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EXTERNAL EXAMINER HANDBOOK2011-12

This handbook will be updated annually. Updates will be available at www.beds.ac.uk

http://www.beds.ac.uk/

Contents

Page Number

Introduction to the University 3

Quality Handbook chapters:

Chapter 5: External examining of taught courses 6

Chapter 6: Boards of Examiners 37

Chapter 8: Assessment of Students 46

Curriculum Review 2008 (CRe8)

Fee Guidelines

70

71

Expenses Guidelines 72

Website Information 73

Acceptable Documentary Evidence 74

Maps

Park Square Campus, Luton 77 Polhill Campus, Bedford 79 Putteridge Bury Campus, Luton 81 Buckinghamshire Campus, Aylesbury 83 Butterfield Park Campus 84

Useful Contacts 86

External Examiner Handbook 2011/12 Page | 2Updated February 2012

Introduction to the University

The University of Bedfordshire was established in August 2006 by order of the Privy Council, as a result of the merger between the University of Luton and De Montfort University’s Bedford campus.

However, our history dates back to 1882, when Bedford Training College was founded. Since that time, the University has established a reputation for delivering excellent teaching, not least in the areas of sport, teacher training and media.

The University of Bedfordshire is a teaching intensive institution with a broad portfolio of courses, focussing primarily on vocational areas including education, health, media, sport, computing and business. Our students are drawn from both home and abroad – with substantial success in recruiting from the EU, China, India, Pakistan, Nigeria and elsewhere.

We have some 21,000 students and around 1,200 members of staff across our two main campuses in Luton and Bedford, the Butterfield Park and Putteridge Bury sites on the outskirts of Luton, the new Buckinghamshire campus in Aylesbury, and across hospital sites in Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire and several partner institutions including local FE colleges, the British School of Osteopathy and others.

The Facts

We are undergoing a £140m expansion and development programme in our campuses which will be completed by 2012

The Government chose us as a Centre of Excellence in Teaching and Learning in 2007, awarding us £3.3m. The CETL leaves an extensive legacy including social and creative learning spaces and a skills-rich curriculum focussed on learner development, employability and preparation for life in a complex and rapidly changing environment

The Faculty of Education, Sport and Tourism is one of the UK’s largest providers of teacher training

We scooped The Times Higher Education award for outstanding international recruitment team in 2009

We are a leading partner in the Bedfordshire Olympic Opportunities Support Team (BOOST) which aims to maximise the benefits of the 2012 Games to Bedfordshire’s businesses

Our Careers and Employment Service has been commended by the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS) for incorporating skills into degree courses to make students more employable

We were commended for our ‘world-leading’ research in the Government’s Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 2008

We have been awarded top marks – a ‘confidence’ rating – in our most recent Quality Assurance Agency audit 2009

Our staff have received a number of National Teaching Fellowship Awards for outstanding contribution to teaching and learning

We run highly regarded enterprise programmes for students and business, resulting in a 13% increase in innovation funding for 2010/11

The number of students applying to study with us has nearly doubled in two years with an increase in applications of 54.5% for 2010 (UCAS)


University Structure

The University has four academic faculties: the Faculty of Creative Arts, Technologies and Science (CATS), the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences (HSS), University of Bedfordshire Business School (UBBS) and the Faculty of Education, Sport and Tourism (EST). Each faculty is led by a Dean and sub-divided into Departments, Schools and Divisions.

University of Bedfordshire Business School Dean – Professor Paul Burns Department of Marketing School of Law Department of Strategy and Human Resource Management Department of Business Systems Division of Accounting and Finance Division of Language and Communication

Faculty of Creative Arts, Technologies and Science Dean – Professor James Crabbe Department of Computer Science and Technology Division of Journalism and Communications Division of Media Arts and Production Division of Art and Design Division of Performing Arts and English Division of Science

Faculty of Education, Sport and Tourism Dean – Professor Marilyn Leask Department of Primary Education Department of Secondary and Post-Compulsory Education Department of Physical Education and Sport Studies Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences Division of Tourism and Leisure Department of Education Studies

Faculty of Health and Social Sciences Dean – Professor Michael Preston-Shoot Department of Acute and Critical Care Department of Community Practice Department of Midwifery and Child Health Department of Applied Social Studies Division of Psychology Division of Sports Therapy Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Postgraduate Medical School

Research Institutes LIRANS Institute of Research in Applied Natural Sciences IRAC Institute for Research in Applicable Computing RIMAD Research Institute for Media, Art and Design IHR Institute for Health Research IASR Institute of Applied Social Research BMRI Business and Management Research Institute IRED Institute for Research in Education ISPAR Institute for Sport and Physical Activity Research ITR Institute for Tourism Research


Our Community

Luton campus, Park Square

The Luton campus is located in the town centre and is home to Luton’s main teaching buildings. It boasts a brand-new £34m Campus Centre which opened in autumn 2010, and will act as a base for all student services, made easily accessible via the new Student Information Desk (SiD). The new Campus Centre houses informal and formal teaching spaces, as well as exhibition spaces for student work.

The Luton campus also has a coffee shop, restaurant and comfortable staff coffee lounge, and is within easy walking distance of The Mall Arndale shopping centre and Luton train station.

As part of the multi-million pound redevelopment, the Luton campus has also seen a £1.4m investment in business facilities including a new Law Moot Court and unique Business Pods, plus labs upgrades including in the Psychology, and the Biomedical and Forensic Sciences laboratories. A further £12m is being invested in the Computing and Media departments.

Putteridge Bury campus, Luton

The Putteridge Bury site is located four miles from the main Luton campus on the Bedfordshire-Hertfordshire border. It is a magnificent neo-Elizabethan country mansion set in 30 acres of landscaped gardens. It is home to the University of Bedfordshire Business School’s postgraduate courses, the University’s Conference Centre, the Knowledge Hub and the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Postgraduate Medical School.

Luton campus, Butterfield Park

Butterfield Park is an 85-acre business and technology site providing dedicated healthcare teaching and learning facilities to ensure that students have plenty of opportunities to develop and refine their clinical skills. Future developments will include simulation laboratories complete with fully functional theatres, ward, and clinic environments.

Bedford campus, Polhill Avenue

This campus has excellent facilities, a friendly atmosphere and a proven track record of exceptional teaching and graduate employment. The campus is located 20 minutes by foot from the town centre has recently undergone a £34m redevelopment programme which includes a new Campus Centre housing 280-seat theatre which runs regular professional seasons, café and social space, two brand-new, fully equipped gymnasiums and state-of-the-art sport science labs.

Buckinghamshire campus, Aylesbury

The Buckinghamshire campus is located on the ground floor of an executive building and offers state-of-the-art facilities for healthcare subjects. Oxford House boasts a fully equipped skills lab set up to replicate a working hospital ward, as well as an IT suite, nine classrooms, social space for self directed learning or group learning activities, individual learning pods, open areas for small group work and clinical skills facilities.


5 External Examining of Taught Courses



Matrix

5.1 Purpose of external examining

5.2 Principles

5.3 Role of external examiners

5.4 Selection and appointment

5.4.1 Criteria for appointment5.4.2 Process for appointment5.4.3 Period of service5.4.4 Termination of contract

5.5 Briefing of external examiners

5.6 Participation in assessment procedures – duties of external examiners

5.7 Written reports

5.8 Collaborative provision

5.9 External examiner teams

5.10 Scheme Board external examiner

5.11 Support for new external examiners

5.12 Procedures for dealing with complaints by external examiners

5.13 Summary of responsibilities

Appendices


EXTERNAL EXAMINING (5.4 – 5.7)

Process Responsibility for Action Forms / Documents

The proposed External Examiner sends a copy of his/her curriculum vitae to the University and a nomination form is completed on his/her behalf. The nomination form must be authorised by the Head of Department

Proposed External ExaminerCourse LeaderHead of Department

Nom01 and Nom01a

The nomination is considered at the Faculty Teaching Quality and Standards Committee and is signed off by the Chair Course Leader

Sub-DeanNom01 and Nom01a

The Nom01 and Nom01a and a copy of the proposed External Examiner’s curriculum vitae is sent to the Quality Directorate for approval at the External Examiner Committee

External Examiner Committee &Quality Directorate

Nom01 and Nom01a

Upon approval, a formal contract is sent to the External Examiner by the Quality Directorate, along with an induction pack Quality Directorate

Induction pack to include:

External Examiner Handbook, incorporating relevant sections of the Quality Handbook and generic information such as fee and expenses guidance, website information, maps etc.

University Regulations A copy of the report made by the retiring External Examiner

at the end of his/her tenure; Claim form

Academic Director sends out Faculty induction packAcademic Director

Induction pack to include:

Course and unit information forms; Course and unit handbooks; Minutes of the most recent meeting of the board of

examiners; Assessment schedule for the course or field, including dates

when scripts will be available for moderation, and related grading schemes, model answers etc as appropriate;

Dates of meetings of the Board(s) of Examiners; Last Annual Monitoring Report and Course Periodic Review

as appropriate;


Previous external examiner reports; Professional body requirements as appropriate; Assessment tasks.

Course Leader makes arrangements for newly appointed External Examiners to be briefed as soon as possible after their appointment Course Leader

External Examiners participate in assessment procedures External Examiner Assessment regulationsGraded scripts

Annual report is submitted to the Vice Chancellor by the External Examiner. This must be submitted by 31st July for undergraduate provision and 27th November for postgraduate provision. In addition, an external examiner will be required, at the end of their appointment, to provide a summative report of the period of the appointment

External Examiner Annual report template (EX1)

The annual fee and any outstanding expenses are paid to the External Examiner on receipt of their annual report and a completed claim form

External ExaminerQuality Directorate Expense claim form

Annual reports are made available to Deans, Sub-Deans, Heads of Department, Academic Directors, Field Administrators, Faculty Managers, Faculty Quality Officers and Quality Managers of collaborative partners

Quality Directorate Completed EX1

Academic Directors send a copy of the annual report to Course Leaders to enable them to prepare a written response. Academic Directors

Course Leaders provide a written response to the report, which forms the basis for a formal letter sent on behalf of the University by the Faculty Dean. A copy of the response is sent to the Quality Directorate.

Course teamsFaculty Dean

The External Examiner’s report and replies are considered at the Field or Course Committee in the presence of student representatives


Reports are read centrally and the Quality Directorate provides a summary report for the Teaching Quality and Standards Committee. Any issues requiring attention are identified and appropriate action proposed. Good practice identified by External Examiners is highlighted and disseminated for wider consideration and adoption as appropriate

Quality Directorate Report for TQSC

A completed copy of the Nom01a detailing the External Examiner’s duties going forward should be sent annually by the Faculty to the Examiner, with a request for the Examiner to update their personal details. The updated form should then be forwarded to the Quality Directorate.

Field Administrators Nom01a



External Examiners play a fundamental role in assuring academic standards by providing an external perspective on student performance and on the conduct of the assessment process at the University of Bedfordshire. The following procedures are in line with the QAA Code of practice for the assurance of academic quality and standards in higher education - Section 4: External examining.

5.1 Purpose of external examining

1 External examining provides one of the principal means for maintaining nationally comparable standards within autonomous higher education institutions. The main purposes of external examining are:

a To verify that academic standards are appropriate for the award or part thereof by reference to published national subject benchmarks, the FQHE, institutional programme specifications (CIFs) and other relevant information;

b To help the University to assure and maintain academic standards across the University’s awards;

c To help institutions to ensure that the assessment process measures student achievement appropriately against the intended learning outcomes of the course;

d To verify that their assessment processes are sound, fairly operated and in line with the institutions’ policies and regulations.

5.2 Principles

1 No degree or other academic distinction of the University shall be awarded without participation in the examining process by at least one external examiner who shall be a full member of the relevant board of examiners.

2 External examiners are responsible to the Vice Chancellor.

3 The correspondent between the University and an external examiner on contractual matters will be the Academic Registrar.

4 The number of external examiners for any particular course shall be appropriate to cover the full range of studies/units.

5.3 Role of external examiners

1 External Examiners are members of, and attend, assessment boards and are expected to:

a Ensure that the standard of the University’s awards is consistent with those elsewhere in the sector, and that the University is examining the qualities typically found in students across the sector at any specific stage of their courses;

b Moderate the standard of work carried out by students to consistent standards, to ensure that grades awarded are similar to those that would apply in other comparable universities and are in line with current best practice in the discipline concerned;


c Witness (by attendance at Boards of Examiners) the fair and consistent application of the University’s regulations for dealing with students’ assessments, progression from one stage to another and the determination of students’ awards;

d Endorse the outcomes of the assessments they have been appointed to scrutinise;

e Comment and give advice on course design, pedagogy and assessment processes;

f Present a written report which will include a commentary and judgements on the validity, reliability and integrity of the assessment process and the standards of student attainment.

2 Depending on the requirements of a particular subject or course, external examiners may be called upon to undertake the observation of clinical practice, performance, practical examinations or viva voce.

3 External examiners have the right to comment on any matter at the Board of Examiners, although the ultimate responsibility for making recommendations as to the award of degrees rests with the relevant Board of Examiners as a whole. The Board of Examiners is not ultimately required to defer to the judgement of external examiners in taking decisions but, where the Board of Examiners chooses to disregard the views of an external examiner, the reasons for the Board’s decision shall be recorded in the minutes of the meeting and reported to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic).

5.4 Selection and appointment

5.4.1 Criteria for appointment

1 External examiners are appointed against the following criteria:

a Their experience of teaching and examining students following courses which lead to the level of award for which they are being considered as external examiners;

b Their experience and qualifications which should be at least at the same level as the course they are examining, and preferably above that level;

c Their present post and their expertise in the relevant subject area, including current evidence of scholarship/research/consultancy related to the awards to be externally examined;

d Their recognition within the relevant discipline and/or profession as appropriate;

e Their range and scope of experience and understanding of quality and standards in other higher education institutions;

f Their independence from the University and the course team.

2 An external examiner should not normally hold more than the equivalent of two substantial examining appointments at the same time (i.e. one other in addition to the appointment with the University of Bedfordshire).

3 External examiners should not concurrently act as consultants to the course team on course design, or be members of a panel established to review the course they examine.

4 An external examiner should not be appointed


From a department in an institution where a member of the University of Bedfordshire is serving as an examiner;

From the same department as the retiring external examiner;

From an institution which has been the source of examiners for the same or a closely related programme in the recent past (normally three years);

Where there is already an external examiner from the same place of employment on the Board of Examiners.

If they have a close personal relationship with a student studying on the course they are appointed to examine

5 A proposed External Examiner should not, during the last five years, have been:

a a member of staff, a governor, an external examiner or a student of the University;

b closely associated with any member of the course team.

6 A proposed External Examiner should not be:

a personally associated with the sponsorship of students on the course;

b required to participate in judgements about colleagues who are students on the course;

c in a position to influence significantly the future employment of students on the course;

d likely to be involved with placements of students on the course or with their training in the examiner’s organisation.

7 External examiners from outside the higher education system, for example from industry or other professions, may be appointed where appropriate; however, each course should normally have at least one external examiner with experience in a higher education institution who is familiar with the standards required for comparable courses.

5.4.2 Process for appointment

1 External examiner appointments are approved under arrangements determined by the Teaching Quality and Standards Committee on behalf of the Academic Board. The course leader is required to complete a nomination form (NOM01) in respect of a prospective External Examiner supplying details of teaching, research and examination experience; present and former appointments and associations (if any) with the University or its staff. Nominations are initially considered by the appropriate Faculty Teaching Quality and Standards Committee acting on behalf of the Faculty Academic Board. The form will then be submitted to the External Examiner Committee for final approval on behalf of the Teaching Quality Standards Committee and the Academic Board. Nominations will be submitted to any relevant professional body for information and/or endorsement, as appropriate.

2 Upon appointment, an External Examiner will receive a formal contract from the University stating the agreed fee which will be paid on completion of the necessary duties, including the submission to the Vice-Chancellor of a detailed annual report (EX1). The University will also pay reasonable claims for expenses in line with the guidance document available from the Quality Directorate.


3

3 A record of all external examiner appointments is held in the Quality Directorate. Faculties and the Quality Directorate retain a record of all their academic staff who hold external examiner appointments at other institutions.

5.4.3 Period of service

1 Appointments are normally of four years’ duration but may, exceptionally, be extended, subject to formal approval, for a further period of one year, if there is a strong rationale for extension.

2 New examiners should take up their appointments on or before the retirement of their predecessors. External examiners should remain available after the last assessments with which they are to be associated in case of any subsequent reviews of decisions.

3 Normally, appointments will run from the beginning of the academic session and the normal term of office will be one which allows the examiner to be involved in the assessment of four successive cohorts of students.

5.4.4 Termination of contract

1 An appointment may be terminated by either party, normally subject to 3 months notice. An external examiner whose performance or conduct is not satisfactory may be warned or advised (in the first instance) of remedial action that should be taken, or have their contract terminated prematurely. The decision to terminate may be based on one or more of a number of factors, including:

Changes to the curriculum/deletion of courses;

Failure to carry out duties in accordance with the contract and annual agreement;

Conflict of interest through changed circumstances;

Evidence that the information contained in the external examiner’s nomination form was inaccurate;

Evidence that the external examiners’ judgement/reporting is insufficiently thorough, critical or objective.

5.5 Briefing of external examiners

1 The Academic Registrar will ensure that each external examiner is sent on appointment an induction pack comprising:

a Copies of the University of Bedfordshire’s Quality Handbook (incorporating University Regulations);

b A copy of the report made by the retiring external examiner at the end of his/her term of office;

c General information and standard forms such as expenses claim forms and map etc.

d Website information


2 The relevant Academic Director will ensure that the external examiner receives copies of:

a Course and unit information forms;

b Course and unit handbooks;

c Minutes of the most recent meeting of the board of examiners;

d Assessment schedule for the course or field, including dates when scripts will be available for moderation, and related grading schemes, model answers etc as appropriate;

e Dates of meetings of the Board(s) of Examiners;

f Last Annual Monitoring Report and Course Periodic Review as appropriate;

g Previous external examiner reports;

h Professional body requirements as appropriate

i Assessment tasks.

3 The University holds an annual briefing meeting to which all external examiners are invited.

4 The relevant course leader will make arrangements for new external examiners to be briefed as soon as possible after appointment.

5.6 Participation in assessment procedures

1 External examiners are expected to undertake the following duties:

a To be given the opportunity to comment on the approved assessment instruments and regulations which directly affect students on the course;

b To consider a sample of graded scripts from each unit from which the external examiner is contracted, in order to confirm that the scripts have been graded in accordance with the criteria stated, to the proper standard, fairly and accurately. The sample will not normally include work at Level 4, but will do so in the case of foundation degrees delivered collaboratively through further education colleges. Samples will normally comprise scripts based on borderlines, fails and firsts/distinctions, or those which are borderline between classifications;

c To moderate the grades awarded by the internal examiners and to adjust the overall range of grades, if warranted, but not to alter individual grades;

d Exceptionally, to conduct a viva voce examination of any students, where this is judged necessary;

e To ensure that the assessments are conducted in accordance with University and course regulations;

f To attend the meeting(s) of the Board of Examiners at which decisions on progression and awards are made and to ensure that the decisions accord with the University’s requirements and normal practice in higher education;


g To participate in reviews of decisions about individual students’ awards taken during his/her period of office;

h To report to the University on the effectiveness of the assessments and any lessons to be drawn from them;

i To report immediately to the Vice-Chancellor on any matters of serious concern arising from the assessments which put at risk the standard of the award;

j To submit an annual report, normally 31st July each year for undergraduate courses and by 27th November for postgraduate courses;

k To attend, at their discretion, the annual University briefing meeting for External Examiners.

5.7 Written reports

1 External examiners are required to provide an annual report to the University using the EX1 form, which specifies the areas on which the University welcomes comments.External examiners’ annual reports provide important evidence about the standards prevailing in the University and are used by course teams as part of the basis for their annual monitoring.

2 In addition, an external examiner will be required, at the end of their appointment, to provide a summative report of the period of the appointment. External Examiners’ reports should be sent to the Vice-Chancellor after which payment of the fee will be made.

3 Where an external examiner is moderating a course delivered on more than one site, the report should make clear to which site the comments are referring and should include a comment on the issue of equity of treatment for students studying on different sites. Similar clarification is required if the examiner is moderating a Bachelor’s degree and a related Foundation Degree.

4 The reports of the examiners are made available to Deans, Sub-Deans, Heads of Departments, Academic Directors, School and Course Leaders and QA managers of collaborative partners. Course Leaders must provide written responses to the report, which in turn form the basis for a formal letter sent on behalf of the University by the Faculty Dean concerned. A copy of the response to the report must be sent to the Quality Directorate. The deadline for responses to undergraduate external examiner reports is 31st August and postgraduate responses 17th December.

5 The external examiners’ reports, and the replies, are considered at the Field or Course Committee in the presence of student representatives.

6 All the external examiners’ reports are read centrally and the Quality Directorate prepares a summary report for the Teaching Quality and Standards Committee. Any issues requiring attention are identified and appropriate action proposed. Good practice identified by external examiners is highlighted and disseminated for wider consideration and adoption as appropriate.

5.8 Collaborative provision

1 External examiners for collaborative partnerships are appointed in the same way as for Bedfordshire-based courses and they have the same responsibilities. For purposes of comparing standards, it is most desirable for an external examiner to examine student work at both home and the overseas/other UK institution. If there are reasons why this cannot be done, the faculty must describe the ways in which that student work is properly compared.


5.9 External examiner team

1 The external examiner team should complement each other in terms of expertise and experience appropriate to the course assessed. There should also be an appropriate balance between academic and professional practitioners within the external examining team, which should reflect the range of academic/vocational perspectives required for the course. The phasing of appointments to the team should be structured to ensure continuity.

5.10 Scheme Board external examiner

1 Each Scheme Board will normally have two Scheme external examiners. Scheme examiners must be experienced examiners independent from the University. Thus, they need to have the capacity to understand higher education rules, regulations and assessment processes and to ensure that these are being consistently applied across the Scheme for which they have responsibility. Both external examiners are expected to be present at the main Scheme Board each year but they may share attendance at other Board meetings.

5.11 Support for new external examiners

1 In circumstances where an appointee is new to the role of external examining the appointee must be supported in their role by an experienced external within the team covering the same broad curriculum.

2 A conference for all external examiners is arranged annually by the Quality Directorate which provides an opportunity to brief new examiners about their roles and to keep existing external examiners briefed about developments at the University.

4 All external examiners have access to an external website where they can find general University information, specific briefings and updates and proformas to assist with their role.

5 They receive information and any support required from the Quality Directorate and the appropriate faculty through the induction process and thereafter for the duration of their tenure.

5.12 Procedure for dealing with complaints by external examiners

1 If an external examiner has cause to complain about any matter relating to the contract, payment, or the conduct of University employees, the complaint should be addressed to the Vice Chancellor in a letter separate from the external examiner’s report. As a general principle, an attempt should be made to resolve the complaint through dialogue before entering a formal phase.

2 The Quality Directorate will investigate the complaint and report to the Vice Chancellor. If the Quality Directorate cannot resolve the complaint to the external examiner’s satisfaction, then case notes will be sent to the University Registrar who will act to resolve the complaint.

3 If the complaint involves the Quality Directorate it will be investigated by the University Registrar and the resolution will be reported to the Vice Chancellor.

5.13 Summary of responsibilities

The responsibilities of the External Examiner are to:


exercise the right to see all examination scripts and samples of coursework, theses, projects etc;

attend all final Boards of Examiner meetings except in exceptional circumstances

endorse the outcome of the assessment process by signing the final results lists;

offer comments and advice as appropriate;

submit a written report annually to the Vice-Chancellor.

The responsibilities of the Quality Directorate are to:

appoint the external examiners via the External Examiner Committee

provide and maintain a pro forma contract for the purpose;

send out the generic induction pack;

send a new examiner a copy of the report of the retiring external examiner;

organise an annual external examiners’ conference;

make travel arrangements as requested by visiting external examiners;

arrange for payment of expenses and examining fees;

send out copies of the external examiners’ reports to the Dean, Sub-Dean (Quality Enhancement), Head of Department, Academic Director, Field Administrator, QA Manager at collaborative partner (as appropriate);

prepare synoptic summaries of external examiners’ comments for consideration by the Teaching Quality and Standards Committee.

The responsibilities of the Course Leader (through the Field Administrator) are to:

provide a completed nomination form (NOM01) for the appointment of a prospective external examiner for the Faculty Teaching Quality and Standards Committee and associated Faculty Academic Board;

provide the external examiner with up-to-date information about the course and associated course regulations, together with a schedule of assessments and of the main dates when examiners are expected to consider students’ work; draft assessment tasks and copies of all examination papers together with details of assessment criteria;

send to the external examiner samples of students’ work, graded and annotated by internal examiners as appropriate, together with full results sheets which demonstrate how the sample of scripts relates to the population from which they have been selected;

provide for the Board of Examiners statistical material on the performance of the students under consideration;

provide the examiners’ agreed results for every student in every unit and the profile of results for each student under consideration;

produce minutes of the meetings of Boards of Examiners;


draft a response to the comments of the external examiner for the Dean;

ensure that the External Examiners’ reports are considered by the Field Committee in the presence of student representatives.

The responsibilities of the Dean are to:

ensure that the decisions of the Faculty Academic Board are executed and the external examiners are provided with the detail of their duties;

respond to the External Examiner’s report;

pass the response to the External Examiner’s report to the Quality Directorate;

ensure appropriate action is taken in response to comments of the External Examiner(s).

The responsibilities of Sub-Deans are to:

support the Dean in discharging the above responsibilities.


Appendices:

External Examiner Annual Report template (EX1)

External Examiner nomination forms (NOM01 / NOM01a / NOM02)


FORM EX1

Please complete this form by

29 July 2011 for undergraduate courses25 November 2011 for postgraduate courses

Name

Home Institution

Date of submission of report

Faculty Course Please list the programmes leading to named awards covered by this report as stated

on your External Examiner contract

Collaborative Partners Are any elements taught at collaborative partners?

Yes No

If Yes, please specify which locations:

Report Submission

Annual external examiner reports are a fundamental element of the University’s annual monitoring process, as they enable the Academic Board to judge whether the course is meeting national academic standards. It is important that reports are submitted in a timely fashion to ensure that they are appropriately actioned through the University’s annual monitoring cycle. Please remember that it is a contractual requirement to submit an annual report and that its receipt is a prerequisite for the payment of fees.

This form is designed to be submitted electronically to [email protected]. If you are unable to email your report, please send a hard copy to: The Vice Chancellor, University of Bedfordshire, Park Square, Luton, Beds. LU1 3JU

Fee and Expense PaymentThe payment of fees will be raised on receipt of the completed External Examiner report. Please submit an external expense claim form, with all necessary details, to the Quality Directorate to ensure timely payment. The current annual fee is £350 per annum including attendance at a Board of Examiners.

Contact detailsIf you require any further information or guidance please contact the Quality Directorate;

Quality Directorate, University of Bedfordshire, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU1 3JU. Tel: 01582 743405 Email: [email protected]

External Examiners’ report form Academic Year 2010-11

mailto:[email protected]

Section 1: Report of the External Examiner

OVERALL STANDARDS Yes Yes * No

1. In your view, are the standards set for the award(s) appropriate for the qualification(s)?

2. In your view, are the standards of student performance equivalent to other UK institutions with which you are familiar?

Please comment further below (particularly if you answered Yes* or No), including any actions that might be taken by the course team or unit tutors and on consistency between different student groups, separate sites of delivery or other variables where applicable.

TEACHING AND LEARNING Yes Yes * No Not applicable

3. Are the teaching and learning methods used appropriate and effective?

4. Do staff give appropriate academic guidance and support to students to enable them to achieve?

5. For Foundation Degrees only: Are there sufficient and effective opportunities for work based learning and work related learning?

Please comment further below (particularly if you answered Yes* or No) to any of these questions or if you have additional comments to make to the course team or the University. Please comment on consistency between separate sites of delivery which are taking the same units, where applicable.

ASSESSMENT Yes Yes * No Not Applicable

6. Were the intended learning outcomes of the course and its elements clearly defined and appropriate to the educational aims of the course?

7. Did the chosen assessment activities/methods test the intended learning outcomes of the individual units?

8. Was there an appropriate variety of assessment methods across all elements in the course?

9. Were you given sufficient opportunity to participate in the assessment process and, in your view, was your participation in line with University requirements?

Please comment further below (particularly if you answered Yes* or No) to any of these questions or have additional comments to make to the course team or the University. Please comment on consistency between separate sites of delivery which are taking the same units, where applicable.

MARKING/MODERATION Yes Yes * No Not Applicable

10. Were you satisfied with the evidence that the internal examiners have undertaken sample double marking in accordance with university requirements?

11. Were you satisfied that assessment was fair and consistent and was carried out in accordance with university regulations?

12. Was there evidence that good quality written formative feedback was provided to all students?

13. Was the full range of grades used as appropriate i.e. the whole of the 16 point scale?


**Only to be answered by External Examiners appointed to courses with placement activities. (Health, Education, other)**

EXTERNAL EXAMINER ENGAGEMENT WITH PRACTICE

Yes Yes * No Not applicable

14.Were you given an opportunity to meet with students, mentors or practice teachers?

15.Were you given an opportunity to review practice elements such as practice assessment documents or OSCEs?

16.Were you given the opportunity to review the ongoing records of achievement (Portfolio)?


THE EXAMINATION BOARD Yes Yes * No Not applicable

17.Did you attend the examination board?

18.Were you satisfied with the quality of information that you received at the examination board?

19.Were you satisfied that the conduct of the examination board and the procedures that it followed were in keeping with University regulations?

20.Did you receive appropriate statistical analysis of the distribution of grades at unit and course levels?

Please comment further below (particularly if you answered Yes* or No) to any of these questions or have additional comments to make to the course team or the University. Please comment on consistency between separate sites of delivery which are taking the same units, where applicable

Please comment further below (particularly if you answered Yes* or No) to any of these questions or have additional comments to make to the course team or the University. Please comment on consistency between separate sites of delivery which are taking the same units, where applicable

ORGANISATION AND ADMINISTRATION(Please comment as appropriate on general procedures even if you did not attend the examination board)

Yes Yes * No Not Applicable

1. Were you appropriately briefed on how to fulfil your duties?

2. Were the samples of scripts you were sent for moderation representative of student attainment across each unit?

3. Was a satisfactory written response received from the course team/University to points raised in previous external examiners’ reports?

Section 2: Report on Academic Standards

Section 2 allows External Examiners to provide a detailed overview on academic standards of the course/s. The report should be between 1-3 sides of A4. Please comment on each collaborative partner separately that delivers the course(s) you are examining in the boxes below

Please indicate your overall perception of:

The standard of grading and consider whether grading standards, progression decisions and award decisions were consistent with sectoral norms

The strengths and weaknesses of the students as a group and the level of their skills, knowledge and understanding

Your general observations on the quality of the courses at the University of Bedfordshire (including any particularly positive points).

Ways in which the University could assist you in your role as external examiner. Any other comments you wish to make.

PLEASE DO NOT IDENTIFY INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS OR MEMBERS OF STAFF BY NAME (OR IN OTHER WAYS) IN THE REPORT.

Please type your report in the (expandable) box below

Name of collaborative partner (if applicable):

Name of collaborative partner (if applicable):

Name of collaborative partner (if applicable):*

*If you are commenting on more than three collaborative partners, place your cursor in the last cell of the table above and press ‘Tab’ on your keyboard in order to create additional boxes*

Section 3:Recommendations and Areas of Good Practice(Please differentiate between sites of delivery where appropriate)

Good practice

Recommendations based on your knowledge of University of Bedfordshire processes, and on your experience at other institutions

Rate significance according to:

Advisable

Desirable

Section 4: Final summary report

If this is the final year of your term of office, please attach an overview report of your term which will be passed onto your successor to aid the transitional process and support their induction process and development into the role.

Section 5:

Signed (Print name if submitting via email) Date

Please note that following the removal of external examiner summaries from the TQI website the report you submit may be shared with the University’s student representatives.

10/11

NOM01Nomination of External Examiner

An electronic and paper copy of this form, along with a NOM1A, must be sent to the Quality Directorate, following approval (signed by the Sub Dean on behalf of the Faculty Teaching Quality and Standards Committee acting on behalf of the Faculty Academic Board). One copy of the proposed examiner's Curriculum Vitae must be attached.

External Examiners cannot be appointed and will not have contracts issued or receive payment until approved on behalf of the External Examiner Committee

1. PROPOSING FACULTY

2. PROPOSED EXAMINER

Surname: Forename: Title:Name of Course:

3. PROPOSED RESPONSIBILITY AND DATE OF TENUREExternal Examiners should normally be appointed for four academic years. Please note that External Examiners contracted to undergraduate courses should normally start their tenure in October and finish in September, and postgraduate courses November to October, in order to align with Boards of Examiners’ meetings.

From: (month/year):

To: (month / year)

EXTERNAL EXAMINER DETAILS

4. CURRENT EMPLOYMENT (if unemployed or retired, please give details of last post and home address)

Position: From ToInstitution:

5. PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT (last ten years only)

Institution/Employer Position From To

6. HIGHER EDUCATION

Institution Award Subject From To

7. PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

Professional Body Qualifications/Status of Membership From To

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8. CURRENT EXTERNAL EXAMINER APPOINTMENTS (If none, please state)

If this proposal will lead to a total of more than two concurrent undergraduate appointments, or equivalent, please give reasons in support of the proposal in a covering letter.

Institution Award Subject/Level From To

9. EXTERNAL EXAMINER EXPERIENCE (please give details of other posts in last five years. If none, please state)

Institution Award Subject/Level From To

10. RESEARCH AND RELATED SCHOLARLY/PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITY/CONSULTANCY

Indicate main activities with particular reference to the last five years and list major publications (books, articles in refereed academic or professional journals), with dates (a brief cross reference to the CV will not normally suffice)

11. TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Give brief account of main areas of teaching responsibilities over last five years and how this relates to the units being examined (a brief cross reference to the CV will not normally suffice)

12. OTHER RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

Additional (recent) experience relevant to the Faculty’s proposal of this candidate with details (a brief cross reference to the CV will not normally suffice)

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13. EXAMINER TO BE REPLACED (where relevant)

New examiner should take up appointment on retirement of predecessorSurname:

Forename: Title:

Position: From ToInstitution:

14. EXTERNAL EXAMINER TEAM

Give details of other proposed/approved External Examiners (name, place of work, area of responsibility and dates of appointment. Examiners not yet approved should be marked *Examiner Name Institution Course (s) From To

If the proposed External Examiner will not be examining all the units within the course, please identify the Course External Examiner belowName Course (s) Tenure From Tenure To

15. MENTOR

External Examiners who do not have previous external examining experience should be assigned a mentor from within the current External Examiner team. Identify mentor below.

16. CONTRIBUTION

17. RECIPROCAL ARRANGEMENTS

Please confirm below that there are no reciprocal external examining arrangements, and identify any other current or recent (i.e. in the past five years) engagement by the proposed External Examiner with the University of Bedfordshire.There should be no reciprocal external examining arrangements between the University and the place of employment of the External Examiner that would contravene section 5.4.1 of the Quality Handbook.

18. EXAM BOARD ATTENDANCE REQUIRED

Indicate the contribution the proposed Examiner will make to the existing team of External Examiners in terms of continuity, subject coverage and external examining experience.

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Please indicate which board of examiners the nominee will be required to attendThere should not be more than one External Examiner from the same place of employment on any one Examination Board.

Give details of other External Examiners who will attend the same Examination BoardExaminer Name Institution Course (s) Tenure

FromTenure To

19. AUTHORISATION

Signed by the Head of Department Name Signature

Position Date

Signed by the Sub Dean as Chair of the Faculty Teaching Quality and Standards Committee acting on behalf of the Faculty Academic BoardName Signature

Position Date

Please return a copy of the form to:

Quality Directorate

B104, Park Square

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NOM01A

External Examiner contact details and duties

Notes

This form must accompany all NOM01 submissions.

This form must accompany all NOM02 submissions if a reallocation of duties is proposed.

A completed copy of the form detailing the External Examiner’s duties going forward should be sent annually by the Faculty to the Examiner, with a request for the Examiner to update their personal details (section 1) below (if applicable). The updated form should then be forwarded to the Quality Directorate.

1. EXTERNAL EXAMINER PERSONAL DETAILS

To be updated annually by the External Examiner. Where details remain the same, please indicate by marking a cross in this box:

Surname: Forename(s): Title:

Institution:

Work Address:

Post Code:

Telephone No:

Home Address:

Post Code:

Telephone No: Email:

Please indicate the preferred address for correspondence: Work: Home:

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2. EXTERNAL EXAMINER DUTIES

FACULTY:

PERIOD OF APPOINTMENT (month and year):

Course title

Department

Course leader

Site(s) of delivery

(a) Units to be examined

Unit Code Unit Title Site(s) Old Unit (O)* or New Unit (N)**

Credit Value

* Old = A unit already being examined by the External Examiner** New = A unit which will be newly examined by the External Examiner

If the table above lists less than twelve units of thirty credits each or equivalent, this may increase up to the maximum of twelve units throughout the External Examiners’ term of office.

(b) Duties no longer allocated

Where duties previously allocated to this External Examiner are either to be reallocated or no longer required, please detail these below.

Unit code Unit title Site(s) Note of reallocation or other change

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Note for Faculty: please return a copy of the form to:

Quality Directorate

B104, Park Square

NOM02Proposal to Extend External Examiner Appointment or Proposal for a Reallocation of Duties

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Notes

Please do not send this form to the External Examiner to complete.

When this form is used for a reallocation of an Examiner’s duties, a NOM01a form must be attached.

If new units are added to an Examiner’s duties, rather than replaced, and/or there is a significant change of subject area, a CV should accompany this form.

Please consult the Quality Handbook for details of circumstances in which extension of contract may be considered.

PROPOSING FACULTY:

1. External Examiner details

Surname: Forename: Title:

Name(s) of course(s):

Department: Course Leader:Current period of appointment From (month and year): To (month and year):Proposed period for reallocation of duties From (month and year): To (month and year):

2. Proposed extension period

External Examiners should normally be appointed for four academic years in the first instance. In all cases proposed extensions must be continuous from the initial period of appointment and should not normally be for less than one year.

Please note that External Examiners contracted to undergraduate courses should normally start their tenure in October and finish in September, and postgraduate courses November to October, in order to align with Boards of Examiners’ meetings.

Proposed period of extension

From (month and year):

To (month and year):

Reason for extension

Extension of contract Complete sections 1, 2 and 4Reallocation of Duties Complete sections 1, 3 and 4

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3. Reallocation of duties

Reason for reallocation (when proposing a reallocation of duties, a NOM01a form must accompany this form)

4. Authorisation

Signed by the Head of Department Name Signature

Position Date

Signed by the Sub Dean as Chair of the Faculty Teaching Quality and Standards Committee acting on behalf of the Faculty Academic BoardName Signature

Position Date

Please return a copy of the form to:

Quality Directorate

B104, Park Square

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6 Boards of Examiners

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6 Boards of Examiners: roles and responsibilities

6.1 Types of Boards of Examiners

6.1.1 StAR Boards

6.1.2 Unit Grade Confirmation Process

6.1.3 Pre-Boards

6.1.4 Field Board of Examiners

6.1.5 Terms of Reference of Field Boards of Examiners

6.1.6 Composition and Procedure of the Field Board of Examiners

6.1.7 Chair of the Field Board of Examiners

6.1.8 Secretary to the Field Board of Examiners

6.1.9 Relationship between the Field Board of Examiners and the appropriate Scheme Board of Examiners

6.1.10 Presentation of data to the Field Board of Examiners

6.1.11 Chair’s Action

6.1.12 Unscheduled Field Examination Boards

6.1.13 The Undergraduate Scheme Board of Examiners

6.1.14 The Postgraduate Scheme Board of Examiners

6.1.15 Confidentiality

6.1.16 Conflict of Interest

6.1.17 Disclosure of Grades

6.1.18 Appeals against decisions of Boards of Examiners

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6. Boards of Examiners: roles and responsibilities

Introduction

1. The Undergraduate and Postgraduate Schemes have two levels of formal decision-making on student progression and awards: Field Boards and the Scheme Boards. In addition there are two types of internal Boards: Student Attainment and Review (StAR) Boards, which provide a means of monitoring student engagement and attainment; and Pre-boards which monitor the reliability of recorded grades for all units within the field.

2. For every course leading to an award of the University, the Academic Board will appoint a Board of Examiners.

3. The Board of Examiners is accountable to the Academic Board. The composition of each Board shall be reported annually to the appropriate Faculty Academic Board.

4. No recommendation for the conferment of an award of the University may be made by anybody other than the appropriate Board of Examiners. The final decision rests with the Academic Board of the University which exercises its responsibility through the Undergraduate and Postgraduate Scheme Boards.

6.1 Types of Boards of Examiners

6.1.1 StAR Boarda. Student Attainment and Review (StAR) Boards are held three times each year for Undergraduate

and Postgraduate fields: November (StAR 1), January (StAR 2) and May (StAR 3).

b. The November StAR Board (StAR 1)1 considers evidence of student retention and engagement in the early weeks of the academic year and identifies actions being taken to deal with students perceived to be at risk. The StAR 2 and StAR 3 Board may recommend to the appropriate Field Board and the Registrar the removal of students who have not attended and who have failed to respond to correspondence. StAR Boards do not consider student awards, make progression decisions and are not to be held in conjunction with any other boards.

c. An important function of the StAR Boards is the consideration of student engagement. The profiles of students ‘at risk’ should be considered in turn, with appropriate recommendations made to the appropriate Course Team, concerning actions to be undertaken to support such students.

d. StAR Boards should be chaired by the appropriate Head of Department (or nominee) and involve the Academic Director and Course Co-ordinators, as appropriate to enable effective monitoring of student engagement, and a representative of the Student Support Service together with a Registry administrator who shall take careful action notes.

6.1.2 Unit Grade Confirmation Processe. The Unit Grade Confirmation Process will confirm the reliability of recorded grades for all units within

the field through an email process involving the Head of Department, Academic Director, Course/Pathway Co-ordinators and individual Unit Co-ordinators.

6.1.3 Pre-boards a. Pre-boards are held prior to each Field board, both Postgraduate and Undergraduate, in order to

prepare proposed decisions on award and progression student profiles by the Field Examination Board.

1 This is not the Board at which this would occur for non-September start cohorts

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c. If a particular assessment within a unit shows an anomalous range of grades (which may further lead to irregularity or aberration within the unit grades), the Head of Department, Academic Director, Course/Pathway Co-ordinators and Unit Co-ordinators should consider the reason for the apparent anomaly, and what adjustment to those grades might be recommended to the Field Board of Examiners.

d. The Pre-board should also consider the unit statistics which have been prepared.

e. Any proposed adjustments should then be discussed with the external examiner and confirmed at the next field examination board.

f Where a complaint is completed by the Director of the Student Experience prior to an examination board, and is claimed to have impacted negatively on a student's performance, it is legitimate, where that complaint has been upheld through the University complaints process, for the Board to consider any impact of that complaint on the performance of a student (it is only after examination board confirmation that such consideration is confined to the academic appeal process). Complaints that have not been upheld (i.e. both those specifically not upheld, and those not yet decided) cannot be considered by examination boards.

g Where a member of academic staff believes that one or more students have been impacted by UoB action, or by circumstances arising within the teaching and learning process (but excluding the conduct of examinations) other than person circumstances processed by Student Support Service (an example being unexpected disturbance of an examination, or an assessment profile that does not appear to have operated effectively etc), this must be raised at the pre-Board, with the relevant Head of Department.

h Similarly, where the performance profile of a unit is at variance with the general performance of the cohort, or reflects a continuing problem in the operation of the unit, such that the grades may reasonably be held not to reflect satisfactory assessment of a unit, this should be identified by the relevant Head of Department in at the pre-Board

i In all of the above cases,

Field Boards must consider the circumstances and their impact. to determine whether there was material impact on a student's performance (e.g. in respect of their performance in other similar assessments and units)

External examiners must be part of the process of consideration of any alteration to be made to the expected outcome (e.g. an additional attempt allowed)

The decision and the reasons must be minuted in detail to ensure that the basis for any changes made is clear.

Any such deliberations that result in changes to grades for students being recommended for an award should be notified to the Scheme Board, for ratification.

Field Boards of Examinersa. Field Boards should be chaired by Heads of Departments (or nominee academic grade 9 or above)

from another department within the Faculty appointed by the relevant Faculty board, they should be independent of the field. The membership should consist of one or more external examiners. The business of the Board will be noted by the appropriate Field or Programme Administrator who will also advise on matters of regulation on behalf of the Registrar.

b. Field Boards consider the results of assessments at all stages of a course and determine progression and recommend awards to the Scheme Board of Examiners, including the classification of awards where appropriate.

c. Field Boards ensure the assessment programmes enable students to demonstrate that the course learning outcomes have been met, and to make observations as appropriate to the Course Co-ordinator or Academic Director.

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d. They will determine action to be taken where a student fails to complete all or part of the assessment for a unit and agree arrangements for the consideration of the performance of those students who have been reassessed, ensuring that External Examiners are appropriately involved.

e. Field boards are responsible for making recommendations on final awards for students within their remit. Field Boards will report to the Scheme Board on any matters of policy which may arise for the assessments and their conduct.

f. Where field boards recommend a different award from that estimated, the reasons should be clearly minuted.

g Field boards consider issues rased at the Pre-boards such as complaints; circumstances arising within the teaching and learning process and performance on profiles which are at variance with the general performance of the cohort.

h In all the above cases Field Boards must consider the circumstances and their impact, and keep a full and definitive record of discussions.

6.1.5 Terms of reference of Field Boards of Examiners

The terms of reference of Field Boards of Examiners are:

To consider the results of assessments at all stages of a course and to determine progression and recommend awards to the Scheme Board of Examiners, including the classification of awards where appropriate;

To ensure that the assessment programmes enable students to demonstrate that the course learning outcomes have been met, and to make observations as appropriate to the Course Co-ordinator Academic Director;

To determine action to be taken where a student fails to complete all or part of the assessment for a unit and to agree arrangements for the consideration of the performance of those students who have been reassessed, ensuring that External Examiners are appropriately involved

To report to the Academic Board on any matters of policy which may arise from the assessments and their conduct.

6.1.6 Composition and Procedure of the Field Board of Examiners

a. The membership of Field Boards of Examiners shall comprise:

one or more external examiners; and all members of academic staff teaching on the course Head of Department within which the field operates

b. A Field Board of Examiners will be quorate when the Academic Directors (or academic nominees) and/or the Course Co-ordinators (or academic nominees) for the courses under consideration are present. The Board will reach a decision based on a consensus of Board members. Exceptionally, where a course is not represented, any decisions in relation to the unrepresented course must be ratified urgently by Chair’s action after the meeting, in consultation with the absent parties, then reported to the Scheme Board and the next meeting of the Field Board.

6.1.7 Chair of the Field Board of Examiners

a. The Chair of the Field Board of Examiners shall be independent of the relevant field and appointed by the relevant Faculty Board. The Chair has overall responsibility for ensuring that appropriate arrangements are made with external examiners; for chairing the meetings of the Board of Examiners and for monitoring all aspects of the examination process. The Chair ensures that appropriate weight is given to the comments of the external examiners and will sign the final list of examination results

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6.1.8 Secretary to the Field Board of Examiners

a. The Secretary to the Field Board will normally be the Field Administrator who will be responsible for making appropriate arrangements for liaison with the External Examiners; for prompt notification to examiners of the dates and times of board meetings; for the circulation of the following papers:

Course assessment regulations Marking scheme used by the internal examiners The full draft mark sheet including a profile of the marks awarded to each student in each piece

of assessed work An analysis of the mean and standard deviation of the marks in each assessment and

recommendations on decisions

b The Secretary will take minutes of the meeting and record decisions taken.

6.1.9 Relationship between Field Board of Examiners and the appropriate Scheme Board

a. The Field Board of Examiners make recommendations to the Scheme Board on the following:

Class of honours degree, where appropriate, for students who have completed their course of study;

Review of the progression of continuing students.

6.1.10 Presentation of data to the Field Board of Examiners

a. For final stage students the Board records its decisions on a series of summary reports. On each report the students are listed in rank order with the estimated class outcome. Normally only the estimated class need be confirmed. The Board will concentrate on borderline students. A complete assessment profile is provided for each student. Where amendments are necessary, these are recorded by altering the decision by ringing the appropriate result code. These amendments must be made immediately after the meeting by the Secretary to the Board and a report of amendments will be produced to be checked by the chair and appended to the minutes of the meeting.

b. Possible decisions at a Board of Examiners

There are broadly three possible decisions:

P = Pass and free to progress on a course of study

F = Fail – student either left the University or required to do so

C = Passed several units but student does not fulfil progression requirements

6.1.11 Chair’s Action

Chair's action may be used for: the input of grades not available to a prior formal examination board at which the student and/or

the unit were considered; administrative correction of input and recording errors; decisions in respect of extenuating circumstances recorded as identified by Student Support

Service as in process at the time of the examination board; implementing academic appeal decisions reached through the University academic appeals

process.

Where a student completes their programme of study (i.e. submits assessment) after the standard examination board schedule. Chair's Action may only be used where the work involved

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is subject to moderation and/or external examination, to ensure that cohort standards are maintained.

In all cases, Chair's Actions must be recorded (i.e. reasons for changes) and be noted at the next meeting of the Examination Board at which the decision should have been recorded (i.e. a Field Board Chair’s Action has to be recorded at the next Field Board.)

Every Chair's Action must also be recorded in Faculty records, to identify the cause of any administrative delay, and to provide a clear record demonstrating that any grade change is made on the basis of one or more of the above grounds and, where a student completes assessment outside standard schedules, to confirm that moderation and/or external examination has been conducted.

Chair's action may not be used to:

Decide the results of students or cohorts meeting outside the standard schedule; Change the results of any student on the basis of appeal or complaint.

Once Chair’s actions have been agreed and recorded in detail by the Field Boards they should be submitted to the Chair of the Scheme Board, via the secretary, for ratification. Decisions taken under Chair’s action will be reported to the next Scheme Board meeting.

6.1.12 Unscheduled Field Examination Boards

a Examination Boards (in addition to those scheduled) must be conducted where a cohort completes its study at a time outside the standard examination board schedule. They must be formed and operated in accordance with University regulations, and informed the Registrar.

b Examination Boards must be quorate and be preceded by standard arrangements for moderation and external examination.

c At the first examination board of each academic year, a record of examination boards conducted during the previous year will be recorded in the minutes of the board.

6.1.13 The Undergraduate Scheme Board of Examinersa. The functions of the Undergraduate Scheme Board (USB) are to ensure consistency of treatment of

students across the entire scheme in terms of regulations and based on reliable evidence, and to arrive at final judgments for all students, especially those for whom field boards have been unable to make a firm recommendation. The USB considers and confirms or amends recommendations from field boards regarding students who have completed their studies or whose registration with the University is recommended to be ended. The USB will normally accept the recommendations of field boards, unless they are clearly unjustifiable or not in accordance with the Regulations or established practice across the Scheme. As the Scheme Board is a collective decision-making body it is essential that Academic Directors attend the Board.

b. The members of the Scheme Board of Examiners will be: the Academic Directors and/or Course Co-ordinators; and the Head of Student Support Services. A senior member of academic staff, appointed by the Registrar, will act as chair. The Scheme Board should include at least one external member with experience of large schemes and knowledge of the University’s systems and procedures. His or her role is to verify that the University’s regulations are being applied fairly and properly and that students’ interests are safeguarded without jeopardizing academic standards.

c. The Scheme Board will meet at least three times per year, normally in February, July and September. As the Scheme Board is a collective decision-making body it is essential that Course Co-ordinators attend the Board.

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d. The following decisions are available to the Scheme Board in respect of each student:

pass with conferment of the award;

continue studying at the same academic level

pass with conferment of a lower award;

credit with units passed;

defer decision for no more than one week where further information is needed, or for a longer period if an extension has been granted for an assessment. The Scheme Board also ratifies results from examination boards where, exceptionally, no external has been present.

e. The Scheme Board will reach a decision based on a consensus of Board members

f. The Board of Examiners is not ultimately required to defer to the judgement of External Examiners in taking decisions but, where a Board of Examiners chooses to disregard the views of an External Examiner, the reasons for the Board’s decision shall be recorded in the minutes of the meeting and reported to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic)

g. The signature of the External Examiner is required on all final lists of students’ progress and/or awards.

6.1.14 The Postgraduate Scheme Board of Examiners

a. The functions of the Postgraduate Scheme Board (PSB) are to ensure consistency of treatment of students across the entire scheme in terms of regulations and, based on reliable evidence, to arrive at final judgments for all students. The PSB will normally accept the recommendations of the course boards, unless they are clearly unjustifiable or not in accordance with the regulations or established practice across the scheme.

b. The PSB also serves to ratify decisions for students who complete their studies at times not designated for the main meeting and where decisions are being recommended by internal Boards without the presence of external examiners.

c. The members of the PSB of examiners will be the Course Co-ordinators, the Head of CAAS and a senior member of academic staff, appointed by the Registrar, will act as chair. An external examiner should be present at each meeting of the Scheme Board. His or her role is to verify that the University’s regulations are being applied fairly and properly and that students’ interests are safeguarded without jeopardising academic standards.

d. The PSB will meet at least three times per year, normally after all the meetings of the course boards have been held in July, November and March. As the Scheme Board is a collective decision-making body it is essential that Course Co-ordinators attend the Board.

e. The following decisions are available to the PSB in respect of each student:

pass with conferment of award pass with conferment of a lower award credit with units passed defer decision for no more than one week where further information is needed, or for a

longer period if an extension has been granted for an assessment, or in exceptional circumstances where the Scheme Board either did not uphold or queried the decision of a field board.

f. The Board of Examiners is not ultimately required to defer to the judgement of External Examiners in taking decisions but, where a Board of Examiners chooses to disregard the views of an External Examiner, the reasons for the Board’s decision shall be recorded in the minutes of the meeting and reported to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic).

g. The signature of the External Examiner is required on all final lists of students’ progress and/or awards.

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6.1.15 Confidentiality

a. All discussions at meetings of Field Boards of Examiners and Scheme Boards shall be regarded as confidential, as will the minutes of examiners’ meetings. Details of the discussion and deliberation at examiners’ meetings will not be disclosed to students, except in very exceptional circumstances and then only with the agreement of the Registrar.

6.1.16 Conflict of interst

a. An examiner who has family or other personal connection to, or relationship with, any student other than the normal professional relationship required by his or her role as an academic shall declare that relationship and shall take no part in any discussion relating to that student’s performance.

6.1.17 Disclosure of grades

a. It must be made clear to students that where grades have not yet been considered by the External Examiner and the Examiners these are provisional, pending endorsement by the appropriate Board of Examiners.

6.1.18 Appeals against decisions of Boards of Examiners

a. Academic appeals are the route by which students may seek reconsideration of examination board decisions (field and scheme). They are the only basis on which changes other than the correction of administrative errors may be made, and the criteria for appeal are detailed in the University’s Academic Appeal Policy.

b. The University will not consider appeals based solely on a student's disagreement with the Examiners’ academic judgement.

c. Complaints upheld in respect of examination board decisions already made are transferred to the Academic Appeals process for action.

d. Where a student lodges a complaint that is upheld after the relevant examination board and is found, after submission, to be a valid academic appeal, notification of the outcome of the complaint should be sent to the DVC(A), who will initiate the examination board review as an outcome of an appeal.

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8 Assessment of Students

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8 Assessment of Students

Introduction

The precise operation of the principles laid down in Chapter 8, Assessment of Students, of the Quality Handbook, may vary in collaborative provision according to the nature of the relationship and operational arrangements agreed at the approval stage for the partnership and course delivery.

8.1 Conduct of examinations

8.1.1 Invigilators and their duties8.1.2 In the examination room: before the examination8.1.3 In the examination room: during the examination8.1.4 In the examination room: after the examination8.1.5 Faculty-based and off-site examinations8.1.6 Computer based examinations8.1.7 Assessment of students with disabilities

8.2 Students and Assessment

8.2.1 Assessment at the University of Bedfordshire8.2.2 Students and Assessment8.2.3 Anonymity of assessment8.2.4 Feedback to students and access to material after assessment8.2.5 Assessment of courses and units8.2.6 Submission of assignments8.2.7 The grading process8.2.8 Outcomes of assessment8.2.9 Preparation of assignments and examinations8.2.10 General provisions governing assessment for awards of the University8.2.11 Extenuating circumstances8.2.12 Provision of certificates

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8.1 Conduct of examinations

8.1.1 Invigilators and their duties

1 For each invigilated examination there shall be designated, by the Examinations Officer, a senior invigilator responsible for the conduct of the examination from the time that examination papers are collected from the Examinations Office to the time that the completed scripts are returned. The senior invigilator will work together with such other invigilators as may be necessary. These invigilators and senior invigilator will be composed of members of academic staff and representatives from the professional invigilation pool. Some academic colleagues will be associated with the course being examined, and they will be required to confirm to the relevant Faculty, three weeks prior to the date of the examination, that they are aware of its date, time and place.

2 Instructions for invigilators produced by the Examinations Office will be issued on arrival by the Examinations Office. All invigilators must be present in the examination room at least thirty minutes before an examination is due to begin, and must sign in with the Examinations Office on arrival and again on departure. The senior invigilator should collect the examination papers from the Examinations Office and must check that the room has been appropriately set out, and that all necessary equipment and materials are available to the candidates, as well as familiarising him/herself with any specific instructions which may apply.

3 For each examination, the appropriate Dean or nominee and the Examinations Office will be responsible for allocating staff to act as invigilators. The number of such invigilators required will be notified to the Dean by the Examinations Officer. These invigilators must not include the internal examiner for the unit or units being examined; the internal examiner must be present in the main examination room at least thirty minutes before the examination is due to start, and should remain in the room for thirty minutes after the start of the examination (and make arrangements to be consulted with regard to any other venues within 30 minutes of the start of the examination). He or she must notify the responsible officer within the faculty where he or she can be contacted for the duration of the examination.

4 The internal examiner is responsible for ensuring that any special equipment or materials, specified in the examination paper as provided by the University, have been delivered to the examination room.

5 The senior invigilator must ensure that the arrangements within the examination room are satisfactory: in particular that the examination tables are laid out to the specification from time to time determined by the University, and that students are able to gain access only to those materials specifically permitted by the rubric of the examination. If desks to be used by students have been labelled with their numbers, no student may, except with the specific permission of the senior invigilator, use any desk other than that allocated.

6 The invigilators, under the supervision of the senior invigilator, are responsible for:

recording the presence of candidates in the examination room;

distributing the examination papers to candidates;

ensuring that any materials required for the examination are available to all candidates;

receiving, and recording the receipt of, surrendered scripts; and

collecting unused examination books.

7 If the senior invigilator becomes aware of an apparent irregularity during the examination, he or she shall take such action as may be considered necessary and is consistent with the instructions issued to senior invigilators and shall inform the Examinations Officer in the senior invigilator's report.

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8 The senior invigilator is responsible for all decisions made in the examinations room and all other invigilators; staff members and students should refer to the nominated individual for guidance and clarification on all matters.

9 At the end of the examination, the senior invigilator must ensure that all scripts and signature sheets are returned to the Examinations Officer, who is then responsible for passing them on to the appropriate responsible officer. A senior invigilator's report must be completed for every examination, and delivered to the Examinations Office along with the examination scripts.

8.1.2 In the examination room: before the examination

1 In addition to the senior invigilator, there shall normally be at least one invigilator for every 30 to 50 candidates occupying the examination room. A minimum of two invigilators will normally be appointed for each room, and normally there will be at least one invigilator of each sex. A minimum of two invigilators will also normally be required in special needs examinations including cases where there is one candidate to a room. One invigilator must be of the same sex as the candidate.

2 Candidates must bring evidence of identity to the examination and be produced on request (normally a photo ID). Failure to do so may invalidate the examination process. Candidates shall normally have separate desks, each being allowed a minimum of two square metres of floor space, arranged such that there is normally a minimum of 90 cms laterally between desks in accordance with health and safety regulations. Desks must not be arranged in close proximity to exits or fire doors. The senior invigilator shall ensure that the room contains no displayed material which may assist candidates in any way.

3 A clock will normally be provided in the examination room, displayed in such a way that all candidates can see it. Where several clocks are provided, the senior invigilator must ensure that all are in working order and are synchronised.

4 Normally, where more than one examination is being taken in the same examination room, all such examinations should have the same start and finish times. However, if it proves necessary to hold examinations which finish at different times in one room, the arrangement of candidates in the room shall be such as to minimise the disturbance caused by those who leave ahead of others.

5 Examination stationery and other materials shall be placed on desks before candidates are admitted to the room. Candidates should normally be admitted ten to fifteen minutes before the scheduled start of the examination, and only candidates and authorised persons may be present in the examination room after that time.

6 Candidates may bring coats and certain other personal items into the examination room at the discretion of the senior invigilator, which must be left in the area specified by the senior invigilator. Candidates must not be permitted access to any such items during the examination, except in circumstances where the senior invigilator is convinced of a genuine and unforeseen need, and then only with the close supervision of an invigilator. Belongings are left at the owner’s risk.

7 Just prior to commencement of the session the senior invigilator shall make announcements, including informing the students of the duration of the examination and its finishing time, of any special arrangements which apply, and not to leave in possession of any examination notes or equivalent material that may give rise to concerns. Silence should be observed once candidates have entered the examination room.

8 Candidates must not be allowed to start an examination until the senior invigilator is satisfied that candidates have the correct question papers and all other materials. On no account must an examination start before the scheduled time. In cases where an examination starts after the scheduled time, the full time allowance must be provided.

9 Students attending but not on the list should be sent to the examinations office to receive a note of authorisation to take the examination. If this is not feasible, the student should be allowed to take the examination but sign the declaration form provided by the examinations office.

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8.1.3 In the examination room: during the examination

1 After the senior invigilator has announced that candidates may start, they should not be spoken to or disturbed unless it is essential to do so. Invigilators must ensure that their conduct is such that disturbance to candidates is minimised at all times. No person other than an invigilator may speak to a candidate, except that a member of teaching staff may speak to candidates, individually or collectively, for the purpose of clarifying the requirements of the examination or correcting any errors, but only with the permission of the senior invigilator.

2 No person may be allowed to remove a question paper from the examination room during the first hour of the examination, except for an invigilator who has to answer a query.

3 All candidates must be continuously supervised throughout the examination. The task of invigilation cannot be combined with any other activities, such as reading. Invigilators should remain continuously alert and vigilant, and must not remain confined to one part of the examination room. They must not cause disturbance to candidates by any distracting behaviour. They may not leave the room without permission of the senior invigilator and only if the minimum level of invigilation can be assured. Invigilators must be able to detect any unfair means of assistance being used by a candidate and to respond immediately to any requests from candidates (by means of a raised hand) for assistance. Extra paper, or other permitted materials, should be made available immediately to any candidate who may ask for it.

4 Invigilators must ensure that candidates only have materials on or near their desks which they are allowed to use. No food or drink may be taken into the examination room, by candidates, invigilators or others, with the exception of sweets (including medication and cough sweets) and water. Candidates must not take into the examination room any unauthorised materials or equipment (e g cases, bags or pencil cases; all permitted writing materials should preferably be carried in transparent plastic bags). No electronic devices (eg mobile phones, PDAs, pagers or other form of electronic, radio or wireless application protocol (WAP) communication devices) are permitted in any circumstances. Allowed calculators may be used, unless specifically excluded; notes, textbooks and other written material may not be used unless explicitly permitted. Candidates are not allowed to confer, unless the examination rubric specifically permits them to do so. Neither candidates nor invigilators must indulge in any activity which might disturb candidates during examinations. Any person found infringing these regulations may be asked to leave or be expelled from the examination.

5 Permitted calculators normally will exclude those which require mains electricity supply, those which are noisy in operation, and those which have alphabetic keys and permit storage of quantities of text.

6 Attendance lists should normally be checked after the first half hour and before the end of the first hour of the examination. The senior invigilator, or chosen deputy, should normally walk along the right hand side of each column, noting numbers or names from the cards displayed and follow University procedures for confirming the identity of candidates.

7 Any candidate who arrives up to 15 minutes late may normally be admitted unless the regulations for the examination specifically prohibit it. Details of the candidate’s name, number, subject, time of arrival and reason for lateness should be entered on the invigilator's report forms provided. No extra time will be given to candidates who arrive late. Unless there are known extenuating circumstances, no candidate who arrives more than 15 minutes late should be admitted.

8 Apart from medical or other emergencies, no candidate shall be allowed to leave the examination room during the first hour. In certain circumstances in the case of examinations of one hour’s duration, for example computer based examinations, this will effectively mean before the end of the examination. After this time, candidates may leave at the senior invigilator’s discretion. Any candidate who wishes to leave in order to visit the lavatory should be accompanied by an invigilator of the same sex, and the facilities used must have been examined to ensure as far as possible that no books, notes, materials or other means of communication have been secreted in them.

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9 Where examinations of different duration are held in the same room, students should be given an extra five minutes on the time of their examination for each disruption caused by earlier groups of students leaving the exam room. This should be announced to students in advance of the examination.

10 If a student is suspected of cheating in an examination by using notes or any other additional material, devices or sources of information (eg electronic devices), the invigilator must remove the item, sign the candidate’s script at the point the candidate has then reached and note the time alongside the signature. The candidate should then be allowed to continue the examination. All the circumstances (time, examination, candidate’s name and number etc) must be noted on the senior invigilator’s report form, and the confiscated notes should be attached to this report.

11 Where students are suspected of communicating with each other in the examination room, they should be warned. If such communication recurs, one of the offending students must be moved and a note of the time made, along with the senior invigilator’s signature, on both scripts at the point then reached. The details must be noted on the report form.

12 If there is indiscipline or cheating of any kind which disturbs other candidates, the offender should be removed, help having been summoned if necessary. Such action should be taken only as a last resort, and all the circumstances should be noted on the senior invigilator’s report form.

13 If any fault occurs with an examination clock, care must be taken to ensure that students are not misled about the time. The clock should be removed from display, and other clocks used or announcements made at least every half an hour.

14 If the fire alarm sounds, candidates should be instructed to stop writing and await further instructions. The senior invigilator should note the time and go to the door of the examination room to await instructions from an approved officer of the University. If in any doubt, the senior invigilator should order immediate evacuation, instructing candidates to leave all materials in the examination room. When the alarm ceases to sound, the examination should be resumed as soon as the candidates have reconvened, and the lost time should be added at the end. The nature and timing of the interruption must be noted in the senior invigilator’s report.

15 Candidates should be warned when there are fifteen minutes left and that no candidate may leave the examination during the last fifteen minutes.

16 At the end of the examination, candidates should be clearly instructed to stop writing and invigilators must ensure that they do so. Students would only be permitted at this stage to check that their names or numbers have been entered correctly. Candidates must also be instructed to check that their scripts are securely fastened together.

8.1.4 In the examination room: after the examination

1 No candidate may be allowed to leave the examination room until all scripts have been collected.

2 Candidates may remove the question papers, except in the case of 'multiple choice' papers or others where removal is specifically prohibited. No other materials may be removed from the examination room: candidates may not take out any rough working, unused examination stationery or other material. Any candidate suspected of attempting to remove material without authority must be stopped and asked to provide such material for inspection. If it appears that the candidate was attempting unauthorised removal the senior invigilator must take possession of the material and note the circumstances in the report, attaching the material to the report.

3 Scripts should be checked against the attendance register and returned with the senior invigilator’s report to the Examinations Office, along with the register of attendance, the examination envelope and any spare question papers.

4 After candidates have left the examination room, all unused materials must be removed from the tables.

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8.1.5 Faculty-based and off-site examinations

1 Any examinations arranged outside of the centrally coordinated and invigilated examinations are expected to abide by the same principles as detailed in the above sections. For faculty-based examinations, the Faculty Manager shall take the role of the examinations officer.

8.1.6 Computer based examinations

1 For computer-based examinations, normal regulations relating to invigilated examinations will apply so far as is practicable. In CBE examinations, responsibility lies with the senior invigilator to ensure that normal and special procedures and precautions are followed. He/she may wish to use the assistance of learning resources staff where appropriate (such as delivery of instructions to candidates). The senior invigilator must ensure that additional precautions are taken to ensure that irregularities do not occur (particularly the possibility of cheating by the overlooking of adjacent monitors/screens). Where irregularities are observed, procedures should follow as given above, including arrangements for any special circumstances arising to be dealt with.

8.1.7 Examinations arranged at multiple venues

1 Examinations which have to take place across more than one venue at the same time due to the number of students are subject to the regulations noted above; start times should be the same across all provision. Difficulties arising due to the necessity to clarify the requirements of the examination paper or correct any errors must be managed between the senior invigilators for each venue and noted to the examinations office.

2 The unit coordinator responsible for the examination must attend for thirty minutes before and thirty minutes after the start of the examination at the main venue (greatest number of students).

8.1.8 Examinations with split sittings

1 It is necessary to deliver examinations in split sittings when the numbers of students are greater than the resource available, for example: requirements for computer based examinations. Candidates will be required to attend their examination at consecutive times. The examinations officer will notify the candidates through the BREO site and examination notice boards by the use of attendance registers as to the time, date and venue for the examination.

2 Candidates are required to sit their examination at the time, date and venue specified, they are not permitted to attend earlier or subsequent sessions of the examination.

3 The examinations office will make sure candidates waiting to enter the second sitting are kept separate from any candidates from the first examination. The senior invigilator will ensure that all candidates from the first sitting have exited the examination room prior to the entrance of the second group of candidates.

8.1.9 Assessment of students with disabilities

1 General provisions for managing the examination of students with disabilities are set out in the Students with Disabilities section of this Quality Handbook.

Specific allowances for students with disabilities

2 The Student Disabilities Officer in confirming the mode of assessment will take due account of the form of disability (which will be identified on scripts by a covering letter, issued by the Disabilities Team and which must be inscribed with the student ID number). The extra time allows the student (eg a dyslexic

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student) to attempt the same content/number of questions. The letter allows the examiner to compensate for presentational weaknesses, which no amount of extra time could put right.

The use of an amanuensis

3 An amanuensis may be appointed by the University to transcribe the answers to examination questions of any candidate who is unable to write answers. The amanuensis will not be closely known to the candidate, and will normally be a member of the University’s administrative or academic staff, and a native English speaker. While it may be beneficial for the amanuensis to have some knowledge of the subject of the examination, they do not need to be an expert However, they must be familiar with any special skills which may be required in answering the examination paper, for example the conventions in drawing flow-charts and plotting and labelling graphs. [Note: this may apply in special circumstances to those with short term as well as long term disabilities, e.g. broken limb/arm in plaster. In such cases, according to the student's best interests an amanuensis may be used or the student may have 'mitigated referral' at a later date. Arrangements must be agreed in writing.]

4 The amanuensis will normally be required to act as the invigilator for the candidate, although in exceptional circumstances it is possible that an invigilator will be appointed additionally. The amanuensis will, if acting as invigilator, have the normal responsibilities of invigilators.

5 The amanuensis will be required to transcribe the answers to the examination questions exactly as dictated by the candidate. No help may be given to the candidate, and the amanuensis must not modify the candidate’s wording in any way, nor point out any lack of clarity in the answer as dictated. The amanuensis must not help by providing any interpretation of a question, but should note any ambiguity or inconsistency reported by the student, and include it in the invigilator’s report.

6 In some cases, the student may be unable to read the examination paper. In such cases, but only if instructed to do so beforehand by the Examinations Officer, the amanuensis should explain the instructions on the examination paper and read the questions as many times as the candidate wishes.

7 Before the examination begins, the amanuensis should make himself or herself known to the candidate, and they may engage in conversation concerning the amanuensis’s duties and their way of working together. During the examination, the amanuensis should answer any questions the candidate may ask concerning the examination questions, the instructions contained in the examination rubric, and the amount of time passed or still available. The amanuensis may also, if he or she thinks fit, ask after the candidate’s welfare, and may (if the special conditions permit) suggest the candidate takes a short break. No other conversation may take place between candidate and amanuensis during the examination.

8 The amanuensis must be familiar, before the start of the examination, with the decisions which have been made concerning the conditions of assessment of the candidate, and carry these out. If breaks are permitted, the amanuensis must be aware of the limits which have been set on them. If the candidate appears to be in distress or otherwise in need of relief, the amanuensis should put the candidate’s welfare first, and permit the candidate additional breaks if it is considered necessary for the candidate’s health and well-being to do so. Any such departures from the agreed conditions of assessment must, of course, be reported on the invigilator report form. At an extreme, the examination may be abandoned if the candidate’s condition makes continuation unacceptable. It will be for the board of examiners to determine how to proceed with the candidate’s assessment if the time for the examination is reduced.

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8.2 The assessment of students

8.2.1 Assessment at the University of Bedfordshire1 Assessment strategies

When assessing learning, we are primarily concerned with supporting and assessing the achievement of the course learning outcomes and progress towards those outcomes. Unit outcomes should be clearly contributing to the achievement of those at the course level.

Assessment strategies should be coherent and developmental across a course, supporting learner development and enabling students to achieve their potential.

Assessment strategies should strike a balance between high stakes summative assessment and low-stakes formative assessment.

Students should experience a wide range of increasingly complex assessment activities designed to support the development of their wider attributes and skills.

Standards

Assessment practices and processes must be robust and conform to internal and national expectations, ensuring confidence in the reliability, validity and authenticity of grading.

Assessment criteria should be clearly specified and aligned to the level of the unit, and used as the basis for marking and grading.

Assessment tasks

Assessment tasks should relate to the intended learning outcomes of the unit and support the overarching assessment strategy.

Assessment practices should be inclusive and equitable; the methods, tasks and processes not advantaging or disadvantaging any group or individual.

Assessment task design should minimise opportunities for plagiarism and support academic integrity.

Engaging students

Students should be supported in developing an understanding of expectations through detailed assessment briefs and active engagement with the assessment process and criteria.

Assessment should enable student self-regulation and reflection, giving students the confidence and skills to use the variety of feedback available to them to monitor and regulate their performance.

Realistic and balanced assessment workloads should spread the assessment loading and ensure adequate time for the associated learning.

Timely and meaningful feedback should support the learning process

Reviewing and evaluating

Assessment is a collegiate activity which necessitates course teams discussing and agreeing assessment expectations and sharing experiences.

Assessment practices should be continuously reviewed and refined to ensure they are effectively supporting students and their learning, and meeting stakeholder requirements.

Summative assessment

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2 The purpose of summative assessment is to enable students to demonstrate that they have fulfilled the objectives and learning outcomes of their course to the standard required for the award they seek.

3 Educational aims and learning objectives are specified on the Course Information Form (CIF) and Unit Information Form (UIF) at the time of approval of courses and units or through subsequent amendment through processes agreed by the Teaching Quality and Standards Committee.

4 Standards are defined in relation to the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications and the University’s level descriptors, which are those of the South Eastern England Consortium for Credit Accumulation and Transfer (SEEC).

Formative assessment

5 The purpose of formative assessment is to enable students to monitor and improve their performance. All courses are required to have effective mechanisms in place to ensure that students receive feedback that enables them to continuously improve.

6 All in-unit summative assessments must provide post-marking formative feedback unless otherwise agreed as part of the approval of the unit concerned. Students may have other opportunities to receive formative feedback. Where this is an additional part of the curriculum course teams and Unit Co-ordinators are free to amend such processes without further University approval provided that all students within the cohort are treated equitably. Where students are required to engage in the formative assessment process but no grade is provided, the assessment should feature as a zero-weighted element of the summative assessment and will be subject to the same procedures for amendment as any summative assessment.

7. The provision of formative feedback prior to marking will only be as and where specified in a UIF.

8.2.2 Students and Assessment

Information to students

1 The Course or Unit Handbook, available on BREO, must inform students about the form and likely timing of the examinations and assignments, and how to access the specific regulations which apply to their course including the regulations for progression for eligibility for awards and for appeals. The Registrar, or his or her nominee, will provide definitive schedules of examinations which will be published well in advance of the examination period.

Assessment Briefs

2 For each assessment, students should be provided with clear details of the nature of the task and the associated assessment criteria and other relevant information. The nature of assessment tasks varies considerably and the brief will need to reflect this.

3 Typically, an assignment brief will include the following elements:

Title of the assignment;

The task clearly articulated;

Contribution of the assignment to the unit overall grade (as a % weighting, or, where multiple assessments contribute to a final grade point, the nature of the contribution from this assessment);

The relationship of the task to the unit through details of the learning outcomes being assessed;

Information on how the task can be completed successfully through guidance and/or the provision of the associated assessment criteria, and any additional appropriate guidance;

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Details/entitlements of any support available during the period up to submission, including any opportunities for the developmental review of progress;

Any word-limit/time-limit specifications;

Any expectations about the presentation of work (for example whether it should be word processed);

Opportunities for reflection on the task including self-assessment opportunities;

The procedures for submitting the work, making the presentation, etc;

The deadline for submission;

The projected date for the return of assessed work where appropriate (the results of in-course assessments should normally be made known to students within 15 working days of submission);

Details of how feedback will be provided (individually, through Turnitin and, where appropriate, through group feedback, lectures, on BREO etc.)

4 For examinations, the nature, structure and duration together with details of any specialist equipment, pre-notified case studies or notes that may be taken into the examination room should be provided to students.

Responsibilities of students

5 It is the responsibility of students to ensure that they comply with the regulations and with the requirements as specified in the assessment brief.

6 It is the responsibility of students to make themselves available for examination during the published examination weeks and to attend examinations at the specified time and place, properly equipped and prepared, and to submit assignment work for assessment as required by regulations. The ultimate responsibility lies with students to ensure they are fully informed about the timing and place of all assessments and that they arrive at examinations in good time.

7 Students are responsible for submitting the correct piece of work and version thereof, and for any work submitted on their behalf and at their request by another.

8 Written work presented for assessment must be legible and comprehensible; examiners may reject work which does not meet reasonable standards of presentation, and this may result in students failing or being referred. Written work must be presented in English unless another language is specified.

9 Students must provide the Student Support Services with any relevant information on personal circumstances which may have affected their performance and which they wish to be taken into account. This information should be provided as soon as is reasonably possible.

10 Students are responsible for ensuring that the University is able to fulfill its responsibilities to them by notifying the University of any changes in their name and in home or local address. Students are responsible for ensuring that the correct address is provided for delivery of examination results and related information during vacation periods.

11 Students have a responsibility to ensure that they are in good financial standing with the University before they undertake any assessments.

12 If a student is found to have cheated or attempted to gain an unfair advantage, the Academic Conduct Panel has the authority to deem the student to have failed part or all of the assessments, and may determine whether the student shall be allowed to be reassessed.

13 Students should:

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keep copies of any coursework submitted for assessment;

maintain portfolios of their work for scrutiny by external examiners if required;

make themselves available for viva voce examinations if required.

14 Students are responsible for obtaining information about referral requirements, including details of referral assignments and the dates of resit examinations.

8.2.3 Anonymity of assessment

1 Wherever feasible, assessments should be submitted and graded anonymously. The following exemptions apply:

a assessments in which the identification of candidates is central to the process (e.g. presentations, vivas, the observation of professional practice, performance, etc);

b assessments in which the production of the work has been closely supervised by the assessor (e.g. art work, projects, dissertations, some forms of portfolio etc);

c assessments for which anonymous grading would be in contravention of a code of practice of a professionally accredited course;

d assessments which have a significant formative purpose (e.g. assessments early in the first stage) and which account for 20% or less of the grading for the unit.

2 Other circumstances may be identified by course teams in accordance with the above principles. Neither the general administrative workload arising from anonymous grading nor the preferences of students are appropriate grounds for exemption. Approval of exceptions should be agreed at approval or review, or by the appropriate Faculty Teaching Quality and Standards Committee.

3 Where students’ assessments have been graded anonymously, any seal or other mechanism may be broken and the student’s identity established as soon as internal grading and moderation is complete. The staff who enter assessment grades and compile lists for boards of examiners should list students by name and not by number. Feedback to students may refer to students by name.

4 Exceptionally, in the student's interests, the 'anonymity rule' may be waived and the circumstances relating to an individual candidate brought to the examiners' attention by prior approval of the student and examinations office (for example students with disabilities).

8.2.4 Feedback to students and access to material after assessment

1 The provision of comments is particularly important, as feedback contributes to students’ learning. Course teams should agree on ways in which feedback will be provided and explain to students the importance of using feedback to improve performance.

2 Results given to students are provisional until agreed by the appropriate Examination Board.

3 Work which is assessed during the course or unit, including project work and written assignments, must be returned as quickly as possible to students if it is to have a formative value for them (normally within 15 working days of the submission date). Exceptionally, where this is not achievable (for example due to staff sickness), students must be notified as soon as is reasonably possible, of the revised date (normally no longer than 20 working days after the submission date) and the reasons behind the change. Students may be provided with generic or specific feedback on performance in final assessments (including examinations) on request.

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4 Assignments and end of unit assessments, other than copies retained for external examining and archiving purposes, should be returned to students with feedback by the method stated on the assessment brief. Where students are not available to receive returned assessments, uncollected work held by academic staff should be confidentially destroyed at the end of the calendar year, following the current academic year (e.g. uncollected work submitted at any point in the 2010/11 academic year should be destroyed on or after 31st December 2011.)

5 All examination scripts will be retained until the end of the calendar year, following the current academic year (e.g. exam scripts relating to the 2010/11 academic year, would be destroyed on or after 31st December 2011), apart from a sample of scripts which should be retained for the full academic year (a sample of examination scripts relating to the 2009/10 academic year would, therefore, be retained until the end of the 2010/11 academic year).

6 Examination papers will be retained in the library, for reference by students. Exceptions may be certain kinds of multiple choice papers, computer-based papers, and those based on case studies which may be in part individual to particular students. Since examination papers are available to students, examiners are advised that questions should not generally be repeated within a period of five years.

8.2.5 Assessment of courses and units

Assessment strategies

1 In designing the core and options within a subject area, teams should ensure that students experience a balance of assessment methods, appropriate to the objectives of the course and to the mission of the University. Assessment methods should be varied in order to enable different aspects of students’ aptitudes and skills to be developed and tested, and in order to provide the University with sufficient evidence to verify the authenticity of individual students' work. (See www.beds.ac.uk/learning for the CRe8 framework)

2 Summative assessment must reflect the achievement of the individual student in fulfilling course objectives, and at the same time relate that achievement to a consistent national standard of awards. Examination questions and other forms of assessment must be constructively aligned in such a way as to reflect the level of the assessment, challenge students and to link the intended learning outcomes, with the assessment tasks and the associated assessment criteria.

Gaining credit

3 Students may gain credit by:

being awarded a pass grade for a unit in which case the credit given is specific credit; or

being credited with a unit on the basis of accreditation of prior learning, either certificated (APCL) or experiential (APEL): the credit given may be specific credit for an individual unit or general credit towards the total required for an award.

4 The period in which a unit runs must be clearly specified so that it must always end with the final assessment. Exceptions will rarely be permitted. Where units depend heavily on field-work or work based learning outside the normal university year, the period must be specifically defined.

5 The methods of assessment to be used are determined at the time of approval or revision of the unit, and should test the relevant intended learning outcomes of the unit and the course of which it is a part.

6 The methods of assessment and their weightings should be the same for all students taking a unit, regardless of their mode of study, unless an alternative method has been agreed to respond to the needs of a particular student (for example, to respond to the needs of a student with a disability or where learning outcomes can be demonstrated through work-related assessment).

Unit assessment strategy

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7 The assessment strategy for every unit will be that agreed when the unit is approved, and may only be varied subsequently through the appropriate Faculty Teaching Quality and Standards Committee following the procedures laid down for approval of amendments.

8 All approved revisions to the assessment scheme must be notified to the Quality Directorate in writing (using the Unit Information Form) before they may be implemented, and prior to the commencement of the year in which the unit is to be delivered, and with the agreement of all courses making use of the unit.

9 Within a unit, a variety of assessment methods may be used, subject to the following considerations:

a formal centrally invigilated examinations, if included, will only be held within formally scheduled examination periods. Time-limiting invigilated assessments conducted at other times are not examinations;

b the nature of the assessment methods and the weighting attached to each element must be specified in advance. The weightings should reflect the amount of time devoted to that section of the unit or the student effort required, and must not be varied from those approved except through the prescribed process;

c each standard 30-credit unit should normally have a minimum of two, and a maximum of three, assessment elements.

d the total nominal assessment loading for a 30 credit unit should not normally exceed 10,000 words. An examination of two hours’ duration is normally deemed to be equivalent to 3,000 words.

10 When submitting assignments, students should be encouraged to engage in self-assessment against the assessment criteria provided in line with the CRe8 agenda (see www.beds.ac.uk/learning)

8.2.6 Submission of assignments

In-unit assessments

1 Written assignments must be submitted by students in accordance with the procedures specified, and to deadlines specified as part of the assessment brief. Receipts will be provided, and must be retained by the student as proof that the work has been submitted. Other forms of in-course assessment, such as oral presentations, must be acknowledged by written confirmation given to the student that the assessment task has been carried out.

2 When submitting work for assessment, students are expected to comply with all instructions issued in the assessment brief. The importance of meeting external specifications is an important requirement of professional life and this should be explained to students. If written assignments exceed the stipulated number of words by a margin of more than 10%, normally the first part of the text up to the assignment limit should only be graded. If work is not submitted in the specified format, the work should be downgraded or the board of examiners may resolve that it should not be graded.

Submission of Level 6 and Level M assignments

3 Where feasible and practical assignments should be submitted both on paper and in electronic format via Turnitin.

8.2.7 The grading process

University Common Scale

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1 Internal Examiners should be prepared to use the full range of grades available to them on the 16 point University Common Scale. In the process of confirming the mark through second and double marking markers should use the assessment criteria to determine the mark for a composite assessment task using the University’s common scale and the corresponding grade points.

Assessment of Group Work

2 Group and team working skills are an important ability and a feature of most curricula. Assessment of group work encourages engagement with the process and provides feedback. However, for the purpose of summative assessment, students’ grades should reflect their individual abilities rather than those of the group of which they are part. At Level 6 and above, students’ grades must reflect individual rather than group abilities.

Moderation: Double and second marking

3 Double and second marking are processes put in place to help ensure fairness and objectivity in the assessment process.

4 In ‘double marking’, sometimes called blind double marking, the second marker assesses a representative sample of students’ scripts and is unaware of the grade awarded by the principal marker. This is the process to be generally used across the University.

5 In ‘second marking’ the second marker assesses a representative sample of students’ scripts knowing the grade and comments made by the first marker. This process is used at Level 4 and also where the purpose is both to help ensure fairness and objectivity and also to assist assessors less familiar with assessment at HE level and the University’s standards. The second marker will be an experienced member of staff and should provide feedback to the principal marker on both the level of assessment and the nature of the feedback provided.

6 The processes employed in relation to the range of the University’s provision are set out below.

Context ProcessUniversity staff teaching and assessing at Level 4 Sample moderation

University staff taught and assessed at other Levels (with the exception of projects and dissertations)

Sample moderation

Projects and dissertations at Levels 6 and M Complete double marking

Validated coursesDouble marked internally within the institution according to an institutional policy approved by the University

Foundation degrees (externally delivered)Sample moderation within the partner institution and second marked by the University

Supported distance learning Double marked

Franchised courses As for University taught and assessed courses

Joint courses As specified in agreements between the awarding bodies

Articulation arrangements No requirement although some level of moderation is expected

7 Where scripts are double or second marked both grades should be initially recorded but only the final agreed grade should be notified to the student.

Sample moderation

8 With the exception of projects and dissertations, the sample should typically represent 10% of the assessments with a minimum of eight and a maximum of 20 unless PSRB procedures require

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otherwise. Sampling should pay particular attention to students awarded grades of A, E, and F, and to students with grades that are marginal to class (normally a representative sample based on borderlines, fails and firsts).

9 Where scripts for an assignment are divided between several principal markers, the sample must include scripts marked by each principal marker.

10 Where there is close agreement (typically within a classification i.e. three grade points difference or less) between the principal and second markers the grade awarded will be the average of the two grades.

11 In the event of a serious disagreement on a piece of work between two double markers after discussion (typically more than a classification i.e. three grade points difference or more), a third marker may be assigned internally. Exceptionally, if agreement proves impossible, the work may be submitted to the External Examiner for final adjudication.

12 If serious disagreement occurs between principal and second markers within a double-marked sample for a given assessment, the entire set of scripts should be double-marked, and another internal marker may be called in to adjudicate.

13 If serious disagreement occurs between principal and second markers within a second-marked sample for a given assessment, the grade awarded by the second marker should be applied after further moderation by an experienced member of staff.

The annotation of scripts

14 Students should receive clear and consistent feedback and any annotation of student work should present coherent feedback in line with the final agreed grade. There is no requirement to show, on students’ work, that second or double marking has taken place. However, a clear record of the nature and extent of second and double marking should be provided to the External Examiner.

15 The principal marker must mark examination scripts, adding an indication, where felt necessary, of the reason(s) for the chosen grades.

Double marking of oral presentations

16 Although presentations should be moderated in the same way as other assessments (that is by an appropriate sample), it is regarded as good practice for two members of lecturing staff to be present during the assessment of oral presentations. Double marking should take place on a sample basis and staff assessing presentations should be observed from time to time as appropriate. Where operational considerations make this impractical, some other means of recording the event (such as video) may be utilised.

Double marking of computer based assessments

17 Computer marked work is not double marked, but the system of checking results must be secure enough to obviate any necessity for additional scrutiny.

Internal moderation

18 Internal moderation (double and second marking) should take place after the assessments have been submitted so that moderated grades can be provided to students as part of their feedback within the 15 working day limit.

19 In addition, each undergraduate and postgraduate course should schedule a single day (the Moderation day) at the end of each year for the moderation/second marking of students’ end of unit assessments (both examination scripts and coursework assignments) by internal examiners. All staff associated with the field/course are expected to attend the University on that day to fulfil their moderation/second marking responsibilities, and to resolve disagreements between markers, so that by the end of the day samples of assessments are ready to be sent to the external examiners.

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20 The internal markers should agree on a recommendation to be put to the external examiners, having sought advice from a third internal moderator if necessary. The external examiner should not normally be invited to suggest a grade, although he or she may suggest that postulated grades should be reviewed, as part of the moderation process.

21 Late submissions (i.e. after moderation of the standard submission set) including any late submissions accepted on the basis of academic appeal, must be subject to moderation, regardless of whether the moderation process has been completed in full within the standard submission set.

22 Where an appeal outcome specifies a requirement for external examination, this must be conducted before any grade change is confirmed.

Samples for External Examiners

23 External examiners are required to moderate the standards achieved and verify the validity of the grades awarded. External Examiners should therefore remain aware of the reasons why internal markers have assigned the chosen grades. They will thus have access to comments made on the work and be informed of grades assigned by internal markers.

24 The External Examiners will receive samples of examination scripts and other assessed work in good time before the board of examiners’ meeting. The basis for the sampling will have been agreed with the External Examiners in advance. The External Examiners will normally receive a number of scripts per unit (up to 15 scripts with a minimum of 2 top, 2 middle and 2 bottom, i.e. minimum 6 for Level 5; the same for Level 6, particularly dissertations and firsts). Samples should include work of candidates recommended by the internal examiners for marks in the following categories: first class, fail, and borderlines of classes.

25 Examination boards should only be held after the external examiners have had the opportunity to scrutinise and moderate scripts for any or all of the assessments in a unit, and especially the end of unit assessment. A clear schedule must be set for the dispatch and return of work for scrutiny. If the schedule is not adhered to, the board of examiners should be provided with a report from the internal and external examiners on the reasons for the deviation from the schedule.

26 Allowance should not be made at the stage of grading students’ work for any special circumstances which may be known, whether they affect the assessment as a whole or individual students. Work should be graded in the normal way, and any appropriate adjustments made by the relevant board of examiners.

8.2.8 Outcomes of assessment

Referral and retaking a unit

1 The type and format of the referral tasks should, as far as is practicable, be similar to those of the assessments failed at the first attempt.

2 With regard to referral coursework, where a student has not obtained a D- grade or higher in an in-course assessment and is to be referred, referral coursework may be provided to, and undertaken by, the student body as soon after results are known as can practically and administratively be arranged (i.e. after the work has been graded and internally moderated).

3 Referral examinations will be held at specified time periods, unless otherwise confirmed through academic appeal.

Failure on referral: retaking a unit

4 A student who does not satisfactorily complete the referral work by the stipulated deadline will be deemed to have failed the unit, unless good reasons are given and agreed by Student Support Services. A student who has not presented extenuating circumstances may retake a unit again without

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penalty, but on one occasion only, unless prohibited from doing so by the requirement of a professional body, agreed by the University as an outcome of the approval process, or under conditions relating to courses and currency of units. A student who does present extenuating circumstances may repeat a failed assessment affected by those circumstances, noting that the grades of any other assessments which were not affected by extenuating circumstances will remain unchanged.

Lost work

5 In the exceptional event of the grade for an assessment (recorded or receipted as completed) not being available due to unforeseen circumstances, students should be asked for a duplicate copy for assessment where appropriate. If students are unable to provide a duplicate, and there is clear evidence of submission, then the Board will derive an appropriate grade based on the overall performance by the student.

8.2.9 Preparation of assignments and examinations

Form and duration of examinations

1 All examinations have in common the element of time constraint and the restriction on communication with colleagues; some additionally involve restricted or no access to texts or other written material. The examination paper will specify what, if any, materials the student may use or consult during the examination. No student may refer to any materials or use any equipment which is not specifically stated to be permitted on the examination paper.

2 Where an examination is of the open book kind, in which students are permitted access to texts and other materials during the examination, the nature of the questions must not be such that students are dependent on one or more specific texts to which not all may have access. If students require access to specific material, such as a case study or a professional standard or a statute, copies should be provided for any student who has not brought a copy to the examination room.

3 Written examinations should normally be of two or three hours’ duration. Level 4 examinations should not normally be of more than two hours' duration. Alternative forms of examination may be shorter: for example, multiple-choice and computer-based examinations may be of one hour’s duration.

4 Examinations may take place during normal working hours, in the evening or at weekends. Split venues are not normally acceptable for examinations, except where class sizes are very large or the examination is also taking place at a collaborative institution.

Location of assessment

5 Students are required to attend for examinations and other forms of assessment in the places specified by the University.

6 Students may, at the University’s discretion, be allowed to sit referral examinations in overseas sites which are judged suitable, provided:

athe examinations are being held outside the normal period for which the student would be expected to attend the University;

bthe University is satisfied that appropriate arrangements for the secure transport and storage of papers and scripts have been made, and that the University’s standards of invigilation will be achieved;

cthe student is ordinarily resident in the country where he or she wishes the examination to be held, or is temporarily in that country by reason of a work placement or other similar activity undertaken in connection with and supporting the programme of study;

dthe University is satisfied that it would not be practicable for the student to return to the United Kingdom or such other specified site at the material time;

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ethe student has applied to the University well before the material time for permission to sit the examination overseas, and has made such contacts and arrangements as the University may require him or her to do;

f the student pays any costs of such arrangements; and

gthe student has paid such fee(s) as the University may from time to time specify, well before the material time and in advance of the deadline set by the University.

7 If University arrangements and procedures are not properly complied with, the University bears no responsibility and the student will undertake referral under the normal procedures (that is, at the University).

Drafting examination papers and assignments

8 The external examiners must be given the opportunity to moderate draft examination papers, also assignment briefs and project titles where the work contributes to an award. Where computer based assessment is used, guidance must be given to the external examiners on moderation of such papers. It is for external examiners and the course team to agree the extent to which assignment titles are considered by external examiners. Such moderation is not normally applied to draft examinations and assessment details at Level 4 except in the case of units which contribute to Foundation Degrees.

9 Staff responsible for particular units must draft examination papers and assignments for assessment, and present them to the Course or Academic Director, who will have drawn up a schedule for the drafting, internal and external moderation, revision and printing of the papers.

10 The Head of Department must satisfy him/herself that staff have collectively considered end of unit assignments and examination papers, and that the Academic Director or Course Leader has submitted draft examination papers and proposed project and assessment titles to the external examiner(s) for approval.

11 The Course Leader or Academic Director for the course must ensure that the agreed examination or assignment papers have been checked for accuracy and that they fulfil the requirements of any relevant external body.

12 Cover sheets must be prepared for every paper, in accordance with the specimen obtainable from the Examinations Office. The cover sheet must give details of the title, duration of the examination and any special conditions which may apply, any materials which should be supplied to candidates, and directions to candidates about the choice of questions. The Examinations Office will insert the date and starting time of the examination.

13 The rubric for the examination paper must contain full details of any special materials or equipment that the examinees will require. The Course Leader or Academic Director must also notify the Examinations Officer of the nature of the examination (eg closed/open book) and of any special requirements, so that appropriate arrangements for accommodation and invigilation can be made.

14 Where reasonable adjustments are made for students with special needs, the arrangements must be stipulated on a separate title sheet to make clear how the student is to complete the examination. Where special needs arrangements are required with regard to computer based examinations, such arrangements must similarly be stipulated in advance (for example where hard copy of computer based examinations is utilised for students whose need for an amanuensis cannot be accommodated, it must be adjusted accordingly and checked by the relevant Course Leader or Academic Director).

Additional procedure for examinations

15 The Course Leader or Academic Director must require the internal examiners to submit draft examination papers, including referral papers, a specified period before the date scheduled for the examination, and to notify him or her of any special materials required for the examination.

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16 The Course Leader or Academic Director must arrange for the examination papers to be prepared under conditions of security. If they are prepared in a faculty office, that office must be closed to students. Draft papers, and any means used for their storage, must be kept in conditions of security. Any indication of a breach in security will result in an examination being deemed void and an alternative assessment will be set.

17 Once they are prepared, the examination papers must be returned to the internal examiner for proof-reading and amendment as appropriate. The final version of the paper should also be confirmed by the external examiner.

18 The Course Leader or Academic Director must arrange for the delivery of the examination papers to the Examinations Office for general checking by the date specified by the Examinations Office. The Examinations Office will ensure the production and secure storage of the papers.

19 The Examinations Officer shall publish a calendar of examinations at least three weeks in advance of each examinations period. Any special requests for examination locations or timing must be submitted to the examinations office.

20 The Examinations Office will assign invigilators to each examination session, who will include individuals from the professional invigilation pool and academic members of staff. All Unit Co-coordinators will be assigned as an invigilator for their own units wherever possible and the Examination Office will then assign from the professional invigilation pool. The Faculty Deans will be required to nominate invigilators from among their academic staff to meet the quota necessary for each examination session.

21 A version of the examination schedule, identifying the rooms to be used for examinations, will be produced before the examinations period begins and displayed on notice boards and the Staff and Student Web for information.

Computer-based assessment (CBA)

22 Academic staff are responsible for:

The intellectual content of assessments;

The design of the examination;

The validity and reliability of the questions in measuring student attainment against intended learning outcomes;

Ensuring the quality of the examination;

Checking the final, completed CBA prior to delivery to students;

Receiving and processing the results to map them onto the University’s 16-point scale.

23 Before attempting to undertake CBA, members of the staff team will have been expected to attend training sessions provided under the auspices of the Centre for Learning Excellence.

24 CBAs should be aligned with the intended outcomes of the unit. Thus, the use of CBA should not result in assessments that are optimised for CBA rather than related to the aims and intended outcomes of the unit. Questions should be carefully designed with due regard for the material being assessed. Particular care should be taken in multiple choice or multiple response questions that a sufficient quantity and quality of distracters are used. For re-sit examinations, a minimum of 10% of questions should be replaced with new test items.

25 The University provides general guidance on assessment scoring. However, the mechanism for the translation of CBA scores into the University’s assessment scale is a matter for academic judgement taking into account the level and nature of the assessment. Negative marking may be used, or compensation for baseline guess factors included as appropriate. The calculation regime used should

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be made clear to the students before the examination or incorporated into the design of the test by use of an explanatory question at the start of the assessment. It is expected that academic staff will use the reporting element of the software to help determine the quality of questions and hence the final grading.

26 The following items should be made clear to students before an assessment takes place

The number and type of question items to be used;

The scoring rules for individual items and the overall assessments;

The contribution this assessment makes to an overall unit;

How the question items are selected for each assessment;

Any time limit;

Assessment regulations included permitted and excluded resources;

Feedback to be provided;

Details of the appeals procedure available to students;

How they will be identified for the assessment (ie whether they must bring their student identification cards).

27 Further guidance may be found in the document University of Bedfordshire Computer-Based Assessment: Policy and Procedures 06/08 which may be found at http://www.beds.ac.uk/learning.

8.2.10General provisions governing assessment for awards of the University

Progression, failure and reassessment: general principles

1 A board of examiners which decides to refer a student shall specify, in accordance with Regulations, which elements of assessment must be retaken and when the reassessment shall take place.

2 The board of examiners may, at its discretion, make such special arrangements as it deems appropriate in cases where it is not practicable for students to be reassessed in the same elements and by the same methods as at the first attempt.

Professional body requirements

3 Where course assessment regulations vary from the normal regulations, they must specify which or how many elements must be passed for the award, and make provision for a student to make good an initial failure. Boards of examiners have a responsibility to ensure that application of the regulations do not disadvantage students subject to the overall requirements of the University’s principle that an award is only made when a candidate has fulfilled the objectives of the course and achieved the required standard.

4 A student who has obtained a pass in a unit without obtaining the necessary threshold required by an accredited professional body in each of the constituent elements of assessment may, exceptionally, be allowed to retake the relevant assessment(s) at the discretion of the board of examiners. In such cases the unit grade itself should be capped at the previous (pass) mark, in order to avoid unfair advantage.

Viva voce examination

5 Examiners may exceptionally choose to examine any student viva voce in addition to the assessments specified in course regulations. This form of assessment should be applied only sparingly, but may properly be used:

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a to determine difficult or borderline cases; such additional assessment can be used only to raise, and not to lower, a student's marks;

b as an alternative or additional assessment where valid reasons for poor performance have been established through formal University process;

c to settle cases where there is significant doubt whether work which has been presented for assessment (for example, a project or dissertation) is the student’s own work, in which case the marked grade should be confirmed or a case made to the Academic Conduct Panel.

6 Students should make themselves available for viva voce examination on the days when field or course boards of examiners are meeting. Any student who is invited for viva voce examination but is not available may lose the opportunity of being considered.

8.2.11 Extenuating circumstances

Extenuating circumstances – general

1 Students who believe that there are extenuating circumstances which have affected their performance in an assessment or their ability to complete an assessment on time and which are within University guidelines for eligibility, should apply to Student Support Services as soon as is reasonably possible (normally no later than the day before the deadline for the assessment).

2 The Student Support Service considers extenuating circumstance submitted by students prior to assessment, and may also in exceptional cases and for documented reason consider those submitted after assessment but prior to the confirmation of a grade by an examination board.

3 Individual extenuating circumstances are only presented to examination boards once they have been processed by Student Support Services.

4 Student Support Services will adjudicate on the validity of the claim seeking additional evidence where necessary. Claims must normally be supported by appropriate evidence in writing. Reasons of a medical nature require written confirmation by a qualified medical practitioner: certificates produced by a nurse are not normally acceptable. Self-certification of illness will not be accepted in any circumstances.

5 Student Support Services will ensure that all students are dealt with in an equitable and timely manner by providing support and guidance and by convening an Extenuating Circumstances Board to consider all such claims. Students who supply all of the necessary information should expect to receive a decision on their claim within five working days of submission.

6 The Extenuating Circumstances Board is empowered to authorise short-term extensions whereby students are allowed extra time to submit an assignment without penalty. The nature of the work to be submitted will be dependent on the nature of the assessment and the length of the extension (for example whether work has been returned to other students) and is a matter to be determined by the appropriate unit co-ordinator. If the problem is long term or affected an end of unit examination, then students can be given a reassessment opportunity (to be taken at the next available opportunity and graded without academic penalty). Should the problem be continuous and an extended period deemed to be warranted, a student may apply to have their studies suspended.

7 Suspension for home and EU students will be authorised by Student Support Services (following consultation with the student’s department).

8 If Student Support Services is not satisfied that the student has presented a valid case then the student will need to meet the original submission date. Any late submission will be dealt with in the normal way.

9 Student Support Services do not consider extenuating circumstances in respect of work for which grades have been confirmed by an examination board. Any such circumstances may only be submitted within the academic appeals process, and must be accompanied by good cause for their not having been submitted previously.

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10 Students who wish to appeal against the decision of the Extenuating Circumstances Board should first restate their case, in writing, to Student Support Services within two weeks of the decision being notified to them amplifying on their original claim, citing the grounds for appeal and adding any additional information they may consider relevant. Student Support Services will raise the appeal with the Extenuating Circumstances Board at its next meeting. If the original decision is ratified, and the student is still dissatisfied with the outcome, then he or she should appeal in writing to the Dean of Students.

11 Any student found to be making false claims or falsifying evidence will be subject to the University’s disciplinary procedures.

Extenuating circumstances – Examination Boards

12 Student Support Services will confirm by email the point at which Field Administrators should print the list of extenuating circumstances eligible for submission, including those in process. No subsequent addition to the list will be admissible at the examination board, whether these are cases completed or cases newly opened and in progress.

13 A deferred decision will be recorded at the examination board in respect of all cases opened before Student Support Service’s confirmation and not yet complete, with Chair’s Action being taken once Student Support Services processes is complete.

14 Cases presented by students after Student Support Service’s confirmation (above) will be academic appeals even where these are presented prior to the actual examination board.

15 Student Support Services will advise students on the academic appeals process, and the complaints process, and as far as possible ensure that students submit their claims according to the appropriate process. They will be asked to advise students who submit claims according to the wrong process.

16 A representative from Student Support Services will normally be in attendance at examination and StAR boards. If it is established, to the satisfaction of Student Support Services through proper compliance with current University procedures, that a student’s absence, failure to submit work or poor performance in a final assessment for a unit was due to illness, then Student Support Services will notify the appropriate Examination Board which may take one of the following actions:

a Confirm that a late submission date has been agreed and delegate any decision on student progression and award for chair’s action.

b Confirm that the student is to be reassessed without penalty in any or all of the elements of assessment, as specified by the Board of Examiners. (If an assessment affected by illness was itself a second attempt the student shall be permitted to retake without academic penalty at the next available opportunity, which may be some time after the original assessment. If the stage or course which the student was following is no longer being offered, the University reserves the right to find an alternative course for such a student.)

17 Where the Examination Board is satisfied that there is sufficient evidence of the student’s achievement, the Board may exercise its discretion to recommend the student to the Scheme Board for progression or award citing its reasons for so doing. In such cases the student will not be required to complete any referral work.

18 Boards of Examiners do not need to consider further any matters which have already been taken into account, for example by the granting of extensions to deadlines for the submission of assignments or in allowing the student to take examinations under special conditions.

19 If a Board of Examiners is satisfied that the intended learning outcomes of the unit have been met by a student who has missed, or performed poorly in, an assessment as a result of extenuating circumstances, and if there is enough evidence available from other assessments in that unit to sustain that judgement, the student may be granted a pass in the unit. The Board should where possible award a grade based on the evidence is available through other assessments. Where, however, the nature of a student’s circumstances have prevented learning from taking place (for example, by long absence), or have resulted in no evidence being provided of the student’s ability in the unit (for

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example, by the student carrying out none of the assessments), the student should not be awarded a pass, but should be required to carry out referral work, normally as a first attempt.

8.2.12 Provision of certificates

1 A student who has satisfied all the requirements for a University award will be eligible for a University certificate confirming the award and indicating any classification or distinction which the student may have received.

2 The name appearing on the certificate will be that entered on the student’s record at the time the award is made.

3 Replacement certificates will not normally be issued to students who have lost their original certificates or who wish to be referred to by an alternative name. The University may issue a replacement certificates to a student who has changed his or her name, either by marriage or through proper legal process, on receipt of a request in writing accompanied by the original certificate and by appropriate certificated evidence of the change of name, and also by any fee that may be specified by the University. Replacement certificates will also be issued where the details on the original certificate are shown to be incorrect, but a fee will be charged unless it can be shown that the error is solely on the University’s part. Again, the student will be required to surrender the original certificate before the replacement will be issued.

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Personalised learning

Personalised learning has the following dimensions:

Students understanding themselves - who they are and who they want to be.

Students exploring their learning approaches and improving their effectiveness as learners and hence increasing their self-esteem and self-efficacy.

Accommodating students’ personal learning styles and preferences by multiple teaching and assessment methods.

Valuing and acknowledging the diversity of students’ experiences and drawing on these in learning and teaching approaches and activities.

Helping students to make sense of their learning in terms of the behaviours, actions and end-goals that are expected of them.

Students identifying their strengths (actual and potential) and understanding how these can develop and transfer to their chosen futures.

Curriculum

Effective curriculum design and delivery involves:

Understanding students: where they are in their development and where they need to get to.

An open and transparent curriculum with clearly aligned goals, expectations, learning outcomes and assessments.

Supporting key transition points such as the start of each academic year and ensuring that early experiences set the tone for future activities.

A ‘scaffolded’ curriculum which provides students with more early support followed by structured opportunities requiring more independent responsibility and which focuses on higher-order thinking skills such as analysis, synthesis and evaluation.

A focus on learning as a process and making explicit links between levels, units and activities.

The appropriate use of technology to support learning and enhance independent learning skills.

Realistic learning

The learning experience should be:

Meaningful - students see personal, social, professional, intellectual and practical relevance in the curriculum.

Active - students are actively engaged in the learning process and not just passive recipients of it.

Challenging - activities which challenge existing constructs, knowledge and assumptions and are interesting, but which also create opportunities for students to be creative and have fun.

Reflective - occasions for reflection are structured within a process of development that allows students to internalise their experiences and make connections across boundaries e.g. between units and with the demands of the outside world.

Collaborative - learning is part of a social process where students learn cooperatively with peers, tutors and other ‘learning enablers’ creating a learning community.

Employability

A curriculum which supports Employability involves:

Systematic subject knowledge and understanding, a curriculum underpinned by research and which enhances creative, evaluative, analytical and critical skills.

Vocational relevance and applicability – the curriculum bridges the transition into employment and develops the inter-personal and practical problem-solving skills required.

A career orientation - ambitious but realistic career aspirations and the career management skills to attain these aspirations.

Personal skills, attributes and independence – the life-long learning skills required to benefit from education and to sustain continued development.

Contextualisation –a national understanding and international awareness of environmental, social and political dimensions.

A sound value-base – students are exposed to the values and ethical expectations of their subject and are expected to display these characteristics and function ‘in context’.

Assessment

Effective assessment involves:

Assessment strategies which focus on developing students’ wider attributes and skills as well as testing knowledge and understanding.

Students developing self-regulatory behaviours through self-assessing and peer-assessing against criteria and being supported and encouraged to use feedback to develop their skills and improve performance.

Students having detailed assessment briefs which clearly articulate the task, the expectations and the relationship to past and future activities within or beyond the University.

Students having focussed, meaningful and timely feedback designed to build confidence, self-esteem, encourage positive motivational beliefs and support learning.

Tutors using the outcomes of assessment to help shape future learning.

CRe8

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The Curriculum Review 2008 (CRe8) articulates the University’s approach to creating an environment which supports effective teaching and learning. CRe8 draws on the views of staff and students across the University and perceived good practice in the sector. It identifies five inter-related strands designed to engage and motivate students, and prepare them for further study and life beyond the University.

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QUALITY DIRECTORATE FEE GUIDELINES

Normal fee structure for all taught courses (both UG and PG) for the University of Bedfordshire:

A flat fee of £350.00 per annum will normally be paid as standard for up to a maximum of 12 units of 30 credits each, to cover External Examiner’s duties, including attendance at a meeting of a board of examiners. The annual External Examiner fee will be raised on receipt of the completed External Examiner’s report, normally submitted after the main examination board, and an external claim form. The fee payment will only be processed when a copy of the report and the claim form has been received by the Quality Directorate. One report per course should be completed by the External Examiner. For those examining one course delivered on multiple sites, one report covering all sites, but making specific reference to the various cohorts, should be completed.

A fee for additional visits of £80.00 per visit. The additional visit fee is particularly relevant in the following situations:

- External Examiners covering courses with a practice element such as teacher training courses

- External Examiners required to view students’ work on Foundation Degrees at more than one FE College Site

- External Examiners contracted to courses that involve the production of large portfolios that cannot be sent to be reviewed.

- External Examiners of courses that have 3 award boards of examiners annually, and require attendance three times per year, e.g. courses within the Healthcare provision.

- External Examiners of practical work which requires attendance.

Scheme Board fee structure

PG and UG Scheme Board External Examiners receive £500 per annum on receipt of the completed annual report. The fee is irrespective of the number of meetings of scheme boards of examiners they attend in an academic year therefore those contracted to scheme boards may not claim £80 for additional visits for boards (distinction must be made between boards and other authorised visits ie. Annual induction meeting).

Additional guidance for fees relating to SCITT/QTS courses

For PGCE courses which we validate in SCITTs, the University will pay for external examiners’ duties associated with its responsibility for the standard award at the standard £350 per annum. Those external examiners contracted to more than one SCITT will receive £500 per annum.

For external examiners’ responsibilities associated with the award of QTS to students, for example the observation of students with regards to QTS, the SCITTs will pay their own fee to the external examiners.

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Expenses

Claims for car usage will be met at the discretion of the University and will normally only be permitted where public transport is unavailable or impractical, or where the mileage claim is cheaper than the cost of making the journey by public transport. Travel arrangements may be booked by the Quality Directorate upon request. All flight costs should be checked with the Quality Directorate before purchase.

Tickets for transport should be economy class booked in advance.

The following subsistence rates may normally be claimed back when proof of purchase can be shown:

Up to:

£6 – Breakfast£8 – Lunch£20 – Dinner

Please note that alcoholic drinks may not be claimed back through expenses.

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QUALITY DIRECTORATE WEBSITE INFORMATION

You can access a range of pro formas and useful information via the University’s External Examiner website. The site can be accessed using the following weblink:

http://www.beds.ac.uk/aboutus/quality/external

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http://www.beds.ac.uk/aboutus/quality/external

External Examiners’ ‘Right to Work’ in the UK

Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006: LIST OF SPECIFIED DOCUMENTS:

Please provide either one of the single documents, or two of the documents in the specified combinations given.

Single Documents

1. A passport showing that the holder, or a person named in the passport as the child of the holder, is a British citizen or a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies having the right of abode in the United Kingdom.

2. A passport or national identity card showing that the holder, or a person named in the passport as the child of the holder, is a national of a European Economic Area country or Switzerland.

3. A residence permit, registration certificate or document certifying or indicating permanent residence issued by the Home Office or the Border and Immigration Agency to a national of a European Economic Area country or Switzerland.

4. A permanent residence card issued by the Home Office or the Border and Immigration Agency to the family member of a European Economic Area country or Switzerland.

5. A Biometric Immigration Document issued by the Border and Immigration Agency to the holder which indicates that the person named in it is allowed to stay indefinitely in the United Kingdom, or has no time limit on their stay in the United Kingdom.

6. A passport or other travel document endorsed to show that the holder is exempt from immigration control, is allowed to stay indefinitely in the United Kingdom, or has no time limit on their stay in the United Kingdom.

Combination

1. An official document issued by a previous employer or Government agency, e.g. HM Revenue and Customs, the Department for Work and Pensions, Jobcentre Plus, the Employment Service, the Training and Employment Agency (Northern Ireland), or the Northern Ireland Social Security Agency, which contains the permanent National Insurance number and name of the person

Guidance from the United Kingdom Border Agency states that all people regardless of nationality or immigration status who are employed even for short periods of time by an employer should have their documents checked and copies kept by the employer to ensure they have the right to work in the UK.

Below is a list of the documents which may be presented for this purpose. The original document must be sent via secure delivery to the University and will be returned to you in the same way. Please address

them to Debbie Briggs. If you are going to attend the University in person before undertaking any work, please bring your documents with you and pass them to a member of staff who will take a photocopy on

the day.

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and either

2. An Immigration Status Document issued by the Home Office or the Border and Immigration Agency to the holder with an endorsement indicating that the person named in it is allowed to stay indefinitely in the United Kingdom or has no time limit on their stay in the United Kingdom

or

3. A full birth certificate issued in the United Kingdom which includes the name(s) of at least one of the holder’s parents

or

4. A full adoption certificate issued in the United Kingdom which includes the name(s) of at least one of the holder’s adoptive parents

or

5. A birth certificate issued in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Ireland

or

6. An adoption certificate issued in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Ireland

or

7. A certificate of registration or naturalisation as a British citizen

or

8. A letter issued by the Home Office or the Border and Immigration Agency to the holder which indicates that the person named in it is allowed to stay indefinitely in the United Kingdom

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MAPS

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Luton Campus, Park Square, Luton town centre

By road

Luton is accessed directly from the M1 at Junction 10. The A1 is connected via the A505 and A602.

From M1 (London Luton Airport exit), exit at Junction 10 and follow signs for Luton town centre, via Airport Way. Pass Capability Green then take next exit off Airport Way.

At the roundabout take the first exit into Gypsy Lane. Proceed over two mini-roundabouts into Windmill Road and over the next roundabout into St Mary's Road. At the traffic lights, turn left into Church Street.

From the A1, exit at Junction 8 and take the A602 to Hitchin. At the first roundabout in Hitchin take the third exit and at the next roundabout take the first exit, following the A505 to Luton town centre.

Parking

Parking is available at the The Mall - formerly called the Arndale Centre - multi-story car parks, or the public car park located at the rear of the new student accommodation complex which is currently under construction. Due to the building work, the car park can only be accessed from Gloucester Road off Manor Road, postcode LU1 3HX.

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By Rail

*First Capital Connect services (formerly Thameslink) connect Luton with Bedford (23 min), London (34 min to St Pancras International; Farringdon; Barbican; Moorgate; City Thameslink; Blackfriars; and 50 min to London Bridge), East Croydon (64 min), Gatwick Airport (80 min) and Brighton (2 h) for the South Coast.

First Capital Connect serves Luton's three railway stations - Luton Parkway (for London Luton Airport), Luton (this is the closest to the main, Park Square campus) and Leagrave.

Luton is also served by East Midlands Trains services from Sheffield and London St Pancras.

On Foot

From the train station ticket office go down the stairs to the station front entrance and across the road to the footpath which will take you into Bute Street where you will see the 'Hat Factory' arts and entertainments centre on your right. Follow the road down the hill. Cross over the road at the crossing, the Job Centre should be in front of you and continue towards The Mall shopping centre. Cross over the bus route and enter the shopping centre, go up the escalator and take a left at the top. Walk through the shopping centre until you reach Debenhams, turn left and then right and walk towards the exit, with the market on your left. Exit the shopping centre via the stairs or the lifts. St Mary's church will be directly in front of you, cross the road and walk down the access road to the right of the church, the Campus Centre entrance is directly in front of you.

Luton campus map

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Polhill Campus, Bedford

Bedford lies 50 miles north of London on the main A6 route. It is between the main north-south link roads, the M1 and the A1, offering easy access to the north and south of the country. The campus is within walking distance of the train station (about 30 minutes) and there are always taxis available at the station.

The University also runs a shuttle bus connecting the Bedford campus with Bedford town centre. You may use the service with a staff ID card, student ID card or University visitor bus pass.

By roadFrom the north, leave the M1 at junction 14. Take the A422, following signs for Bedford. from the south leave the M1 at junction 13, then follow the A421 to Bedford. From the A1, south of St Neots, take the A428 to Bedford, Bedford campus is next to the A428 on the eastern side of Bedford.Please beware that if you are travelling along the A421 to Bedford from the M1 J13, there are continuing roadworks until early 2010 which may cause directions to differ from those stated by Google.

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By railThere are frequent trains, operated by First Capital Connect from London St Pancras International station - journey time about 50 minutes.East Midlands Trains run from London St Pancras station - journey time about 40 minutes.There are also direct trains from Leicester, Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield. Services to the West Midlands, Lancashire, and Scotland are via Milton Keynes.

By airLocal train services link with London Luton Airport (30 minutes) and Gatwick Airport (under 2 hours). Stansted is also within easy reach and Heathrow, Birmingham and East Midlands international airports are all within a 90-minute drive.

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http://www.eastmidlandstrains.co.uk/

http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/

Putteridge Bury Campus, Luton

Putteridge Bury Conference Centre is ideally located just four miles outside Luton town centre on the Hitchin Road.

By RoadFrom M1: Exit at junction 10 and follow signs for Hitchin (A505). Entrance is signposted.From A1(M): Exit at junction 8 and follow signs for A602 to Hitchin. Then follow signs for Luton (A505). Entrance is signposted.

By RailLuton and Hitchin (First Capital Connect trains) are the nearest railway stations.

Minibus shuttle service from Luton campus, Park SquareDuring term time a free minibus shuttle service for staff and students operates between Putteridge Bury and Luton campuses. Timetable details are available at the Luton campus, Park Square Reception.

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Buckinghamshire Campus, Aylesbury

The University of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire campus is located at Oxford House, Oxford Road, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire HP21 8SZ.

By railThe campus is approximately a six minute walk from Aylesbury Train Station. To walk from the train station head northwest on Station Way toward Friarscroft Way. Turn left at Friarscroft Way. Turn right to stay on Friarscroft Way. Turn left to stay on Friarscroft Way, then turn right again to stay on Friarscroft Way At the next left you need to take a left turn onto the A418/Oxford Rd. Continue walking, (passing a mini roundabout) until you approach a set of traffic lights, at these lights turn right onto Fowler Road, the entrance to Oxford House will be on your right.Chiltern Railways have frequent services to Aylesbury.

By bus When travelling by bus from Wycombe you need to catch the number 300 bus from the bus station. You can then walk to the site from Aylesbury Bus Station or exit the bus at Stoke Mandeville Hospital and walk to the site via Churchill Avenue. These buses run every 20 minutes during the week and cost £3.00 per day single or £4.00 per day return. For those of you who wish to travel from Stoke Mandeville by bus you need to catch the number 9. This travels from the hospital to Oxford Road. This runs every 20 minutes.

By roadThe campus building at Oxford house is situated on the A418 Oxford Road just a short walk from Aylesbury town centre and railway station. From the M40 exit at J8a taking the A418 following signs to Aylesbury. From Luton and the A5 take the A505 to Leighton Buzzard then take the A418 to Aylesbury town centre. The campus is situated on the west side of the town off of Oxford Road. The entrance to the site is via Fowler Road.

Car parks are in Friarscroft Way, Whitehall Street and Coopers Yard. There are 40 parking spaces available on site at a cost of £2.00 per visit. Tickets can be purchased from the security office at the rear of the building.

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http://www.chilternrailways.co.uk/

Butterfield Campus, Luton

Butterfield Park is an 85-acre business and technology zone providing dedicated state-of-the-art teaching and learning facilities. The facilities include a skills lab to ensure that students have plenty of opportunities to develop and refine their clinical skills.

By roadFrom M1: Exit at junction 10 and follow signs for Hitchin (A505). Entrance to Butterfield Park is signposted.

From A1(M): Exit at junction 8 and follow signs for A602 to Hitchin. Then follow signs for Luton (A505). Entrance to Butterfield Park is signposted.

Continue on the access road until you reach the next roundabout. Take another left at this roundabout. Continue until you see a right turn into the main car park, and turn in here. Continue through the car park until it curves around to the right. The University Healthcare Department is located in building 250 and 260.

If you are not staff or students with appropriate passes, you will need to use the intercom system to gain entry to the building.

Parking Parking is available to students and visitors in the overflow car park to the rear of the village and also the vacant parcel of land opposite the University buildings. Any other area is restricted to permit holders only. Parking restriction notices have been placed around the site, enforcement of these notices will commence on Monday 5 October 2009.

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Please be aware that parking is limited, but the University does offer a shuttle bus service.

By RailLuton and Hitchin (First Capital Connect trains) are the nearest railway stations.

Minibus shuttle service from Luton campus, Park SquareThe bus will depart from Vicarage Street on the Park Square campus. There will be a drop off and pick up from Luton Train Station for each service. Vicarage Street is a 5-minute walk from both Luton Rail Station and Luton Bus Station.

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USEFUL CONTACTS

QUALITY DIRECTORATE:

Miss. Jenny BaileyQuality Officer (External Examiners)

[email protected] 743496 (ext 3496)

Contact for queries in relation to your contract, annual report, or general enquiries. Contact for queries in relation to fee and/or expenses payments.

Ms. Abbie TemperleyPA to Academic Registrar

[email protected] 749169 (ext 9169)

Contact for the arrangements of hotel accommodation or travel arrangements.

FACULTY ADMINISTRATORS:

Business School:

Accounting and Finance: Kathi Parker ([email protected])Business Systems: Sally Mayne ([email protected])Language and Communication: Joanne Glass ([email protected])Law: Kathi Parker ([email protected])Marketing: Carina Wong ([email protected])Strategy and Human Resource Management: Lewis Morgan ([email protected])

Creative Arts, Technologies and Science:

Computer Science and Technology: Edita Markute ([email protected])Art and Design: Sarah Doherty ([email protected])Journalism and Communications: Sarah Doherty ([email protected])Performing Arts and English: Jenny Barker ([email protected])Science: Clare Fitzpatrick ([email protected])

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Education, Sport and Tourism:

Primary Education: Kim West ([email protected])Secondary Education: Susan Turner ([email protected])Post Compulsory Education: Bethan Michael ([email protected])Physical Education and Sport Studies : Delseta Smith ([email protected])

Physical Education ITE: Susan Turner ([email protected])Undergraduate Education Studies: Kim West ([email protected])Postgraduate Education Studies: Jenny James ([email protected])Sport and Exercise Science: Delseta Smith ([email protected])Tourism, Leisure and Sport Management: Sally Mayne ([email protected])

Health and Social Sciences:

Applied Social Studies: Laura Scott ([email protected])Social Professional Studies: Laura Scott ([email protected])Healthcare: Jessica Hidalgo ([email protected])Pre-Registration Nursing, Midwifery and ODP: Joe Sullivan ([email protected])

Sports Therapy: Colin Gibson ([email protected])Psychology: Gill Mann ([email protected])Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Postgraduate Medical School: Colin Gibson ([email protected])

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