External Examiners

Introductory Information

Welcome from the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Student Experience)

Our External Examiners play a crucial role in helping us to assure the appropriateness of the standards of our awards, the quality of assessment opportunities afforded to students and the soundness and fairness of our assessment processes. We also welcome your independent and insightful perspective on the standard of our students' performance compared with those on similar programmes in other UK universities. Your role contributes to the academic integrity of our institution.

We value your contribution in assuring the quality of vital elements of our students' experience, enabling us to ensure that high quality teaching, learning and assessment are developed and maintained.

We aim to establish clear and effective dialogue with External Examiners, to provide you with all necessary information, and to draw on your informed view to enhance assessment for our students. These resources form part of this dialogue. Here you will find information about the External Examiner system at Salford, but perhaps more importantly, you will also find the names and contact details of colleagues whom you can approach directly should you need help.

On behalf of the University, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for acting as an External Examiner for the University of Salford. My colleagues and I look forward to working with you and we hope that you will find these resources useful.

Best wishes,

Dr Sam Grogan
Pro-Vice Chancellor (Student Experience)

Your Role

The functions of an external examiner are:

to verify that academic standards are appropriate for the award, or part thereof, which you have been appointed to examine;
to ensure national comparability of academic standards;
to ensure that the assessment process is rigorous, fair and fairly operated, in line with the University’s policies and regulations.

The University expects external examiners:

to become familiar with the University’s policies, procedures, programme and/or module specifications, procedures and functions of Module and Programme Boards of Examiners and assessment schedule, as provided by the University;
to comment and give advice at all levels on programme and/or module content, coherence, currency, balance, structure and assessment procedures;
to provide feedback on assessment briefs/exam papers through the verification process before they are issued to students and to monitor the availability of any necessary marking schemes and model answers;
to moderate samples of student work and check that the University’s moderation process is followed;
to attend ephemeral assessments as necessary;
to assist in assuring equivalence of standards and examining procedures between the University and its affiliated institutions for the University's awards;
be prepared to offer comment (where appropriate) on new or revised articulation agreements with partner institutions;
to attend relevant Module/Programme Boards;
to sign the record of awards from the Programme Board meeting(s) attended to endorse the assessment outcomes and signal that assessment processes have been carried out in accordance with the University’s policies and regulations;
to submit a written report annually by the published deadline;
to ensure that the assessment process is rigorous, fair and fairly operated, in line with the University’s policies and regulations.

Please note that the role of an external examiner does not permit:

negotiating changes to individual student marks.

Induction

The University of Salford holds an Annual External Examiners Induction Event each Autumn. The event is to guide new External Examiners on their role as an External Examiner for the University of Salford and you will be invited to the next event when it is due. Current External Examiners who have not previously attended an Induction are also welcome to attend.

Online Training

There are two training courses available online on Blackboard Ultra. You will need to log in with your University of Salford email address which we will provide to you following the activation of your online account. If you find that your password has expired please contact our IT department on +44 (0)161 295 2444.

External Examiner Induction – for new External Examiners
Annual Update – briefing for existing External Examiners

Travelling to the university

Information on travelling to the university.

Your Feedback

Feedback

Your feedback is extremely important to the university. Each year you will be asked to provide feedback in a variety of ways which includes:

feedback on draft assessment briefs (this is known as verification)
feedback on the marking process (this is known as moderation)
completion of an annual report

Annual Report

Upon receipt, your annual report will be considered by the relevant School and you will receive a response highlighting any actions which the school or university may need to take as a result of your feedback. The Quality Management Office produces an annual overview of all reports received by the university.

Serious Concerns

Should you have serious concerns about the academic standards or quality of provision, these concerns may be raised directly with the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Helen Marshall at vice-chancellor@salford.ac.uk.

In addition, any concerns regarding serious systemic or procedural problems may be raised with the Office for Students.

Right to Work

Right to Work - External Examiners and Advisors

Your appointment as External Examiner or External Advisor for the University of Salford is subject to the University receiving evidence of your right to work in the UK. This evidence must be received prior to your appointment.

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) regulations require that all organisations obtain proof of the right to work in the UK for every individual who carries out work for them. The UKVI’s definition of “work” is broad and includes the activities that External Examiners and External Advisors carry out. Therefore, we request that you provide this evidence to ensure compliance with the legal requirements and that our records are up-to-date. We thank you in advance for your cooperation with these steps.

The Home Office has a prescribed list of documents it deems as acceptable for proving an individual’s right to work in the country. In line with the Home Office Right to Work Checklist we need you to show us your original documents as applicable to your circumstances. (Please note that an expired British passport is acceptable, providing it corresponds with the name on your application).

If you have time limited leave to remain in the UK, there will be additional steps in order to ensure that the activities that you would be doing at Salford are in line with your rights – to be advised by the QMO.

If you have changed your name, including following marriage, you will need to provide additional supporting documentation as proof of change of name.

If you do not provide your right to work documents in accordance with the above procedure, the University will be unable to confirm your appointment as External Examiner or External Advisor and will not be able to set you up on our systems and/or make any payment to you in relation to the role.

Options

1. Visit us in person with your original document(s)

2. Post securely e.g. Royal Mail Special Delivery) your original document(s) to us at the address below. (Please note that an expired British passport is acceptable, providing it corresponds with the name on your application).

RTW, Quality Management Office, G06 Crescent House, University of Salford, The Crescent, Salford, M5 4WT

We will then arrange a video call to verify your identity.

3. Conduct an online check to verify that you:

a) Have a British/Irish passport

We will pass your details onto our online identity service provider, Trust ID. TrustID will then contact you to ask you to upload a copy of your current passport. We will then arrange a video call to verify your identity.

b) Have EU Settled Status or a Biometric Residence Permit

We will ask you to provide us with a share code so that we can access your information online. We will then arrange a video call to verify your identity.

Persons with other documents

Please contact us to let us know what document you will be using to provide evidence of your right to work in the UK and we will advise you on the next steps.

For more information, please email:

externalexaminers@salford.ac.uk if your query is related to External Examiners.
qmo@salford.ac.uk if your query is related to External Advisors and programme approval.

Right to Work - Information for Staff

Information for staff can be found on the Human Resources section of the Staff Hub.

Resources, Forms and Honorarium (Fees)

Resources for External Examiners

The resources in this section are thought to be helpful to those colleagues who are new to the role of External Examiner and provide information about the University's academic regulations, policies, procedures and IT systems. If there is any other information which you believe would be helpful to you as an External Examiner, please don't hesitate to email externalexaminers@salford.ac.uk.

Regulations, Policies and Procedures

IT Systems

Forms for External Examiners

Annual Report Form

Your Annual Report should be submitted via the online form. The form is secure to you, so you will need to use your University of Salford Associate account to log on. If you can’t remember your user name, please email externalexaminers@salford.ac.uk or call +44 (0)161 295 4123.

If you have password issues, please call the University’s Digital IT Service Desk +44 (0)161 295 2444 (08:00 - 17:00).

You can edit and revise your report as needed and when you are satisfied, click ‘Confirm Completion and Submit’ to send us the final version.

We strongly encourage you to complete this online form straight after attending the last Exam Board. This is because if the issues are fresh in your mind you will be able to provide the level of detailed feedback that helps us make improvements to our programmes.

If you need any further guidance please contact the Quality Management Office (QMO) - email externalexaminers@salford.ac.uk or call +44 (0)161 295 4123.

Fees

Please note that you do not need to submit a Fee Claim Form as your fees are calculated from the information in the online Annual Report.

FAQs

Expenses

Where can I get an expenses claim form ?

You can print one from the forms section above.

The expense claim should be:

Sent to us by post with the original receipts

Or

Scan the expenses claim form and also the receipts and send to us by email

Please remember to sign (hand-sign or electronic signature) your expenses claim form.

What are the limits for the amounts that can be claimed for ?

Hotel accommodation: £95 per night
Breakfast: £6
Lunch: £10
Dinner: £20
Standard Class Train Travel

We cannot reimburse for alcoholic drinks.

Why have I only received X number of pounds when I submitted a claim for expenses of XX number of pounds?

We do not reimburse for alcohol, newspapers etc. so this may have been deducted from the claim. There are also maximum amounts that can be claimed for items (e.g. hotel accommodation, meals etc.). The maximum amounts payable are listed on the expenses claim form.

I usually stay with a friend and take him/her a gift for putting me up and this means that I am out of pocket - can I claim any kind of expenses?

No. HMRC rules do not allow reimbursement for this type of expense.

Why was I not paid as soon as I submitted my expenses claim?

You may have just missed the deadline for receipt of claims, which is the 10th of the month. You will therefore receive your expenses payment at the end of the following month.

Is there a deadline for submission of expense claims?

Yes, expense claims for expenses incurred in the current academic year must be submitted by the deadline of 30th September.

Annual External Examiners Reports

Where can I find the Annual External Examiners Report form?

Your Annual Report should be submitted via the online External Examiner Annual Report Form.

Honorarium (Fees)

Why have I not received payment of my honorarium?

Payment of the honorarium is dependent on all 3 of the following:

Submission of an Annual Report on the standard report pro forma to the Quality Management Office
Supporting documentation from the school having been received by the Quality Management Office
An appropriate check of your right to work in the UK having been carried out and the Quality Management Office holding this documentation

I have changed my bank account - what should I do?

You should complete a new Bank Authority Form, which can be found in the Forms section above, and send it to us as soon as possible.

I have paid too much tax - what should I do?

You should contact the Payroll section of the Finance Department.

I have only received X number of pounds as an honorarium but was expecting XX number of pounds. Why is there a difference?

Please refer to the Scheme of Fees in the Resources, Forms and Honorarium (Fees) section above.

General

Who should I contact if I am having IT issues?

If you experience difficulties in accessing the university's IT systems, it may be because you need to reset your password. Passwords need to be reset at least once in a 12 month period. To reset your password please contact our DIT Service Desk on +44 (0)161 295 2444.

Should you experience difficulties in accessing the programme Blackboard site, please contact the Programme Leader/Programme Administrator in the first instance so that they can ensure that you are enrolled on the relevant areas in the Blackboard site.

If you still have any issues please contact QMO via e-mail externalexaminers@salford.ac.uk.