complete an Annual Report. • The Report is updated and emailed each academic year in September and again in June to External Examiners for completion by the deadline: • 31 July for Undergraduate programmes • 30 November for Postgraduate programmes • Or four weeks after the last Board of Examiners EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

36. Reporting (2) The Annual Report is very important to the enhancement planning for the Programmes, Faculties and for the Quality Management of the University: • http://www.bradford.ac.uk/aqpo/documents-templates-and-downloads/a-z/external-examiner-annual-report-template-17-18.php • The report template is a Word document and should be completed electronically and emailed to AQEO at externalexaminers@bradford.ac.uk or posted to AQEO for my attention EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

37. Judging Standards Appendix 6 of the Guide lists the main areas for comment but you might want to think about these questions as you go through the year: Standards • What are the threshold standards? • Are the standards set at validation and as detailed on the programme specification being maintained? • Does the curriculum remain valid, current and coherent? • Is there comparability and consistency of standards across the Programmes/Modules? • Are assessment criteria, marking schemes etc. set at the appropriate levels? • Are threshold standards comparable with other HEIs in the same subject/at the same level that you are familiar with? EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

38. Judging Standards (2) Process • Are the assessments appropriate, properly designed and applied fairly and equitably? • Is the marking at the right level? • Has RPL been mapped and assessed appropriately? • Has the marking scheme/grading criteria been properly applied? • Do students receive appropriate written feedback? • Is assessment being carried out in accordance with our own academic regulations? • Is the Board of Examiners/Assessment Committee operation appropriate? • Are the procedures governing extenuating circumstances and academic misconduct applied fairly? EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

39. Judging Standards (3) Enhancement Is there good practice and innovation observed in relation to learning, teaching and assessment? Are there any opportunities to enhance the quality of students’ learning? Partnership provision Did you have enough information about the partnership programme? Are you able to compare the provision against onsite provision? Are there are strengths or weaknesses specific to this provision? EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

40. University Response to Reports The University will write to you in response to your Annual Report form including: • University response to institutional issues raised by External Examiners • Action Plan detailing Faculty actions and responses to issues and recommendations made by you The Action Plan will also form part of enhancement planning for the Faculty and quality management of the University EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

41. Causes for concern • Examiners may alert the Vice Chancellor directly to serious failings in standards or process where there is no satisfactory response from the department/Faculty, etc. • QAA’s Concerns Scheme and/or equivalent PSRB mechanisms may also be invoked EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

42. Fees and Expenses • The fee for external examining is paid normally on receipt of the Annual Report, which now includes the claim form, via the monthly payroll run • Expenses can be claimed in relation to attendance at meetings and other activities related to sampling of assessments • Full details are in the Guide at Appendix 3 • The claim form can be downloaded from the website at http://www.bradford.ac.uk/aqpo/assessment-and-external-examining/external-examining/information-for-external-examiners/ EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

43. Resources: University of Bradford Academic Quality & Enhancement Office http://www.brad.ac.uk/aqpo/ • General Information; Board of Examiners meetings information pack; Regulations for award bearing taught courses of study; University Ordnances and Policies Higher Education Academy External Examining Handbook https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/sites/default/files/downloads/HE_Academy_External_Examiners_Handbook_2012.pdf EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

44. Resources: Framework for Higher Education Qualifications and Subject Benchmarks: http://www.qaa.ac.uk/assuring-standards-and-quality/the-quality-code/quality-code-part-a QAA UK Quality Code Chapter B7 – External Examining http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/Publications/Documents/quality-code-B7.pdf University of Bradford Regulations: http://www.bradford.ac.uk/aqpo/ordinances-and-regulations/ EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

45. Academic Quality & Enhancement Office Academic Quality & Enhancement Business Partners: Faculty of Engineering & Informatics Riz Ahmed – aqpo-fei@bradford.ac.uk Faculty of Health Studies Kavita Patel – aqpo-fohs@bradford.ac.uk Faculty of Life Sciences Carol Sealey – aqpo-fls@bradford.ac.uk Faculty of Management and Law Kirstin Bell – aqpo-foml@bradford.ac.uk Faculty of Social Sciences Sue Ledger – aqpo-fss@bradford.ac.uk http://www.bradford.ac.uk/aqpo/assessment-and-external-examining/external-examining/ EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

46. Any questions? • Evaluation form • Department meetings this afternoon – Representatives to meet us for lunch and take you to your session in the Faculty EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION

47. Thank you EXTERNAL EXAMINER INDUCTION