External Examiner Nomination Form

QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY BELFAST

EXTERNAL EXAMINER NOMINATION FORM

Section A: Remit of the External Examiner

External examiners are appointed as subject external examiners. A number of external examiners will also be appointed as programme external examiners.

Each programme should have a single programme external examiner, although the total number of subject external examiners should be sufficient to cover the range of topics and number of students.

The nature of the appointment determines the work which the external examiner is expected to undertake, and the requirements for attendance at Boards of Examiners meetings. Please see appendix 1 for details.

Please identify the Subject Board(s) of Examiners to which this external examiner will be appointed (e.g. American History Modules):

Name of Subject Board of Examiners / UG/PGT / Chair of Subject Board of Examiners

Please identify the modules which will fall within the remit of this external examiner:

Module Code / UG/PGT / Module Title
Yes / No

Please confirm if this will also be a Programme appointment:

If ‘Yes’, please identify the Programme(s) which will fall within the remit of this external examiner (e.g. BSc Human Biology):

Programme / UG/PGT / Chair of Programme Board of Examiners

Please provide the name and institutional affiliation of the current external examiner whom the nominee will replace (if applicable). Please note that an external examiner cannot be replaced by an individual from the same institution.

Section B: The Proposed External Examiner

B1: Personal and Professional Details

Full Name, Title and Qualifications
Present Post
Place of Work (Full Address)
Telephone No:
Fax No:
E-mail address:
Address for correspondence if different:

B2: Appointment Criteria

Does the proposed examiner have the right to work in the UK? / YES/NO
Has the proposed examiner agreed to be nominated for appointment? / YES/NO
Does the proposed examiner have experience as an external examiner for taught modules/programmes in the UK or Irish Higher Education sector? / YES/NO
If NO, please identify a mentor for the proposed examiner. A mentor should be a member of Queen’s staff, who has experience as an external examiner at another institution, and has no direct responsibility for the quality and standards of the provision under consideration.
Does the nominee hold an academic appointment at senior lecturer level or above? / YES/NO
If NO, please provide a rationale for the appointment, which should provide evidence of the level of the nominee’s experience in the following:
·  Knowledge and understanding of UK sector-agreed reference points for the maintenance of academic standards and assurance and enhancement of quality
·  Competence and experience in the fields covered by the module(s) or programme
·  Relevant academic and/or professional qualifications to at least the level of the qualification being externally examined, and/or extensive practitioner experience where appropriate
·  Competence and experience relating to designing and operating a variety of assessment tasks appropriate to the subject and operating assessment procedures
·  Sufficient standing, credibility and depth of experience within the discipline to be able to command the respect of academic peers and, where appropriate, professional peers
·  Familiarity with the standard to be expected of students to achieve the award that is to be assessed
·  Awareness of current developments in the design and delivery of relevant curricula
·  Competence and experience relating to the enhancement of the student learning experience.

B3: Conflicts of Interest

Please note that answering ‘Yes’ to any of the questions below will normally constitute a conflict of interest which will prohibit appointment as an external examiner. Requests for exemption, with a supporting rationale, should be outlined in Section C of this form.

Is the nominee an employee of Queen’s University Belfast? / YES/NO
Has the nominee been an employee of Queen’s University Belfast in the last five years? / YES/NO
Has the nominee been a student of Queen’s University Belfast in the last five years? / YES/NO
Has the nominee been an external examiner for taught programmes at Queen’s University Belfast within the past five years? / YES/NO
Is the nominee a member of Queen’s governing body or of a Queen’s committee? / YES/NO
Is the nominee an employee of an institution listed on the Queen’s Register of Collaborative Provision Arrangements? / YES/NO
Is the nominee a member of the governing body of an institution listed on the Queen’s Register of Collaborative Provision Arrangements? / YES/NO
Does the nominee have a close professional, contractual or personal relationship with a member of staff or student involved in the module(s) or programme of study? / YES/NO
Are there any members of staff from the nominee’s home institution registered on the module(s) or programme of study? / YES/NO
Has the nominee any personal or professional connections which could be perceived as influencing the future of students on the module(s) or programme of study? / YES/NO
Has the nominee been significantly involved in recent or current substantive collaborative research activities with a member of staff closely involved in the delivery, management or assessment of the module(s) or programme of study? / YES/NO

Please outline any external examiner appointments which the nominee currently holds, including dates and terms of office. Please note that external examiners are not normally permitted to hold more than two external examiner appointments (including the Queen’s appointment) at any point in time. Requests for exemption, with a supporting rationale, should be outlined in Section C of this form.

Position held / Dates of Appointment

Please note that the appointment of more than one external examiner from the same department of the same institution is not permitted. Requests for exemption, with a supporting rationale, should be outlined in Section C of this form.

Please note that reciprocal arrangements are not permitted, and as such an external examiner shall not normally be appointed from a department of another institution in which a member of staff from Queen’s is serving as an external examiner. Requests for exemption, with a supporting rationale, should be outlined in Section C of this form.

Please outline the proposed date(s) of appointment. Please note that external examiners are normally appointed for a period of four years, meaning four years’ service within Queen’s as a whole, not a particular subject. Requests for exemption, with a supporting rationale, should be outlined in Section C of this form.

Date of commencement
Date of termination

Section C: Requests for exemption from appointment criteria

Please identify the section of the form to which the request relates
Please outline the rationale for the request

All requests for exemption will be considered on an individual basis by the University Education Committee. Please provide sufficient information to enable the Committee to reach a decision.

Section D: Curriculum Vitae

Please attach a full CV of the proposed external examiner, to include previous experience as an internal/external examiner together with other relevant experience.

Section E: Endorsement of nomination

Is the nomination endorsed? / Signature/Date
Head of School / YES/NO

Appendix 1: Roles and Responsibilities of External Examiners

Subject External Examiner / Programme External Examiner
Primary role / Moderator – ensuring that the assessment system is equitable and is fairly operated / Consultant – ensuring that the degrees awarded by Queen’s are comparable in standard with those awarded in other UK or Irish universities, and are consistent with the requirements of the UK Quality Code for Higher Education.
Key tasks / Approving draft examination papers and other significant components of assessed work, ensuring that they accurately reflect the syllabus. / Reviewing the degree programmes (the sequence and nature of the modules necessary to complete a degree), commenting on their alignment with the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications and any relevant Subject Benchmark Statements.
Considering all other forms of assessment to be used for the module(s). / Acting as a critical friend to the department.
Ensuring that the content of a module accurately reflects the module description/outline.
Ensuring that internal marking is consistent, by seeing a selection of scripts.
Highlighting examples of major concentration on one or two questions.
Contributing to the ratification of marks by the Subject Board of Examiners meeting; this may include, in exceptional circumstances, advising on any proposed scaling of marks at a cohort level. / Contributing to progression and award decisions taken by the Programme Board of Examiners meeting.
Approving the final mark sheets for the module(s). / Approving the classifications or unclassified results for the cohort.
Highlighting and encouraging good practice. / Highlighting and encouraging good practice.
Attendance requirements / Full member of relevant Subject Board. Attendance is encouraged but not required. If not present, must have contributed fully to the moderation process and have approved the final list of marks. / Full member of relevant Programme Board. Attendance is required.
Reporting requirements / Oral report to each meeting of the relevant Subject Board (if not present, written comments should be provided). / Oral report to each meeting of the relevant Programme Board.
Annual written report, using the approved University template, to the Head of Academic Affairs. / Annual written report, using the approved University template, to the Head of Academic Affairs.

Further information on the Roles and Responsibilities of Subject and Programme external examiners is available in the Code of Practice on Examinations and Assessment. Relevant excerpts from the Study Regulations are provided below.

Boards of Examiners: Regulations on Composition and Remit

Subject Boards: the Head of School shall be responsible for ensuring that a Subject Board of Examiners is established for each subject taught by the School or in conjunction with a collaborative partner. The members shall be drawn from the academic staff teaching the subject.

The Subject Board(s) shall agree marks for all modules in that subject. Boards dealing with modules whose results contribute to the final Honours classification shall include within their membership the external examiner(s) appointed by the Education Committee on behalf of Academic Council for that subject.

Programme Boards: the Head of School shall be responsible for ensuring that a Programme Board of Examiners is established to deal with every programme offered by the School. If a programme involves more than one School, the Heads of School shall decide which one of them shall have overall responsibility for the Programme Board. The Programme Board shall consist of one or more representatives of each Subject Board contributing to the programme. For programmes involving more than one subject, the Chairperson and Secretary shall be agreed by the relevant Head of School. The Programme Board shall be responsible for dealing with student progress, transfer to the Ordinary degree, and Honours classification.

Where appropriate the Subject and Programme Boards may be combined into one single Board.