External examining of taught programmes policy

This policy is intended for their information, as well as for Deans, Associate Deans, staff involved in assessment and members of Boards of Examiners. This policy is informed by the University’s strategy around integrity and ensuring academic excellence and aligns with relevant University policies and external requirements, including the QAA External Examiner Principles, the QAA expectations on external expertise in the UK Quality Code and Chapter B6 of the UK Quality Code on Assessment of students and Accreditation of Prior Learning. 

1. The Purpose and Importance of External Examining

1.1 The External Examining system is a vital component of the University’s quality assurance and enhancement process. External Examiners provide an independent and impartial judgement and advice on the quality assurance and enhancement processes of the University. The external examining process assists the University in providing a high-quality academic experience and contributes to its on-going enhancement efforts.

1.2 External Examiners are Associate members of staff and full members of the relevant Board(s) of Examiners.

1.3 The External Examiners ensure: 

• academic standards and comparability and consistency of the University’s taught provision in relation to relevant national subject benchmark statements, the national qualifications frameworks, the UK Quality Code, and the requirements of relevant Professional and Statutory Bodies;
• independent critical review of taught provision;
• fairness and transparency in assessment and that awards made by the University are appropriate; and
• inclusivity and equity in teaching, learning and assessment throughout the University’s taught provision.

1.4 The University recognises the importance and mutual benefit of the work undertaken by staff as External Examiners for other institutions. It is expected that staff agree with their line manager the time they will need to fulfil their duties as External Examiners. In accepting the role of External Examiner, the University expects that the examiner has agreed with his/her own institution the time they need to fulfil their duties. 

2. Appointments

2.1 Appointment process

2.1.1 External Examiners are appointed by the central Quality and Academic Standards office through delegated authority by the University Court on the recommendation of the relevant Programme or Module Leader and Associate Dean (Quality Assurance and Enhancement). Appointments are noted by the Quality Assurance and Enhancement Committee.

2.1.2 When a vacancy arises, the Associate Dean (Quality Assurance and Enhancement) is responsible for nominating an appropriate successor in consultation with the School and the central Quality and Academic Standards office. Before making such a recommendation the Programme or Module Leader should ensure that the nominee meets the essential appointment criteria set out in Section 2.2.

2.1.3 Schools must have a robust consultation process for the selection of appropriate nominees. The consultation process should include appropriate teaching staff, i.e. the relevant Module or Programme Leader, the School’s Associate Dean (Quality Assurance and Enhancement), or their nominee, and the prospective External Examiner.

2.1.4 The central Quality and Academic Standards office reserves the right to refuse nominations where application forms are incomplete, or the nominee does not meet the essential criteria. Schools must provide supporting documentation, i.e., a recent full CV. 

2.1.5 Where a nomination does not fulfil all the essential criteria, a case for an exception can be made by the School to the Director of Quality and Academic Standards. Where appropriate, the School must clarify an External Examiner support plan with the central Quality and Academic Standards Office as set out in Section 2.3.6 Exceptions.

2.1.6 All final decisions on the appointment of External Examiners are carried out by the central Quality and Academic Standards office, and Schools should not operate under the assumption that a nomination will be approved.

2.1.7 To ensure the University meets its statutory obligations that all workers have a right to work in the UK under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006, Schools must check that nominees for undergraduate programmes and modules are legally permitted to work in the UK.

2.1.8 For guidance on the application process, Schools should refer to the External Examiner School Guidance.

2.2 Essential appointment criteria

2.2.1 To guarantee the competence of External Examiners in fulfilling their responsibilities, Schools must ensure that nominees match all the following criteria:

• sufficient standing, credibility and breadth of experience within the discipline to be able to command the respect of academic peers and, where appropriate, professional peers;
• relevant academic and/or professional qualifications to at least the level of the qualification being externally examined, and/or extensive practitioner experience where appropriate;
• The nominee is active, normally through employment, in the relevant discipline area, by working in Higher Education or in the applicable profession
• current expert knowledge and understanding of the UK higher education sector and the relevant discipline area, including key reference points such as subject benchmarking statements and the SCQF, to support academic standards and quality enhancement;
• familiarity with the standard to be expected of students to achieve the award that is to be assessed;
• competence and experience in the design and operation of a variety of assessment tasks appropriate to the subject as well as assessment procedures;
• awareness of current developments in the design and delivery of relevant curricula;
• fluency in English, and where programmes are delivered and assessed in languages other than English, fluency in the relevant language(s); and
• competence and experience relating to the enhancement of the student learning experience;

2.2.2 Additional criteria:

• residence within the UK and has the right to work in the UK;
• at least 5 years’ experience of teaching within UK HE that is current within the last 5 years of appointment; and
• meeting applicable criteria set by professional, statutory or regulatory bodies.

2.3 Exceptions to the above

2.3.1 In exceptional circumstances, the School may consider candidates who do not meet the essential criteria in cases of candidates considered through:

• Business
• Industry
• Profession
• Are required as part of PSRB accreditation 

2.3.2 When a nominated External Examiner lacks prior experience, the School must provide appropriate support to allow them to gain the necessary knowledge and experience. An appropriate support plan includes appointing a mentor, registering for training opportunities, e.g., through AdvanceHE, and peer support.

2.3.3 If a nominee has insufficient knowledge about national reference points, such as the threshold standards expressed within the Frameworks for HE Qualifications of UK Degree-Awarding Bodies, and, when applicable, the relevant Subject Benchmark Statements, they may still be considered for appointment under exceptional circumstances:

• Where the programme is extremely niche;
• the School is unable to locate any suitable nominees based within the UK; and
• The nominee’s non-UK experience is a tangible benefit.

2.3.4 In cases where a nominee does not have fluency in English or the required language, the School must ensure adequate support is provided to the External Examiner to carry out their duties. This support can include supervision and mentoring by another External Examiner within the School. Arrangements must be discussed and approved by the Director of Quality and Academic Standards.

2.3.5 The central Quality and Academic Standards office will not ordinarily approve nominations for Externals Examiners whose usual residency is outside the UK, including the Republic of Ireland, unless the School can provide a detailed rationale (see below).

2.3.6 Schools should discuss potential appointments that do not meet the essential criteria with the central Quality and Academic Standards office, and if they elect to proceed with an application ensure they submit a rationale detailing:

• The efforts made by the School to find a nominee who meets the essential criteria;
• The nominees experience within their subject area; and
• The School’s support plan to ensure that quality assurance and academic standards are maintained.

2.4 Conflicts of interest

2.4.1 Persons appointed as External Examiners should be independent of the University, its affiliates, subsidiaries, the governing body and relevant partners. External Examiners should not have any direct interests or ties to the University which might be sufficient to cast doubts upon their impartiality. Specifically, the central Quality and Academic Standards office will refuse appointment to individuals in any of the following categories: 

• a current employee, or a member of the University Court, other University committees, or one of the University collaborative partners;
• anyone with a close professional, contractual or personal relationship with a member of staff or student involved with the programme of study;
• former staff or students of the University unless a period of five years has elapsed and all students taught by or with the External Examiner have completed their programme;
• an External Examiner from another institution when that institution appoints one from the first institution in a cognate programme in return (reciprocal arrangement);
• anyone who is, or knows they will be, in a position to influence significantly the future of students on the programme of study beyond the examination; and
• anyone significantly involved in recent or current substantive collaborative research or teaching activities with a member of staff closely involved in the delivery, management or assessment of the programme(s) or modules in question.

2.4.2 The central Quality and Academic Standards office will seek to avoid reciprocal appointments with cognate programmes of other institutions and will not usually approve an External Examiner from a department of another institution if a member of staff of the Dundee School is serving at the same institution. 

2.4.3 The External Examiner should not typically replace a colleague from their department and institution.

2.4.4 More than one External Examiner from the same department of the same institution should not ordinarily be appointed.

2.5 Disclosing intimate relationships

2.5.1 External Examiners must disclose intimate relationships that may, or may be perceived to, lead to a conflict of interest. Disclosures should be reported to the relevant School and conveyed to the central Quality and Academic Standards office.

2.5.2 Where there is a limited pool of External Examiners, and a conflict of interests is unavoidable, the School must arrange oversight by another External Examiner within the School as a safeguard against a conflict of interests or the perception of conflicts. 

2.6 Terms of office

2.6.1 External Examiners are appointed for a period of four years. External Examiners may be appointed for no more than four years, although under exceptional circumstances (e.g. when a programme is coming to an end), a further one-year extension may be considered to ensure continuity.

2.6.2 No person who has held office for a continuous period of three or more years is eligible for reappointment until a period of five years or more has elapsed since their last appointment.

2.6.3 Former staff or students of the University shall not be eligible for appointment as an External Examiner unless a period of five years has elapsed from the date of demitting office or graduation respectively, and all students taught by or with the External Examiner have completed their programme(s).

2.6.4 A person appointed as External Examiner may not normally hold simultaneously more than one other external examinership for taught programmes at another institution during the period of appointment as an External Examiner for the University.

2.7 Contingency

2.7.1 If an External Examiner cannot fulfil their duties due to unforeseen circumstances, the School should try to find a replacement in time for the Board(s) of Examiners. If finding a replacement is not possible, the School should ask another External Examiner from the School to take over the responsibilities of the absent Examiner.

2.7.2 The School must notify the central Quality and Academic Standards office of an External Examiner’s early withdrawal from an agreed appointment. 

2.8 Change of circumstances

2.8.1 The School must notify the central Quality and Academic Standards office of a change of circumstances that impacts on, or is perceived to impact on, an External Examiners ability to carry out their duties in an impartial manner. The central Quality and Academic Standards office will review the change to ensure there is no conflict of interest.

2.8.2 If a conflict of interest arises due to a change in circumstances, the appointment will be terminated, and the School must make alternative arrangements (see 2.7 Contingency).

2.8.3 Upon retirement, leaving academia or industry related post, it is expected that the External Examiner would finish their tenure as External Examiner at the end of that academic year. The External Examiner should inform the School of their retirement date or date in which they will finish their current role. In these cases, External Examiners will not be eligible for an extension.

However, if an External Examiner can demonstrate that they have continuing involvement in the academic area concerned, they may be able to eligible to finish their tenure as an External Examiner. Schools should discuss these cases with the programme leader, External Examiner and the QAS Office. 

2.9 Appointment and induction

2.9.1 When the Director of Quality and Academic Standards approves an External Examiner’s appointment, the central Quality and Academic Standards office will send an invitation to the External Examiner to accept their appointment. The invitation will consist of a formal letter of appointment outlining terms and conditions, fees, and modules/programmes covered by the External Examiner.

2.9.2 The School must arrange suitable inductions for all new External Examiners.

2.10 Data retention

2.10.1 The University will process personal data about External Examiners for the purpose of carrying out its examining procedures. The University may publish External Examiner names and their home institution in student handbooks, the University’s website or within its learning environment. In accepting the appointment, External Examiners give their consent to such processing, storage, use and publication.

2.10.2 The central Quality and Academic Standards office will hold personal data in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Unless required by law, the central Quality and Academic Standards office will not disclose personal details without the External Examiners consent.

2.11 Termination of appointment

2.11.1 An appointment may be terminated early, and at any point of the academic year, by the School, central Quality and Academic Standards or the External Examiner. Request for the early termination of an External Examiner’s contract by the School will only be considered in exceptional circumstances by the Director of Quality and Academic Standards in consultation with the relevant Associate Dean (Quality Assurance and Enhancement).

2.11.2 The central Quality and Academic Standards office will provide one month’s notice of termination.

2.11.3 External Examiners who wish to terminate their appointment early must give written notice with sufficient time to allow the School to find a replacement, at least three months, and where possible should complete their duties for the current academic year to the best of their ability. 

2.11.4 Appointments may be terminated by the University under the following circumstances:

• failure to attend Board(s) of Examiners by the External Examiner, where attendance is necessary, without making alternative arrangements;
• failure to submit reports by the External Examiner, or the provision of incomplete reports;
• an unresolvable conflict of interests where the External Examiner also fails to resign;
• The External Examiner’s circumstances change in such a way that they are no longer compliant with the External Examiner appointment criteria set out in section 2.2 of this policy.
• The programme(s) or module(s) being examined have been withdrawn or reconfigured in such as a way that an External Examiner is no longer required.
• failure of the External Examiner to adhere to confidentiality of student data by discussing, revealing or making copies or passing on information to any other person or entity;
• mishandling of confidential student data held by the External Examiner that leads to the accidental sharing of information;
• irreconcilable breakdown in the relationship between the School and the External Examiner; and
• inappropriate behaviour by the External Examiner towards University staff and/or students.

2.11.5 The School is responsible for evidencing the External Examiner’s unprofessional behaviour or lack of engagement to the central Quality and Academic Standards office for review by the Director of Quality and Academic Standards. 

2.11.6 Final decisions of termination are made by the Director of Quality and Academic Standards following discussion with the relevant Associate Dean (Quality Assurance and Enhancement) on behalf of the University Court. The central Quality and Academic Standards office will issue a letter of termination to the External Examiner.

2.11.7 Where an External Examiner has been terminated, they shall receive their agreed fee only if they have submitted an annual report to the University. 

3. Information required on appointment

3.1 Letter of appointment

3.1.1 The central Quality and Academic Standards office must issue a letter of appointment for the acceptance of the External Examiner within a reasonable time from the approval of the Director of Quality and Academic Standards or their nominee. 

3.1.2 Once the External Examiner accepts the terms and conditions outlined in the appointment letter, the central Quality and Academic Standards office will inform the School of the successful appointment. 

3.2 Successful appointment

3.2.1 On appointment, the School must provide the External Examiner the below information:

• name(s) and contact details of academic and administration leads;
• list of modules associated with the role;
• an overview of the workload and anticipated student numbers;
• programme and module specifications;
• the student handbook(s);
• degree regulations;
• assessment criteria;
• information relating to requirements of Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Bodies (PSRBs), where relevant;
• copies of examination papers from previous years, where appropriate;
• details of methods of assessment including the way in which the results of individual papers or other unit of assessment are aggregated, averaged or profiled to produce an overall result;
• details of any exemption schemes;
• trimester dates and proposed dates for meetings of the Board(s) of Examiners;
• a statement of the School's examination procedures;
• a copy of the External Examiners Handbook;
• onboarding information for the External Examiners’ portal; and
• any information reasonable to the EE for them to complete their duties.

3.2.2 Schools are responsible for updating the relevant programme/module information as necessary during the period of appointment. 

3.3 Induction

3.3.1 Schools must arrange for an appropriate briefing and induction for External Examiners that should cover the following:

• Thank you to the EEs;
• Background information on the University and context of the School;
• Academic regulations and policies;
• University quality assurance and enhancement;
• EE role and responsibilities;
• Blackboard and the VLE;
• Academic year and assessment cycle;
• Board(s) of Examiners;
• Assessment policy;
• PSRBs and accreditation;
• Collaborative partnerships;
• Annual report;
• Other involvement;
• Fees and remuneration; and
• Support and contacts.

4. Responsibilities of External Examiners

An External Examiner has specific duties and responsibilities, including:

• Commenting on the academic standards of the module/programme;
• Judging student attainment;
• Membership and attendance of Board(s) of Examiners; and
• Producing an annual report providing feedback to the School on the above.
• Additionally, External Examiners are responsible for the following:
• Reporting conflicts of interest to the School;
• Reporting a change of circumstances to the School; and
• Behaving professionally and appropriately to the role.

4.1 Commenting on the academic standards of the module/programme

4.1.1 External Examiners must respond to communications from the School to agree on what constitutes ‘appropriate examination scripts and coursework submissions’. Additionally, External Examiners must ensure that the School has supplied sufficient evidence to determine that internal marking has been appropriate and adequate.

4.1.2 External Examiners will review a sample of scripts drawn from the top, middle and bottom of the mark range, as well as all borderline candidates.

4.2 Judging student attainment

4.2.1 External Examiners may be required to conduct oral examinations and, in cases where only a proportion of candidates are chosen for oral examinations, should agree in advance with the School(s) the principles governing the selection of candidates. 

4.2.2 External Examiners should, where possible, have the same degree of involvement in both the content and the marking of practical assessments/as they have for written papers. 

4.2.3 Where applicable, External Examiners should have appropriate oversight of clinical examinations, and in certain instances may be required to take part in the examination process. 

4.2.4 External Examiners may meet students on programmes they examine with the agreement of the School concerned. 

4.3 Board(s) of Examiners

4.3.1 External Examiners must note the dates of Board(s) of Examiners where attendance is necessary. In cases where attendance is not possible, the External Examiner must promptly contact the School to make alternative arrangements.

4.3.2 External Examiners must arrive at meetings of the Board(s) of Examiners prepared, having read all available documentation. They should be ready to provide general comments to help the Board make final decisions.

4.3.3 External Examiners must adhere to confidentiality and must not share any information after meetings.

4.4 The External Examiners' Reports

4.4.1 External Examiners' Reports and related correspondence are used extensively in the University’s quality assurance and enhancement processes including as part of its annual and periodic programme review process.

4.4.2 External Examiners are required to report to the Vice-Principal (Education) annually on a pro forma provided by the central Quality and Academic Standards office. The pro forma follows the recommendations of the relevant sections of the QAA Quality Code and QAA External Examiner principles. 

4.4.3 External Examiners must submit their reports through the External Examiner Portal within the specified submission dates provided on the External Examiner Portal. 

4.4.4 When producing their annual report, the External Examiner should consider the following:

• Processes and procedures
• The adequacy of information supplied on the programme structure, content and methods of assessment;
• the administration of the examination process;
• the sufficiency of access to coursework to enable the exercise of effective external judgement;
• the adequacy of opportunities to see scripts of borderline candidates;
• the sufficiency of access to an appropriate number and range of papers to enable a view to be formed that internal marking was appropriate and consistent;
• The curriculum
• the sufficiency of the definition of the programme aims sufficiently and appropriateness of the subject matter;
• the appropriateness of the programme structure and content in relation to the level at which it is taught and assessed;
• Assessment and examination
• the impartial and equitable procedures followed by the Board of Examiners;
• the appropriateness of the assessment processes to the subject, level and intended learning outcomes and to the students;
• the comprehensiveness of examinations/assessments regarding the programme examined;
• the adequacy of facilities and material for practical and/or clinical examinations;
• Academic Standard and Student Performance
• the quality and effectiveness of teaching and the methods used as far as can be determined through scrutiny of assessed work;
• the failure rates;
• the comparability of the distribution of final honours classifications with other UK institutions;
• the consistency of outcomes achieved by students with standards in other UK universities;
• the alignment with national subject benchmarks, the SCQF, programme specifications and PSRB requirements; and
• Review
• how any issues raised in last year’s annual report have been either addressed, or responded to, by the Programme Leader.

4.5 Consultation with External Examiners on other matters

4.5.1 External Examiners may be consulted on or asked to provide oversight in the following areas:

• recognition of prior learning and/or articulation agreements where credit obtained elsewhere contributes to an award of the University;
• student placement activities where these are integral to the award;
• the introduction of new programmes or modules within their area of expertise;
• any substantial changes to the programmes for which they are External Examiner; and
• the production of the Reflective Analysis for Periodic Programme Reviews.

4.5.2 In significantly complex cases of academic dishonesty, External Examiners may be, under exceptional circumstances, be consulted on the proposed outcome of a case to ensure fairness. The External Examiner should not be involved in the investigation of the case. Where a School seeks to consult an External Examiner, they should first contact the central Quality and Academic Standards Office for guidance prior to contacting the External Examiner.

4.6 Raising Serious Concerns

4.6.1 External Examiners may also submit confidential reports raising any matter of serious concern to the Principal and Vice-Chancellor, to which a response detailing the actions taken will be made within three months of receiving the report.

4.6.2 Should serious concerns relating to systemic failings with the academic standards of a programme, or programmes fail to be addressed by internal procedures of the University, including the submission of a confidential report to the Principal and Vice-Chancellor, External Examiners may invoke the QAA’s Scottish Concerns Scheme. 

5. Senior External Examiners

5.1 The purpose of Senior External Examiners

5.1.1 The role of the Senior External Examiner is to provide strategic oversight of a School’s curriculum portfolio during periods of significant disruption, such as industrial action, institutional restructuring, or a pandemic. They may also be called upon to provide continuity where the appointed External Examiner is temporarily unable to fulfil their duties.

5.2 Senior External Examiner Appointment Process

5.2.1 Schools should follow the same appointment process outlined s.2 of this policy and should make clear on the appointment form that they are requesting a senior External Examiner and the reason for their proposed appointment.

5.3 Conditions for Senior External Examiner Appointments

5.3.1 The appointment of a senior External Examiner will normally be considered in the following circumstances:

• Where there is significantly disruptive event, such as industrial action or pandemic, that is likely to affect the School’s ability to meet their obligations under the External Examiner policy;
• Where there is an absence of an external examiner at a School exam Board;
• Where multiple external examiners moderate different parts of the programme, a senior External Examiner can be nominated to assure the quality and academic standards across the whole programme;
• Where an external examiner with appropriate professional experience, but limited academic experience, a senior external examiner can be appointed in order to mentor the incoming external examiner.

5.4 Criteria for Appointment

5.4.1 In addition to the regular external examiner appointment criteria specified in s.2.2 and s.2.3 of this policy, the nominee must be an existing external examiner and have served for at least one academic year within the same School or Division seeking the appointment of the senior External Examiner.

5.5 Responsibilities of Senior External Examiners

5.5.1 In addition to their regular duties as an external examiner, senior external examiners are expected to:

• Provide high-level external oversight and feedback on the quality assurance processes and standards of Schools, including assessment and curriculum;
• Advise on consistency, fairness, and alignment with sector standards;
• Where appropriate, mentor any existing external examiners who have limited academic experience, but adequate professional experience;
• Where existing external examiners who have limited academic experience, but adequate professional experience, a senior external examiner can examine programme level areas with the professional specialist focussing on module level areas;
• Support External Examiners and School teams in maintaining academic integrity;
• Comment on trends, good practice, and areas for enhancement;
• Any other duties as reasonably required by the role.

5.6 Senior External Examiner Fee

5.6.1 Senior External Examiners will receive a fee of £150 in addition to their standard external examiner fee for their duties as a senior External Examiner.

6. Responsibilities of the central Quality and Academic Standards office

The central Quality and Academic Standards office has responsibilities towards:

• the University;
• the University’s Schools;
• the University’s students;
• External Examiners;
• external regulatory bodies; and
• other stakeholders.

6.1 University

6.1.1 The central Quality and Academic Standards office must: 

• assure appropriate External Examiners are appointed by adhering to this policy and the QAA’s External Examining Principles;
• ensure that University policies and guidelines about quality assurance and enhancement align with the expectations of the QAA and SFC through regular review;
• maintain a register of External Examiner reports in line with the University’s data retention policy;
• provide an annual report to the Quality Assurance and Enhancement Committee to review and analyse the previous External Examiner report cycle; and
• ensure Associate Deans (Quality Assurance and Enhancement) are inducted on the External Examining principles upon their appointment.

6.2 Schools

6.2.1 The central Quality and Academic Standards office will:

• provide advice and training to professional services and academic staff involved in the appointment and management of External Examiners;
• communicate clearly and in a timely manner when appointments cannot be approved;
• provide finalised signed letters of appointment and signed appointment pro-formas in a timely manner to enable Schools to finalise appointments with the Directorate of People;
• assist Schools in the process of early termination of appointments of External Examiners;
• ensure that Schools have access to the External Examiner data dashboard;
• review amendments and extensions for approval in a timely manner; and
• maintain a central register of appointment and periods of tenure to avoid inadvertent conflicts of interest and to ensure that the pool of External Examiners is refreshed.

6.3 Students

6.3.1 The central Quality and Academic Standards office will:

• ensure that External Examiner reports contain no identifiable student information before uploading to the data dashboard; and
• support Schools to ensure that students are assessed fairly and transparently.

6.4 External Examiners

6.4.1 The central Quality and Academic Standards office will:

• communicate appointment decisions in a timely manner;
• maintain External Examiner confidentiality;
• store personal information in compliance with GDPR; and
• ensure External Examiners have access to the External Examiner portal.

6.5 External bodies and other stakeholders

6.5.1 The central Quality and Academic Standards office will:

• set and maintain the academic standards of the University’s degrees;
• engage with sector reference points and standards; and
• ensure that the central Quality and Academic Standards office team update quality assurance training as necessary in line with 

7. Responsibilities of Schools

Schools are required to address the following:

• Induction for new External Examiners
• External Examiner reports;
• External Examiner Fee;
• External Examination of Assessment; and
• Student participation. 

7.1 External Examiner Reports

7.1.1 The School Quality and Academic Standards Committee is responsible for:

• overseeing the External Examiners’ Reports,
• Ensure that the School responds to External Examiner reports
• reporting external examiner matters to the Quality and Academic Standards through the submission of the SQASC minute. 

7.1.2 The School must provide a response to External Examiners and submit the completed report to the Quality and Academic Standards office by the deadline specified by the QAS Office. 

7.1.3 When an External Examiner report is submitted, Schools must discuss issues where remedial action is required or recommended and provide an appropriate response to the External Examiner(s) concerning the issues raised in the report. 

7.1.4 The School should ensure that the workloads of External Examiners are appropriate. Where an external examiner is asked to assume additional modules or programmes, the School must agree this with the external examiner, prior to submitting an amendment form and should consider their existing workload.

7.1.5 Associate Deans (Education and student Experience, and Quality Assurance and Enhancement) are expected to make Examiners’ reports and associated correspondence available to the relevant teaching staff and student representatives. 

7.2 External Examiner Fee

7.2.1 From February 2025, fees for external examiners will be set by the QAS Office with the approval of the QAEC. 

7.2.2 The AY2024-25 external examiner fee will be a flat rate of £300. 

7.2.3 A higher fee can be considered under exceptional circumstances, such as an unusually high workload. In such circumstances, Schools would be required to make a case to the QAS Office for approval on the appointment form.

7.2.4 The QAEC will consider the level of the external examiner fee on an annual basis at the September meeting.

7.2.5 Payment of the External Examiner's fee is authorised on receipt of the annual Report. Payment is arranged by the relevant lead School. In doing so, Schools should ensure compliance with the University’s expenses policy.

7.2.6 Senior External Examiners will receive an supplementary fee of £150 in addition to their standard external examiner fee for their duties as a senior External Examiner. 

7.3 External Examining of Assessment

External Examiners are expected to have sufficient oversight of assessment elements within their remit and comply with the University’s assessment policy. 

7.3.1 Schools should ensure all examination scripts and coursework submissions that contribute to the final assessment are made available to External Examiners, with the expectation that an agreed sample will be scrutinised by External Examiners. 

7.3.2 Schools should ensure appropriate examination scripts and coursework submissions are provided to External Examiners in advance of the meeting of the Board of Examiners. The normal expectation is that a spectrum of scripts drawn from the top, middle and bottom of the mark range including all scripts of borderline candidates is scrutinised by External Examiners. 

7.3.3 The role of External Examiner(s) in the scrutiny of work at SHE (Scottish Higher Education) levels 1 and 2 (SCQF Levels 7 and 8) should be agreed between the School and the External Examiner(s). Whilst it is expected that there is appropriate external oversight of quality and standards for all credit awarded by the University, Schools should carefully consider the workload provided to the External Examiner. 

7.3.4 Where External Examiners are required to conduct oral examinations and, in cases where only a proportion of candidates are chosen for oral examinations, the School should agree in advance with the External Examiner), the principles governing the selection of candidates. 

7.3.5 Schools should ensure External Examiners should, where possible, have the same degree of involvement in both the content and the marking of practical assessments/as they have for written papers. 

7.3.6 Where applicable, Schools should ensure External Examiners have appropriate oversight of clinical examinations, and recognise that in certain instances, they may be required to take part in the examination process. 

7.3.7 External Examiners may meet students on programmes they examine with the agreement of the School concerned   

7.4 Student Participation

7.4.1 Schools must communicate the names, positions and institutions of External Examiners to students, normally through publication in the student handbooks. Alternatively, the information should be made available on the Virtual Learning Environment. 

7.4.1 Schools must retain full records of External Examiner Reports and provide students with access upon request in line with the University’s data protection policy. All students may access the reports relating to their programme of study, except for confidential reports submitted directly to the Principal and Vice-Chancellor.

7.4.2 Schools must invite student representatives to contribute to Schools’ consideration of External Examiners’ comments and recommendations contained within the External Examiner’s report. 

8. Responsibilities of the Quality Assurance and Enhancement Committee

8.1 Through delegated authority by the University Court, the University Quality Assurance and Enhancement Committee (QAEC) is responsible for:

• the oversight of the appointment, extension and amendments of external examiners; and
• the scrutiny of the annual External Examiners' report overview; and
• oversight and approval of any substantial changes to the external examiner policy and process.

9. Data Protection Statement

The University recognises and respects individual rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). 

The University respects your rights and preferences in relation to your data and if you wish to: update; access; erase; or limit the use of your information, please let us know by emailing [email protected] and we will respond to your request appropriately. If you wish to complain about the University’s use of your information, please contact [email protected]. You may also wish to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office.

For more information about how we use data, please visit the Data Protection website.