The minutes should be confirmed provisionally by the Chair of the Board, to allow for actions to be taken, then confirmed by the next formal meeting of the Board.
A copy of the minutes must be kept in the Schools records; it is the responsibility of the Head of School to ensure that this is done.
The full surname and initials of all members of the Board of Examiners should appear in the minutes, together with the following information:
the capacity in which each is a member of the Board of Examiners i.e. internal or external examiner;
for internal examiners, the School to which they belong; for external examiners, the institution to which they are affiliated;
in the case of absent members, the reasons for their absence. Where decisions of principle whether on individual cases or on the process as a
whole have been taken which might be deemed to set precedents, the decision and the grounds on which it was taken should be recorded clearly; where such a
decision concerns an individual student, the students name should be recorded in the minutes.
Where decisions on or relating to the assessment of individual students or groups of students have been agreed with the external examiners by
correspondence before the meeting of the Board of Examiners, such decisions should be confirmed by the Board and the correspondence will then become part
of the minutes of the meeting.
Where any member of the Board makes a declaration of interest it should be recorded in the minutes, together with any action resulting from the declaration.
Any comments of substance made by external examiners, either verbally at the meeting or in writing before the meeting, should be recorded in the minutes.
5.6 External Examiners
External Examiners must be appointed for all courses leading to an award. They need not, however, be involved in courses or parts of courses which do not
contribute to a students final assessment.
Nominations should be made on the form Nomination of External Examiner
new window. Nominations are submitted to and scrutinised by the Director of
Academic Affairs to ensure that they conform to University requirements and, if they are satisfactory, the names of nominees are proposed by the Director of
Academic Affairs to the Senate, which makes the appointments. Nominations should be made in good time for Senate to consider them before the relevant
term of office begins.
Before making a nomination, Schools should consult Guidance to Academic
Schools on the Appointment of External Examiners for Taught Courses and
Regulation 8 new windows which set out the criteria for appointment and the
rights and duties of external examiners. Appointments are normally for three years, but may be extended for a fourth and
final year.
The relevant School officer should ensure that, on appointment, external examiners are given adequate information about the course and School policy
including, as a minimum, course handbooks, assessment policies, marking schemes, School policy on double marking, and are provided with copies of the
reports of the external examiners, and the Schools responses, for the previous year. In cases where more than one external examiner is appointed to a
course, they should be given clear information on which parts of the course are their responsibility.
The duties of external examiners are set out in the document External Examiners
for Taught Courses new window which is sent to them on appointment. The
primary duty is to ensure that the academic standards of Keele awards are comparable to those of similar awards in other UK universities, and that
examinations and other assessments are fair and in accordance with University procedures.
External examiners are required to attend the meeting of the Schools Board of Examiners at which the marks which contribute to candidates final awards are
determined. They normally visit the University once only during a year.
The relevant School officer should consult external examiners on the range and quantity of scripts they wish to see, including assessed coursework. Mark
distribution grids should always be sent to external examiners.
External examiners should ensure that any reservations which they may have on the academic standards of a programme, the fairness and appropriateness of the
assessment, the level of marks awarded, and the procedures followed in the assessment process should be expressed at the meeting of the Board of
Examiners, before a final decision on the marks of candidates is made. The signature of an external examiner on a mark-sheet will be taken to signify that the
external examiner assents to the marks given. In the case of undergraduate courses, marks approved by the Board of Examiners and the Senate for modules
taken at Level II may not be subsequently reconsidered unless so agreed by the Senate at the meeting at which the original marks were approved.
5.7 External Examiners Reports
