External Examination - NISCC

1. External Examination - NISCC • NISCC has introduced separate guidance for External Examiners which includes comment & feedback on practice learning. • Externals remarked on the effective engagement between all of the partnership members and employers in terms of the quality of practice learning opportunities and also the joint teaching between academic & agency staff, specifically the Preparation for Practice Learning module. • The Practice Assessment Panel, PAP, system is well developed with a range of assessment methods. This is an area which the collaborative partnerships have worked hard to improve and have proactively addressed written feedback to students. • Methods of assessment are generally appropriate, creative and well-designed and comments can be sufficiently hard-hitting when required.

2. External Examiner – Issues • Externals commented positively on standardisation systems across learning sites (for one major course provider) e.g. double marking and cross campus moderation. While this was seen as a strength and strong achievement given the geographical diversity, these systems need to be continually monitored. • The need to develop further the skills based teaching across all 3 levels of the programme was identified as a means of embedding skills learned in both the university and in practice settings. This raises the issue of the read across from the curriculum teaching to Practice Learning, and the need for Practice Teachers to ensure application of learning within the workplace. • AOP is being considered by students in the particular context of NI. AOP remains a development issue as some students are perhaps “side stepping” big issues such as race, religion, ethnicity class and culture etc. Students need to be more specific about these issues and this should be particularly evidenced in the practice portfolios as a result of the Direct Observations. • The profile of multi disciplinary working should be raised on course teaching and reinforced through PLOs.