External Examining Project and Handbook

1. External Examining Project and Handbook • Howard Colley • Academic Associate HEA • November 2012

2. The HEA External Examining Project • From 2004-2008 the work focused on: • Facilitation of JISC mailbase for external examiners • Research projects: how external examiners judge standards; induction and briefing for non-academic externals; induction of external examiners across the HE sector; collaborative provision and external examining • Subject Centre registers for external examiners • Website for external examiners (subsequently the handbook) • http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/search/search?qt=external+examiner&type=main_resources

3. JISC mailbase • EXTERNAL-EXAMINERS@JISCMAIL.AC.UK • Has become an important recruitment tool - about 250 requests for external examiners so far in 2012 • Requests for external examiners for foundation degrees, undergrad and postgrad programmes, overseas collaborative provision, HE in FE programmes, programmes in Mandarin and Russian • More limited on discussion and topics in 2012 included: UKBA requirements, rates of pay for external advisers, reciprocal arrangements, credit frameworks, the new UK Quality Code

4. Recent reports on external examining • In 2009 Parliamentary select committee on standards in the HE sector • Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee; Eleventh Report;Students and Universities; July 2009 • This prompted a review by the QAA and also by UUK-GuildHE • Review of external examining arrangements in universities and colleges in the UK: Final Report and Recommendations; Universities UK 2011 • The QAA was committed to revising the code of practice including the section for external examining and the HEA to producing a web-based handbook

5. Some challenges for the external examining • Poor definition of role of external examiners in relation to: public and student understanding; examination boards; marking and moderation process; approving new programmes; collaborative provision • Lack of clarity in responsibilities between external examiners, senior/chief external examiners, specialist advisors • Poorly constructed guidance on the use of discretionary powers • Inadequate support for non-academic ‘practitioner’ external examiners • Brevity, and late receipt, of external examiner reports

6. Purpose of the handbook • To address some of challenges identified by the QAA and UUK-GuildHE report and the questioning of the quality and standards of degrees by the Parliamentary select committee • To fulfil one of the original objectives of the Academy’s external examining project: to consolidate existing resources into a single document • To provide ‘universal’ guidance for academics from the range of discipline areas, administrative staff and non-academic examiners

7. Scope of the handbook • For foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate programmes • ‘Dip-in’ reference source and hyperlinks to other resources • A resource for those not familiar with the external examining system (e.g. non-academic examiners, new foreign academic staff) • Case studies to reflect some common difficult situations facing external examiners • A dynamic document with regular updating

8. Structure of the handbook • The scope of the handbook • An outline of the external examining system • On becoming an external examiner • The external examiner in post • The report • Judging standards • Case studies • Appendices • Acknowledgements

9. Some key features of the handbook • External examining in the broader context of quality and standards • Induction for new external examiners • The external examiner as a ‘critical friend’ • Roles and rights of an external examiner • The evidence base • Examination boards, assessment regulations, moderation and scaling and classification of degrees • External examiners and the judgement of standards • The external examiner’s report

10. The changing role • Previously external examiners were primarily concerned with grading and confirming student marks seen as the final arbiter of student marks • Currently they are part of a team moderating student marks as part of a procedure that commonly involves specimen answers, double marking, internal moderation • Currently, modularisation in disciplines with large student numbers commonly sees a two-tier system of external examiners (module & programme level) • Currently external examiners may have a role as critical friends and advocates in the enhancement of the student experience

11. Case studies • A representative collection of case studies based around some common problems raised in Academy workshops and on the JISC mailbase. The issues covered include: • Marking problems not addressed by staff • Use of discretionary powers by examination board • Lack of response to major issues raised in the external examiner’s report • http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/externalexamining/Handbook-External-Examining-2012

12. Quality Code B7 -Threshold standards One of the difficult areas for a new external examiner is how to judge standards. The new Quality Code provides the following guidance External examiners are to judge threshold standards Threshold academic standards are the level of achievement that a student has to reach to gain an academic award. For equivalent awards, the threshold level of achievement should be the same across the UK.

13. Subject benchmarks – threshold standards • Considerable variation in the description of threshold standards from subject to subject. Descriptions range from a short paragraph to several pages or are set out in a comparative grid with ‘excellent’ and ‘typical’ thresholds • Some professional disciplines link the threshold to the requirements of PSRBs • A number of subjects expect a threshold level to show quite variable student achievement across a programme’s modules

14. Threshold standards summary

15. Further developments of the project • Further distribution of the handbook through the JISC mailbase • Dissemination through quality assurance web pages on institutional websites • Handbook to provide support for internal training days • Subject-specific workshops and additional subject specific material appended to handbook • Further case studies added to handbook

16. An internal training day for aspiring external examiners • Aims • Initial preparation of staff to take on external examiner duties • Raise awareness of the role and responsibilities of external examiner • Create a local network of experienced and new external examiners • Participants • Aspiring external examiners • Recently appointed external examiners • Cohort of experienced external examiners

17. A training day • Scene setting & context: broad outline of the role; UK Quality Code; institutional expectations of EEs; identification of resources for EEs • Case histories from cohort of experienced EEs: how they became an EE; how they carry out the role; challenges and rewards • Discussion with experienced EEs: guardian of standards and critical friend • Small group sessions: led by experienced EE to identify the requirements for being an effective EE • Feedback and summing up: institutional plans to support aspiring EEs

18. Qualities, capabilities & attitudes identified by experienced external examiners • Reflection (on decisions & consequences) • Form, express & justify opinion & judgements • Use of diplomacy & negotiating skills • Willingness to challenge poor practice and unfairness • Willingness to act in the best interest of the student • Capacity to prioritise work and work quickly

19. Qualities, capabilities & attitudes identified by experienced external examiners • Acknowledging & empathising with differing institutional practice and ability to transfer own knowledge to new teaching and learning contexts with no ‘baggage’ • Use of experience to offer help and support to subject teams and willingness to share good practice (critical friend) • Providing timely and constructive reports • Integrity, enthusiasm, stamina, motivation