Miscellaneous questions

31. Where can I find information about appointing an external examiner for a PHD?
32. What information should I provide to the external examiner

31. Where can I find information about appointing an external examiner for a PhD?

The EEAP only deals with external examiners for taught provision.

• Guidance on the appointment of external examiners for research degrees.

32. Suggested documentation which may be sent to an External Examiner on appointment, by the Course Team, to ensure they can confidently work efficiently and effectively to the greater good.

Upon approval by the Academic Standards and Quality Committee, CADQ forwards the following information to the newly appointed external examiners:

• course titles covered by the appointment
• tenure dates
• sections from the Academic Standards and Quality Handbook:
  • Section 7: External Examining
  • Section 15: Assessment Principles and Policies
  • Section 16: Common Assessment Regulations
• guidance on using Nottingham Trent University’s online external examiner report form
• details of how to access University information on the role and other general information on the CADQ External Examiner website.

The Dean of School is responsible for ensuring that an external examiner receives the appropriate School and course related information on his/her role and responsibilities and receives full details well in advance of his/her first attendance at a Board of Examiners. Therefore, it is suggested that schools/course teams may make available to new external examiners (either in hard or soft copy/access to electronic documentation) the following information upon appointment:

• a statement about the external examiner’s course/subject responsibilities and direct involvement with the School, particularly in relation to his/her role at Board of Examiners meetings
• School protocol for Boards’ of Examiners
• course specification(s) (and module specifications if appropriate)
• School, course and module handbooks containing details of course and module aims and requirements; intended learning outcomes etc
• details of any exemption schemes
• details of School assessment methods including teaching and learning strategies, marking criteria, marking scales and specific marking practices, for example: the use of anonymous marking; blind double marking; assessment regulations for compensation and opportunities for reassessment, etc; copies of examination papers from previous years (if appropriate)
• proposed dates for meetings of the Board(s) of Examiners
• timetable for consideration and approval of assessment tasks and examination papers that contribute to the final award (see Section 7, paragraph 10 and Section 15 subsection C, paragraph 3)
• details of fees, and other contractual arrangements, and how they will be paid
• names and contact details of key personnel involved in the teaching, assessment and administration of the module/course
• the latest Course Standards and Quality Reports or parts thereof (CSQR)
• external examiner reports for the past three years.

Additionally, the following should be made clear:

• University policy on equal opportunities
• external's responsibilities in relation to the overall external examining team
• details of any mentoring/induction arrangements
• University's requirements and conditions for awards as set out in the Academic Standards and Quality Handbook.

Such information should be updated as necessary during the period of appointment. Please note that the above list is not exhaustive.