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Welcome and Induction event for

new External Examiners

Academic Quality and Development

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Introducing ourselves to one another

• One phrase per post it• Fast and furious• Three starter phrases• Please stick your post

its on flip chart paper around the room

• 5 minutes

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Starter phrases…Please write off-the-cuff thoughts and jottings to complete these starters:

• Being an external examiner will involve….

• I am unsure about …

• The special ‘edge’ I bring to the role is…

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Post-it and poster cruising….

• Spend five minutes reading each other’s post its

• Chat about what resonates, strikes you or you find surprising.

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Aims of the presentationHaving introduced ourselves to one another we shall cover:

• The Winchester Academic Quality and Development infrastructure

• Distinctive features of the Learning and Teaching culture at Winchester

• Your role as a Winchester external examiner• The Annual Report: how to complete it and what happens to it.

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The Winchester Academic Quality and Development infrastructure

– Academic Quality and Development issues reside with Senate Academic Development Committee (SADC) on behalf of Senate

– Academic Quality and Development, combining Quality Office and Learning and Teaching Development, supports SADC and works across the University

– Policy and procedures for quality assurance are set out in the Quality and Standards online Handbook

– The role of the L&T Strategy – Faculty Academic Development Committees

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Academic Quality and Development infrastructure

SENATE

Senate Academic Development Committee

(receives EE summary)

Research Degrees Quality Committee (Annual Research

Report)

Faculty Academic Development

Committee (Faculty Annual Report)

Programmes:• APEs• Module Feedback &

Evaluation• PCMs

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Distinctive features of the Learning and Teaching culture at Winchester

1) Decisions based on the kind of place we are2) TESTA Effects from ‘Transforming the

Experience of students through Assessment’3) Systematic steers

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The kind of place we are…

• Personal • Lots of assessment which is public facing• Emphasis on students’ development• Being known • Professionalism

Non-anonymous marking

TESTA Effects www.testa.ac.uk

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TESTA Effects

• Emphasis on formative tasks• Growth in authentic, public domain

assessment tasks (blogs, posters, conference presentations, films etc.)

• Linked cycles of formative to summative• Streamlining and scaling back varieties• Scaling down summative tasks• Movement towards programmatic assessment

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Systematic Steers

1. Away from examinations (academic calendar)2. Typed feedback3. Increasing use of audio and screencast

feedback4. Moving towards a single mode of e-

submission 2015/16 but no plans to introduce online marking as the standard

5. Challenging traditional educational paradigms – the ‘facts first’ approach

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Your role as a Winchester external examiner

Your role will include:• Monitoring academic standards and assessment processes • Reporting on the standards of awards, levels of student performance and the

soundness and fairness of assessment processes• Commenting on the standards of awards and student performance in comparison

with equivalent HEIs• Commenting on responses to action points raised in previous reports• Contributing to any Interim Validation process.

achieved through: monitoring the moderation process (Moderation of Assessed Work Policy) consideration of assessment tasks receiving samples of assessed work throughout the year (possibly electronically) attending the Exam Board working with the Quality Office Any additional support, e.g. mentor system

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Your role as a Winchester external examiner

Another key role is to contribute to the academic development of the programme (and the University) within the context of our L&T culture.

Your role as a critical friend is achieved through:Commendations and Recommendations in your Annual

ReportPre-Exam Board meetings on the dayBuilding up a relationship with the programme team

over the term of your office (4 years)Attendance of Induction EventAny additional support, e.g. mentor system

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Your role as a Winchester external examiner

Sources of information:http://www.winchester.ac.uk/aboutus/academicquality/Pages/academicquality.aspx • Introduction to Quality Office• Academic Infrastructure• Collaborative Provision Information• External Examiners• External Review/Audit Outcomes• Programme Specifications• PSRB Registerhttp://www.winchester.ac.uk/Freedomofinformation/Publicdocuments/Pages/Publicdocuments.aspx• Regulations and Policies underpinning our teaching

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Collaborative Programmes

• External Examiners for Collaborative Programmes may attend Exam Boards at Winchester or at the partner.

• Will liaise with a Programme Leader from the Partner and an Academic Liaison Officer, based at Winchester.

• Will be sent a copy of the Memorandum of Agreement with the appointment letter.

• See section 8 of the Policy for additional requirements.