APPENDIX 14

EXTERNAL EXAMINERS NOMINATION AND APPROVAL FORMHigher Degrees and Research Masters Degrees

Please read this form and the guidelines for appointment fully before completion, and consult the Quality Assurance Office if you have a query regarding a nomination.

Once supervisors have completed this form, it should be sent electronically to the Quality Assurance Office () along with a copy of the candidate’s curriculum vitae. Approval for the appointment is then sought from the Research Officer and the Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Vice-Chancellor or a Pro Vice-Chancellor on behalf of Senate. This recommendation is then recorded at the end of this form and the Quality Assurance Office informs the relevant parties of the outcome.

Procedure for the Appointment of External Examiners for Research

Appointment of External Examiner for PhD students

i. The Supervisor will discuss possible examiners with the candidate;

ii. The Supervisor will submit a Nomination and Approval Form, and a CV for the proposed examiner to the Quality Assurance (QA) Office;

iii. The QA Office will then send the nomination to the Research Officer and the Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Vice-Chancellor or a Pro Vice-Chancellor on behalf of Senate for approval. Once the nomination has been approved by the Research Officer and on behalf of Senate, the QA Office will notify the Research Officer, Supervisor and Registry Office.

iv. The Supervisor and the Research Officer will submit the ‘Notice of Intention to Submit a Thesis for a Higher Degree’ form to the Registry Office, including the name of the approved External Examiner, and the examination procedure will commence.

Appointment of External Examiner for MA, MPhil or MSc student

i. For examiners appointed on an individual thesis basis:

  • The Supervisor will submit a Nomination and Approval Form, and a CV for the proposed examiner to the Quality Assurance (QA) Office;
  • The QA Office will then send the nomination to the Research Officer and the Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Vice-Chancellor or a Pro Vice-Chancellor on behalf of Senate for approvalOnce the nomination has been approved by the Research Officer and on behalf of Senate, the QA Office will notify the Research Officer, Supervisor and Registry Office.

ii. For examiners appointed to a programme:

  • The Research Officer will submit a Nomination and Approval Form, and a CV for the proposed examiner to the Quality Assurance (QA) Office;
  • The QA Office will then send the nomination to the Research Officer and the Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Vice-Chancellor or a Pro Vice-Chancellor on behalf of Senate for approval.Once the nomination has been approved by the Research Officer and on behalf of Senate, the QA Office will notify the Research Officer, Supervisor and Registry Office. The QA Office will then prepare and send a contract to the External Examiner.
  1. The Supervisor and the Research Officer will submit the ‘Notice of Intention to Submit a Thesis for a Higher Degree’ form to the Registry Office, including the name of the approved External Examiner, and the examination procedure will commence.

DETAILS OF EXAMINER
Name of proposed External Examiner
Home Institution
Department:
Current job title:
Address
Email
Telephone
DETAILS OF RESEARCH AREA
Title of thesis to be examined
Full name of award (E.g. PhD in English
Literature)
Has the examiner informally agreed to act?
INSTITUTIONAL LINKS
Has the proposed External Examiner previously held a paid appointment in the University - other than as an External Examiner - within the last five years?
Has the proposed External Examiner previously been appointed as an External Examiner by the University?
TERM OF OFFICE (For examiners appointed to programmes rather than an individual thesis)
Term of Office*
*examiners appointed to a programme are permitted to examine no more than eight theses per year. / Term of Office (four years maximum)
From: (DATE)
To: (DATE)
Guidelines for the appointment of External Examiners for Research Degrees
The UK Quality Code, Chapter B11 (Research Degrees) Indicator 17 provides the following guidance:-
“The criteria used in appointing examiners determine how many examiners are to be appointed and other details. Higher education providers that are research degree awarding bodies may appoint additional external examiners where the research student is also a member of staff or in cases where the thesis is highly interdisciplinary. There is a methodology for establishing that the examiners have relevant qualifications and experience and a clear understanding of the task, and for determining in what circumstances and with what support an inexperienced examiner might be appointed.
The higher education provider also decides what guidance is to be given to the examiners.”
Additional guidance is provided in Chapter B7 Indicator 5 (External Examiners).
Research into practice at other Higher Education Institutions has been undertaken and the following criteria seem common to many of them. These are proposed as the basis for appointment guidelines at University of Buckingham.
The AAC subject specialist may use judgement in advising whether it is essential to meet all these guidelines, if to do so would preclude all, or the most suitable, examiners. In cases where not all guidelines are met the view of the AAC chairman should also be sought.
  1. Guidelines for appointment of Research External Examiners
  1. External examiners should have prior knowledge or experience of UK research degree examinations and standards and should normally be senior members of staff of a University or higher education establishment, or of a research institute or other professional research organisation.
  2. External examiners should have academic qualifications to at least the level of the qualification being externally examined and have competence and experience in the field covered.
  3. External examiners should have familiarity with the standard to be expected of students referenced to the appropriate level descriptors (levels 7 or 8) in the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ)
  4. External examiners should have experience of examining at the level for which they are acting as an external examiner.
  1. In case where a less experienced External Examiner is approved (e.g. when they are subject specialists with a good publication record) two external examiners should be appointed and the internal examiner must be experienced in the assessment process.
  1. Institutional Links
  1. Individuals appointed as external examiner must be independent of the University and of the Department concerned and therefore should not undertake any form of employment within the University.
  2. No person should be nominated as external examiner if s/he has been a member of staff at the University of Buckingham, unless five years must have elapsed since leaving the institution.
  3. If the proposed external examiner has retired from their academic post, his/her curriculum vitae should provide evidence of continued involvement in the academic area in question.
  1. Categories that preclude appointment
  1. Individuals holding honorary appointments within the University may not act as external examiners.
  1. Former students should not be nominated to become external examiners before a lapse of at least five years.
  1. A person who has been involved in the research of a candidate, or who has collaborated in the research of the first or second supervisor within the past three years, should not normally be appointed as external examiner.
  1. Two external examiners must be appointed in those cases where the candidate is a current or former member of staff of the University.
  1. No individual who has a close personal or professional relationship with the student under examination or a supervisor may be appointed as an examiner.
  1. No individual who is closely associated with the sponsorship of students on the course may be appointed as an examiner.
  1. In the case of a submission of a thesis in a language other than English, information about the experience of proposed examiners will be required at the time of appointment. Examiners will only be eligible for appointment where they have a clear understanding of the nature and quality of UK research degrees. The examiners must be proficient both in the language of submission and in English.
By nominating this external examiner, you are confirming that you have taken the above into consideration, and have provided further information if the examiner does not meet the above guidelines.
CONFIRMATION OF NOMINATION BY SUPERVISOR
(For examiners appointed on an individual thesis basis only)
Comments/Supporting Information
(name) / (date) / (signature)
APPROVAL BY RESEARCH OFFICER
Comments
Recommendation
(name) / (date) / (signature)
APPROVAL BY SENATE
Comments
Recommendation
(name) / (date) / (signature)

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