These guidelines apply to all taught programmes offered by the ifs School of Finance at both undergraduate and postgraduate level and have been developed in the light of QAA guidelines.
9.1.2
These guidelines may be varied in the case of programmes which form part of a dual or joint award delivered collaboratively
with a partner institution.
9.1.3
Where relevant, no ifs SchoolofFinance qualification shall be awarded without participation in the assessment process by at least one External Examiner to ensure
the appropriateness of the academic standards being applied.
9.1.4
The number of External Examiners must be sufficient to cover the full range of units within a programme without compromising
standards. If more than one External Examiner is appointed for a programme, then the Head of HE Programmes will nominate a
Lead External Examiner.
9.2
Criteria for Appointment
9.2.1
External Examiners will be of appropriate seniority and hold the relevant qualifications to be able to carry out their responsibilities
with regard to the maintenance of academic standards in the context of UK higher education.
9.2.2
External Examiners will ideally have relevant previous experience of the type of programme, eg mode of delivery, nature of
candidate population, nature of award etc, for which they carry out their external examining duties.
9.2.3
Wherever possible, External Examiners will have some prior experience of external examining. Where appointments are made in
cases of limited external examining experience, training and support is provided. All External Examiners will have extensive
and recent examining experience as an internal examiner in a relevant subject area.
9.2.4
To allow sufficient time for them to fulfil their duties effectively, External Examiners will not concurrently hold more than
two external examining appointments, including any ifs SchoolofFinance appointment. Potential appointees will be asked to declare any other current external examining appointments as part of their
application.
9.2.5
Normally, to avoid potential or perceived conflicts of interest, appointments to the position of External Examiner to a given
programme are not made from:
departments in institutions for which an academic associate of the ifs School of Finance is currently acting as an External Examiner;
the same department in an institution from which the preceding appointment to the external examining position was made;
former academic associates, staff or students of the ifs School of Finance, unless more than 5 years have elapsed since they left employment or graduated;
departments in institutions which are delivering the programme, or otherwise contributing directly to it, and may, therefore,
not be seen as independent or impartial.
9.3
Responsibilities and Duties
9.3.1
External Examiners are ultimately responsible to the Academic Board of the ifs SchoolofFinance .
9.3.2
External Examiners are responsible for ensuring that students are treated fairly and equivalently with regard to the application
of academic standards both across modules and over time.
9.3.3
External Examiners are responsible for ensuring that the standards of the ifs SchoolofFinance awards are consistent with national standards, as reflected within the FHEQ, subject benchmark statements etc, and are maintained
over time.
9.3.4
It is the responsibility of External Examiners to declare an interest if they find themselves placed in a position of making
academic decisions regarding any student with whom there may be a potential, a perceived or an actual conflict of interest.
9.3.5
Judgements on the academic standards of a programme made by External Examiners must be based solely upon the assessment evidence
available to them and should not be influenced by other factors.
9.3.6
External Examiners must satisfy themselves that the assessment arrangements allow students to be fairly assessed in relation
to the learning outcomes of the programme.
9.3.7
For units with formal external assessment, External Examiners are required, in advance, to review and approve the form and
content of all assessment materials that contribute to the final assessment of a module, eg examination papers, coursework
assignments.
9.3.8
External Examiners have a right to see all examination scripts, including coursework, which contribute to the final assessment.
If only a sample of assessed work is initially made available for review by the External Examiner, the sampling criteria have
to be agreed in advance. The guiding principle for selection is that the External Examiner must have sufficient evidence to
determine that internal marking is of an appropriate standard and consistent across students.
9.3.9
External Examiners have the right to moderate the internal marking and ask for the marks of all candidates for an assessment
component within a module to be systematically adjusted, ie alterations cannot be made solely to the sample viewed by the
External Examiner. External Examiners cannot require the adjustment of individual marks unless asked by the Programme Board
of Examiners to investigate individual cases.
9.3.10
External Examiners are required to attend meetings of the Programme Board of Examiners at which recommendations are made for
the award of degrees, diplomas or certificates, unless their absence is exceptionally agreed in advance with the Chair.
9.3.11
External Examiners are required to submit an annual report to the Head of HE Programmes using the prescribed form and according
to the agreed timetable.
9.3.12
External Examiner reports are considered initially within the Awards and Curriculum division prior to review by the Programme
and Validation Committee/Academic Board, after which the Head of HE Programmes will provide a written response to each External
Examiner indicating any action taken or intended as a result of the report.
9.3.13
Any key issues arising from External Examiner reports, along with action taken or proposed, are included within annual reports
to the Programme and Validation Committee and the Academic Board.
9.4
Appointment of External Examiners
9.4.1
The Head of HE Programmes is responsible for seeking applications from suitably qualified individuals to act as External Examiners.
9.4.2
Applications should be made to the Head of HE Programmes using the External Examiner Application Form and should be accompanied by the applicant’s curriculum vitae. The Head of HE Programmes submits recommendations for appointment
to the Programme and Validation Committee for consideration and approval in line with the criteria set down by the Academic
Board.
9.4.3
It is the responsibility of the Academic Board to ensure that applicants satisfy the criteria for appointment; that they have
appropriate academic expertise and experience; and that there is no reason to doubt their ability to operate in a fair and
impartial manner.
9.4.4
On the approval of the Academic Board, External Examiners receive a letter of appointment from the Director, Awards and Curriculum.
(For additional details see also 9.6.3)
9.4.5
The ifs SchoolofFinance keeps a central register of External Examiner appointments so as to ensure effective management of appointments in line with
agreed policy and to avoid conflicts of interest.
9.5
Period of Appointment
9.5.1
External Examiners are normally appointed for a maximum of three consecutive years, with the possibility of an extension for
a further one year in special circumstances.
9.5.2
A three-year interval will apply before a retiring External Examiner may be considered for appointment to another programme
offered by the ifsSchoolofFinance.
9.5.3
An External Examiner will not be re-appointed for the same programme(s) without exceptional reason.
9.5.4
As far as possible, appointments of External Examiners are phased to avoid multiple new External Examiners starting at the
same time and thus allow for the mentoring of new External Examiners by more experienced colleagues.
9.5.5
An appointment may be terminated by either party with six months’ notice.
9.5.6
The appointment of an External Examiner may be terminated early by the ifs SchoolofFinance in the following circumstances:
failure to carry out agreed duties regarding the quality assurance of assessment materials and marking;
repeated failure to attend Programme Board of Examiners meetings;
failure to submit an annual report within the specified time; or
as a result of the withdrawal of the programme or relevant units within it.
9.5.7
The early termination of the appointment of an External Examiner is a matter for decision by the Academic Board on the recommendation
of the Director, Awards and Curriculum.
9.6
Induction of External Examiners
9.6.1
The Head of HE Programmes is responsible for ensuring that, prior to the commencement of their duties, External Examiners
are:
appropriately briefed, either in person or by telephone;
provided with all necessary documentation, both with regard to their module related duties and to the aims and philosophy
of the programme for which they will act as an External Examiner;
given an opportunity to clarify any issues.
9.6.2
Wherever possible, External Examiners are provided with an opportunity to attend an induction meeting and meet relevant staff
prior to commencing their duties.
9.6.3
On appointment, External Examiners are sent the following:
Contact details for relevant staff at the ifs SchoolofFinance ;
The Student Handbook (for degree and diploma qualifications) or student induction pack (for professional qualifications) for the programme;
Information regarding the programme / units and their assessment for which they will have responsibility, including a full
programme specification and all relevant module specifications;
Latest module assessment reports;
Information regarding any planned changes to the programme or to relevant modules;
The timetables and deadlines for external examining activities together with the dates and locations of key meetings;
The ifs School of Finance Code of Practice for Quality Assurance;
Minutes of the last Programme Board of Examiners meeting;
A copy of the regulations pertaining to the programme and supporting general regulations;
The final report of the retiring External Examiner.
9.6.4
The Head of HE Programmes is responsible for ensuring that External Examiners are kept up-to-date with regard to any changes
to the programme which may impact upon their ability to carry out their duties and/or discharge their responsibilities as
External Examiners.
9.7
Contact between Students and External Examiners
9.7.1
External Examiners may request to hold formal meetings with students. Such requests must be made in writing to the Head of
HE Programmes and be supported by a clear rationale setting out the reasons for such a meeting. Written authority must be
obtained prior to any such meeting taking place. Representatives from the ifs SchoolofFinance have the right to observe such meetings.
9.7.2
Students are not permitted to contact External Examiners directly regarding any aspect of their programmes of study. Any attempt
to do so will be treated as suspected malpractice under the ifs SchoolofFinance policy on Malpractice (Chapter 12 of this code). External Examiners are required to inform the Head of HE Programmes should
they be contacted directly by a student.
