Skip to content

External Examining at NTU

Access guidance about external examining at NTU and find information about our unique Grade-Based Assessment framework.

A video welcome from Dr Kathy Charles

 
Video welcome from Dr Kathy Charles

Our Executive Dean of Learning and Teaching discusses the vital role external examiners play in the UKHE sector.

Understanding the role of the external examiner

What it means to be an external examiner

The term “critical friend” is frequently used to describe this role, and at NTU we understand it to mean that external examiners build and maintain productive relationships with our course teams founded on constructive criticism and mutual respect.

As an academic or practitioner external examiner you will help determine whether NTU’s awards are granted to students who have demonstrated the knowledge and skills which reflect appropriate standards. You will also consider the integrity, rigour and fairness of the University’s assessment processes and contribute to discussion about future course developments.

Section 9 of NTU’s Quality Handbook describes the responsibilities of the role in more detail.

Why become an external examiner

Being an external examiner gives you the opportunity to develop your own professional practice. At NTU you will have hands-on experience with Grade-Based Assessment (GBA), the assessment framework which we designed to be fair, transparent, easy to understand, non-arbitrary, and non-inflationary.

Through GBA we have made a significant intervention in sector conversations about grade inflation. It's one of the reasons why NTU is consistently recognised for achievements and awards, and why we have been awarded 'University of the Year' five times.

Contact us

If you'd like more information about becoming an external examiner, get in touch with us by email.

Getting started as an external examiner at NTU

Find out what happens and what you need to do after accepting a role as an external examiner.

Thank you for taking on this role. Once your nomination has been approved by NTU’s External Examiner Appointments Panel (EEAP) you will receive a letter by email confirming the details of your appointment.

NTU tenures normally last four years + one term. When you confirm acceptance of the appointment, NTU Human Resources will contact you to carry out a right to work check.

Like all UK universities, NTU is required by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) to implement a Right to Work policy for all workers.

In order to take up your appointment, you will first need to provide documentary evidence, such as a UK passport, or your right to work in the UK. See the full list of eligible documents.

A colleague from the relevant academic School will contact you to arrange an induction session. This session will introduce you to the key duties of the external examiner role at NTU, and explain the key aspects of our assessment regulations and quality assurance system.

You will require two separate user logins for this role.

  • External examiner reporting system: Log in to the online reporting system to write and submit your report.
    • Username: the email address you provided on your nomination form.
    • Password: sent to you by email from NTU’s External Examiner online reporting system.
  • NTU account: Log in to access student work in NOW, NTU’s virtual learning environment, and other NTU applications. Please note that you must accept the Computer Use Regulations in order to activate your account.
    • Username and password: sent to you by email from NTU’s Digital Technologies (DT) once your Right to Work check is complete.

Information about your appointment – name, position and institution – will be made available to students in line with guidance from the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA). If a student contacts you directly, please do not reply to them but instead forward the correspondence to the course leader.

External examiner reporting

Find out how to access our online reporting system and general guidance about making and submitting reports.

Your annual report will provide a summary of a range of information, including:

  • A sample of student work that contributes to the final award
  • Student achievement data at module and course level
  • Discussions with staff
  • Discussions with students where appropriate and by arrangement
  • Previous external examiner reports
  • Your experience at the Board of Examiners’ meeting

Reporting must be submitted formally through the online reporting system and not through informal channels, e.g. email, WhatsApp.

Reports must be submitted within four weeks of the exam board.

In line with GDPR considerations, we ask that you do not name any member of staff or student in your report, or include information which might indirectly identify a student or group of students, e.g. the use of disability data.

You are entitled to raise matters of exceptional and serious concern in a separate confidential report submitted in writing to NTU’s Vice-Chancellor. Individuals may be named in this report.

If the internal mechanisms for addressing such concerns have been exhausted without a satisfactory resolution, you may find it appropriate to invoke the QAA’s Concerns Scheme or to contact the relevant professional, statutory or regulatory body. Please note that the QAA scheme relates exclusively to systemic failings in an institution’s management of standards and quality, not isolated cases of practice or personal grievances.

Submit your report through the online external examiner reporting system. You can download a copy of the reporting system user guide. Queries about reporting should be directed to: adq.eeonlinereportqueries@ntu.ac.uk.

  • Your academic link School will email you claim forms for your external examiner payment and expenses. Complete these forms and return them to the relevant School contact with scanned copies of any receipts. Queries about payment should be directed to the relevant School contact in the table below.
  • Once the School has authorised your claims, they will be forwarded to NTU Payroll for processing. Payment is made on or around the 22nd of the month.

Further support

Professional Development Support is available through AdvanceHE's personal development course for external examiners. We recommend this course for new and experienced examiners.

List of academic school contacts

Find out who to contact within your academic school if you need any help or assistance.

Sharon Scott

sharon.scott@ntu.ac.uk

0115 848 6835

Joanne Calvert

joanne.calvert@ntu.ac.uk

0115 848 8432

Joanne Henson

Joanne.henson@ntu.ac.uk

0115 848 3265

Claire Sharpe

claire.sharpe@ntu.ac.uk

0115 848 5250

Adam Cutts

adam.cutts@ntu.ac.uk

0115 848 4817

Collaborations and Partnerships Team

cadqpartnerenquiries@ntu.ac.uk

0115 848 2547

Nat Goddard

nat.goddard@confetti.ac.uk

0115 9522075

Christopher Barenberg

christopher.barenberg@ntu.ac.uk

0115 848 8123

LAWSASQC@ntu.ac.uk

0115 848 6419

SSTCDRS@ntu.ac.uk

0115 848 8380

Luke Lowis-Dennis

luke.lowisdennis@ntu.ac.uk

0115 848 3566

NTU's Glossary of Acronyms

Find the Glossary of Acronyms for external examiners here.

Assessment at NTU

NTU promotes fair, transparent, easy to understand, non-arbitrary and non-inflationary assessment.

As an external examiner you will find these values underpin a range of assessment designs, practices, and regulations:

  • Whole-course or integrated assessment: developing and implementing an assessment strategy at course rather than individual module level;
  • Constructive alignment: designing assessment tasks and grading criteria that assess specific learning outcomes;
  • Benchmarking: aligning grading criteria for different academic levels to University and sector standards;
  • Grade-Based Assessment: using a purpose-designed assessment marking framework which calculates degree outcomes in a simple, transparent, and fair way;
  • Externality: involving you in the moderation of assessment tasks and grades to support appropriate assessment decisions;
  • Considering the aggregation of grades at the end of an academic year or degree.

Taken together, these assessment approaches ensure that an individual student’s academic outcome appropriately reflects their performance across the course.

The Grade-Based Assessment (GBA) was devised as a fair and non-inflationary alternative to the traditional 0-100 non-linear  marking scale. Under the 0-100 scale it’s often possible for a student to qualify for first-class honours even though the majority of their work is below that level. To achieve a first-class degree at NTU, a student has to produce work consistently at a first-class level.

We have replaced the 0-100 scale with a linear numerical scale which calculates overall module grades (for modules with more than one summative assessment element), level grades (overall achievement at the end of the year), and (crucially) degree outcomes. This linear numerical scale sits behind the scenes.:

For a full breakdown of grade schemes, see the following sections from the NTU Quality Handbook:

Grades take centre stage instead of numbers. A student will receive a grade – e.g. high 2.1 – instead of a number – e.g. 68 – on their marked work. Students get practice in understanding the GBA framework via formative assessment tasks as they progress through their course. Feedback on formative assessments supports students in their learning and in preparation for later and summative assessments.

All students on taught courses qualify for their final award through one of two routes:

  • Majority route: Students are awarded their degree at the level at which they have performed in the majority of their qualifying credits (i.e. those credits which are used to calculate the final award). If the majority of their qualifying credits received a 2.1 level or above, they will be awarded a 2.1.
  • Weighted mean route: Students are awarded their degree at the level defined by the weighted mean of their qualifying credits.

The degree outcome is decided by whichever of the two routes is the better one. Usually the two routes triangulate onto the same outcome. These different routes are both simple, transparent, and fair .

Videos explaining the assessment framework

 

Understanding NTU's assessment framework

Dr Andy Grayson explains the purpose of NTU's assessment framework.

 

NTU's assessment framework for students

This video explains the assessment framework for students.

Regulations and resources

Advance HE: External Examining Handbook (2019)

Quality Assurance Agency:

Office for Students B Conditions of Registration

Office of the Independent Adjudicator: Good Practice Framework for handling student complaints.

You will find relevant University-level regulations in the Quality Handbook.

Useful sections include:

  • Section 9: External Examining
  • Section 15: Assessment (including GBA)

Section 16: Common Assessment Regulations. The CARs are divided into:

  • 16A: Bachelor’s and Integrated Master’s Degrees
  • 16B: Foundation Degrees
  • 16C: Taught Postgraduate Degrees
  • 16D: Non-Degree Course Regulations
  • 16E: Online Postgraduate Degrees (Wiley)
  • 16F: Higher National Awards

Section 17: Appeals regulations, including policies for:

  • 17A: Notification of Extenuating Circumstances
  • 17B: Academic Appeals (including Requests for Reconsideration)
  • 17C: Academic Integrity
  • 17D: Procedure for Investigated Alleged Research Misconduct
  • 17E: Student Complaints
  • 17F: Research Degrees Complaints and Appeals Procedures

Other relevant NTU policies and regulations:

  • General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Policy (key takeaway: do not name staff or students in your report)
  • Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Policy (key takeaway: respect difference)
  • Student Code of Behaviour

Once your appointment begins you will receive:

  • Local policies for the academic School to which you are appointed;
  • PSRB regulations;
  • Any relevant dispensations from the CAR.