Higher Education Programmes

Guidance for Higher EducationBoards of Examiners

In the absence of a procedure that is imposed by the validating HEI then the procedure detailed below will apply.

  1. Boards of Examiners should be established to cover every HE programme where the college has responsibility for carrying out assessment on behalf of a validating institution or awarding body.
  1. Boards of Examiners are sub-committees of the HE Management Group with delegated powers.

Curriculum Lead Managers should provide provisional dates of Examination Boardmeetings along with agreed membership of the Examination Boards to the HE Administrator by 28th February each year at the latest.

  1. Recommended membership for Examination Boards and designated roles and responsibilities are detailed in Appendix 1.
  1. An individual shall not normally be an examiner or attend any meeting of the Examination Board for a programme of study where there is a potential conflict of interest, e.g. a candidate is a close friend or relative. Any member of staff who knows that this situation will apply to them should advise their Curriculum Lead Manager or Chair of Examination Board, if different, at the start of the academic year.
  1. It is essential that pre Examination Board meetings of appropriate programme team members are held prior to the main Examination Board. All assessed units/modules should be documented accurately and recommendations on student results made, following discussion of any borderline cases. The main Examination Board will review these documented recommendations and discuss pass, fail and grading issues. It is anticipated that the pre Board meeting will consider any cases of mitigating or special circumstances and make recommendations to main Examination Board. The chair of the Examination Board should be informed of any difficult issues prior to the formal meeting. Confidentiality must be observed. Any documents relating to results should be distributed to Board members only and collected at the end of the meeting. No indication should be given to students of “likely results” prior to completion of the formal Board of Examiners meeting.
  1. A Board of Examiners shall carry out the following duties:

i)Maintain a formal record (minutes) of the Board meetings, to include the names of people present, notes on deliberations and a record of decisions and recommendations made.

ii)Ensure that candidates’ assessments have been carried out in accordance with the relevant assessment regulations.

iii)Consider and determine the assessment gradings of all candidates (including those who have withdrawn), including the class or grade of those completing the programme, and make recommendations on the progression of students to the next year of the course.

iv)Consider and determine ways by which (within the relevant assessment regulations) candidates who fail to satisfy the assessment regulations can redeem their position (deferral and referral).

Defer:To put off to another time a decision on a students results, usually because there is insufficient information available to make a judgement, e.g. the student has not submitted work due to certificated illness. Deferred students would usually still be allowed access to the full range of grades on submission of appropriate work.

Refer:To direct a student to re-sit an examination or re-submit work, usually because the student has not achieved at least a pass grade. Referred students would usually only be eligible to achieve a pass on submission of appropriate work

v)Consider appeals in mitigating circumstances related to student achievement or progression.

vi)Review the assessment arrangements for each programme as a whole, including APL, and make recommendations (subject to validating and awarding body regulations) to the programme team.

vii)Consider any established cases of academic misconduct, including plagiarism, and advise on the appropriateness of penalties imposed by programme teams.

viii)Make arrangements for supplementary boards if students are referred.

ix)Ensure that the results are forwarded promptly and in the prescribed format to the examinations officer for submission to the validating/awarding Body and recording on the college student record system.

x)Ensure that all results are communicated confidentially, either in person or by post, to the candidates within ten working days of the Board.

xi)Ensure that satisfactory arrangements are made for re-sits or re-submissions including writing to students with clear instructions and deadlines. Where student access to specialist facilities is necessary for completion of outstanding work this should be taken into account when setting deadlines.

xii)Ensure that any other requirements of the validating institution/awarding body are met.

Note for all programmes

  • In year results to students should be issued with the following written statement: ‘These marks/grades are provisional and are provided for information only. They are subject to confirmation by external verifiers/examiners and Examination Boards’.
  • If mark/grade lists are displayed publicly, the marks should be presented alongside anonymous marking numbers for students to protect confidentiality.

Appendix 1

Examination Boards: Membership and roles
Recommended Membership
  • The Chair (normally the Director, a Curriculum Lead Manager or a designated nominee not associated with the programmes under consideration)
  • The secretary (normally one of the programme leaders involved)
  • The programme leader for each programme
  • One assessor from each level of each programme
  • One further member of each programme team
  • The external examiner/verifier
  • The academic advisor (for university validated programmes)
  • An employer representative where appropriate
  • A representative of the college external to the programme (normally a member of the HE Management Group). This representation is compulsory where the external examiner/verifier is unable to attend.

Quorum: a minimum of 4, of which one must be a representative external to the programme.

Roles and Responsibilities of Examination Board Members

The Chair

  1. To convene the Examination Board meetings, ensure that they are properly constituted and determine the number of programmes to be considered at the meeting.
  1. To emphasise to the members the confidential nature of the Board’s proceedings. It is recommended that the Chair read the following statement:

'The Examination Board is charged with the responsibility for addressing all relevant issues concerning a student's circumstances and performance which enable fair and consistent academic judgements to be made. Accordingly it operates under a code of the strictest confidentiality. Board members are reminded that no issues raised to inform academic judgement may be discussed with a student or conveyed to a third party without the prior consent of the Chair.'

  1. To establish a procedure within the board meeting for dealing with the results for each programme
  1. To ensure that the Board adheres to the assessment regulations for each programme.
  1. To ensure that outcomes for previously referred or deferred candidates are formally reviewed.
  1. To ensure that the proceedings are formally minuted, signed by the Chair and the external examiner/verifier or other external representative and copies filed within the directorate and sent to the HE Administrator.
  1. To identify and facilitate discussion of borderline or problematic cases or cases where special circumstances apply and ensure that recommendations are clearly noted
  1. To ensure that the cases of all referred or deferred students are discussed and actioned with designated timescales.
  1. To ensure that the procedure for the release of results to candidates is clearly stated at the meeting and that results are communicated within the designated time period.

The Secretary

  1. To establish the Examination Board membership and advise the HE Administrator by 31st October.
  1. To establish the date of the Examination Board meeting, in accordance with validating/awarding body regulations, and ensure that members, particularly external examiners/verifiers and academic advisers, are notified well in advance. To forward the date of the meeting to the HE Administrator by 28th February.
  1. To ensure that the agenda and minutes of the previous meeting are sent to all members seven days before the Examination Board meeting.

4.To send a statement to the Chair seven working days in advance of the meeting confirming that complete and up to date results, records of assessment work and registers from all tutors will be available for the meeting if required. If any of the above is unavailable an explanatory note should be attached.

  1. To ensure that the relevant assessment regulations are available at the meeting.

6. To ensure that where a member is unavoidably absent any relevant information from that member is presented to the meeting.

7.To ensure that, prior to the meeting, internal and external moderation/verification or examination has taken place.

8.To make available to the Chair any written communications from candidates with regard to special circumstances.

9.To ensure that referred and deferred candidates are made aware of the exact requirements of the Examination Board with regard to timescale and mechanisms for handing in work/resitting for referred assessments.

10.To ensure that a copy of the results list and minutes of the meeting is filed within the department and sent to the HE Administrator.

11.To ensure that a copy of the results list is sent to the examinations officer promptly and in the prescribed format for submission to awarding/validating body and recording on the college student record system.

External Representative from the HE Management Group

  1. To monitor the adherence of the Examination Board to its remit, to relevant college policies and the assessment regulations for each programme and to raise any matters of concern at the Board meeting.
  1. To have available a copy of the most recent edition of the college Academic Appeals procedure
  1. To ensure that the outcomes of the proceedings are clear and recorded accurately.

Appendix 2

Guidance for Conduct of Higher Education Examination Boards

Organisation and Conduct

The following should be available at the meeting:

  • Agenda (see below)
  • Minutes of the previous meeting
  • Students’ results and grades for all years under consideration
  • Relevant assessment regulations
  • Copies of the external verifier’s/external examiner’s reports

The Board should be chaired by a Curriculum Lead Manager or an appropriate nominee who must ensure that the meeting is conducted in an appropriately formal and professional manner

The Chair should determine who will take the minutes of the meeting.

Sample Agenda

Board of Examiners MeetingDate and Time of Board:

Curriculum Area:

Programme(s) covered:

  1. Apologies
  1. Minutes of the previous meeting
  1. Matters arising
  1. Programme leader(s) report(s) covering:

4.1 Assessment arrangements

(the effectiveness of assessment procedures, including the operation of APL, and compliance with the programme’s assessment regulations)

4.2Broader retention and achievement issues

(e.g. number of starters, number of completers, reasons for withdrawal, number passing, compared with previous years, and any proposed remedial action)

  1. Student results

5.1 Any matters affecting student results

(eg cases of plagiarism and action taken, mitigating circumstances)

5.2 Confirmation of results and progression

(all Board members should have a copy of recommendations)

5.3Referral/deferral decisions and arrangements

(e.g. resit/resubmission dates, date and composition of resit Examination Board)

  1. External verifier/examiner comments

(to hear and consider any comments from external verifiers/examiners and record responses)

7.AOB, including provisional date of next Board meeting

1

Examination Board Guidelines v3, 24-02-11