External
examiner reportsExternal examiners are asked to submit their report electronically and on the University proforma 4 weeks after the final examination board.
The fee is not paid until the report has been received. The Academic Standards and Partnerships Office will write at intervals to examiners who appear to be late in submitting a report. If a report has not been received by 31 October for undergraduate reports and 31st March for postgraduate reports, the Pro-Vice Chancellor (Education) will write to the examiner concerned with a further reminder. If this is unsuccessful consideration will be given to terminating the examiner’s appointment on the grounds that the specified duties have not been fulfilled. Reports must be submitted within three months of the examination board to be considered 'received', since reports received after this point can no longer contribute meaningfully to other quality assurance mechanisms.
On receipt reports are sent, electronically, to the Head of Department (in the case of joint awards the report will be sent to the Heads of all relevant departments), the Departmental Administrator, the appropriate Education Manager(s) and Dean(s) and the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education).
Upon receipt of the external examiner report, the Head of Department/School should discuss the reports at a team level and make a considered and timely response to each external examiner’s report. The response should outline any action to be taken (or the reason why there will be no action if this is the case) in response to external examiners’ recommendations, copying this to the Dean, the Academic Standards and Partnerships Office and the relevant Education Manager. The Head of Department then reports back to the University in the relevant annual review of courses report.
The Dean does not routinely consult with the Head of Department on departmental level issues, unless they are of particular concern and require urgent action. The Dean considers external examiner reports to identify issues which cross departments and/or which merit consideration at the level of the faculty or at University level via the appropriate committee.
Undergraduate external examiner issues for faculty consideration are normally referred by the Dean to the Autumn term meeting of the Faculty Education Committee. Taught postgraduate external examiner issues are normally referred by the Dean to the Spring term meeting of the Faculty Education Committee. The consideration of issues in this way enables departments to reflect upon relevant Faculty Education Committee discussions of external examiner issues when finalising their annual review of courses reports.
Copies of correspondence between Heads of Departments and Deans or external examiners, including extracts of relevant Board minutes, will be collated by the Registry and forwarded to the Academic Standards and Partnerships Office to be held on file.
Students should have access to external examiner reports, via their representatives on Faculty Education Committee and on Departmental Student Staff Liaison Committees.
Page last updated: 30 September 2013