External Examiner nomination
A consolidated taught course External Examiner policy has now been approved by Senate. This policy document does not include any changes in policy since 2024/25 and instead brings together all policy information into a single point for clarity and ease.
All policy information has been removed from these External Examiner webpages and can instead be found in the policy noted above. The remaining information present on these External Examiner webpages is guidance and supplementary information.
For the purposes of these webpages, and the taught course External Examiner policy, ‘department’ can be read as interchangeable with ‘school’ or other equivalent. ‘Partnerships’ are included under references to ‘departments’ unless a partnerships-specific note is included.
Please note that the policy and information on these webpages relates specifically to taught course External Examiners. For Postgraduate Research External Examiners, please see the Postgraduate Research webpages and contact pgresearch@essex.ac.uk with any queries.
Sourcing External Examiners
Departments are encouraged to source External Examiners from different institutions in order that a wide range of academic experience and practice can contribute to the enhancement of academic provision at the University of Essex. Departments should not nominate academics based in different departments of institutions from which they have already appointed a current External Examiner where possible. However, an arrangement like this could be endorsed if sufficient supporting rationale is provided with the initial nomination. QUAD hold an overview of all current and outgoing External Examiners and can provide if needed.
Departments should seek to distribute the workload of their External Examiners evenly and in line with the principles which govern the taught course External Examiner policy. Module External Examiners should primarily be used for specialised content. Additional External Examiners(s) should be sourced where the workload is too high for the existing pool of External Examiners. High numbers of module External Examiners within a department can create administrative complexity and in some cases lead to an increase in workload and budgetary pressures. Departments are recommended to use supplementary module External Examiners sparingly and in line with the published appointment criteria, and should be cognizant that a rationale may be requested if the utilisation of module-only External Examiner appointments is questioned.
Diversity of External Examiners
As an institution the University should aim to have a suitably diverse External Examiner pool such that it reflects the richness and diversity of the higher education sector.
Departments are encouraged to review their appointment and recruitment strategies to ensure that this is reflected in the External Examiners they appoint. These External Examiners in turn will contribute to the inclusiveness of the University’s teaching, learning and assessment processes.
Nomination process and involved teams
There are multiple teams and steps involved in the nomination process. For a full workflow for both internal departments and partnerships, see the Nomination Workflow document (.pdf).
Timeline notes
Please note that while the Quality and Academic Development Team aim to complete all nominations within two months of receiving all appropriate information from the department, there may be delays from the External Examiner or from other teams involved in the process. Therefore, we strongly recommend that departments proactively work towards approaching new External Examiners and send Quality and Academic Development the relevant information as early as possible to reduce the risk of delay to new appointments.
Departments should aim for all gaps in External Examiner allocations for modules and courses to be filled before the start of the academic year. QUAD can provide a list of any schedule gaps upon request.
How to submit a nomination
University of Essex Departments
University of Essex departments use the External Examiner Nomination Portal.
Restricted to University of Essex staff, the External Examiner Nomination Portal is used by departmental/school staff for nominating an External Examiner, and for making changes to existing appointments. The system is an enhancement of the University's existing personnel management system iTrent, and will record details of External Examiner nominations, course/module allocations and decisions in the nomination approval process.
Nomination Portal: guidance for University of Essex staff
- Departmental User Nomination Guide (Taught Programmes) (.pdf)
- Head of Departmental Nomination Guide (Taught Programmes) (.pdf)
- External Examiner systems guidance for Faculty Deans (.pdf)
Partner institutions
Partner institutions use the External Examiner nomination form (.docx) and email it to external.examiners@essex.ac.uk.
External Examiner actions:
External Examiners have a number of actions they must complete throughout the nomination process as noted in the above timeline.
Complete the iTrent nomination information, which will include the upload of an up-to-date CV and passport.
Information on how to complete this stage can be found in the External Examiner New User Guide (.pdf)
They will also be asked to complete a Right to Work check. As part of this, they will need to provide evidence of Right to Work documentation in line with the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006. Further information about the Right to Work check and supporting documentation can be found in the External Examiner user guide. If required, additional information can also be found on the Right to Work webpage.
Once the Right to Work process has been finalised Quality and Academic Development will send the External Examiner
- Contract and payroll information
- A list of courses and modules for which they are responsible
- The previous External Examiner report (if available)
- A link to the taught course External Examiner policy
- A link to the previous training webinars and corresponding materials
The External Examiner will need to sign and return all appropriate paperwork. Once this is complete Quality and Academic Development will send the information to the Reward team for processing.
