Friday 01-01-2016 - 16:10

What is an External Examiner?
External Examiners are independent specialists who assess the quality of the learning and teaching provision on your subject or programme of study. They are normally academics or staff members at another UK university. They advise academic staff on any changes proposed for your programme and they ensure that correct procedures have been followed on decisions made by the results and awards assessment boards.

Having active and independent External Examiners enables MMU to comply with the UK Quality Code for Higher Education that is outlined by The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA).

What do they do?
At MMU we have two types of External Examiners: Award and Subject.

MMU’s Award External Examiners are appointed to:

Make sure that every individual student is treated fairly and equally  

Make sure that the standard of the University’s awards (i.e. its degrees) is maintained

Make sure that all assessments are carried out in accordance with the University Assessment Regulations

MMU’s Subject External Examiners are:

Consulted on any changes which are proposed to your course

Consulted about the design and content of assessments and involved in the approval of assessment elements

Involved in the moderation of coursework and exam scripts

External Examiners are not involved in the marking process and will not be asked to alter individual student marks. You can find details of your Subject External Examiners in your course handbook or via Moodle.

External Examiner Reports
Each year, once the assessment boards have taken place, all of MMU’s External Examiners complete a report. Reports from your Subject External Examiner will be looked at in your Programme Committee. This usually occurs in the first meeting of the autumn term. These reports will cover areas such as administration and procedures, assessments, student performance, good practice and enhancement.

Subject External Examiners are encouraged to provide a summary of issues for the Programme team to address. Your Programme Leader is responsible for responding to the External Examiner regarding issues raised.

What is my role in this process?
Your Programme Committee will consider the reports from your Subject External Examiners, including the response drafted by your Programme Leader. As a Course Rep, you are encouraged to contribute to discussions concerning the report and the response made by the Programme Leader, based on general feedback you’ve gathered to assess how students on that course are feeling.

It is not your responsibility to make the report available to the other students on your course, although you can direct them to it if you wish.  External Examiner reports for your programme, including the Programme Leader’s response, will be posted on your Moodle programme area.

You can find more information about External Examiners here.