External examiners

This page contains important information for current and prospective external examiners for taught programmes at Regent's including guidance on the role and responsibilities and on appointment. This information may also be of use to Regent's staff who are responsible for appointing and working with external examiners.

External examiners play a vital and highly valued role in assuring the standards of Regent's awards, and they are one of the key ways in which Regent's monitors and ensures that its academic standards and quality processes are appropriate and  comparable to those of other Higher Education Providers (HEPs) in the UK.

Regent's appoints external examiners from other HEPs or from areas of professional practice. The role of the external examiner is to help ensure that:

  • standards set for the awards are appropriate;
  • standards of student performance are comparable with similar programmes or subjects in other HEPs;
  • the processes for assessment, examination and the determination of awards are rigorous and comparable to other HEPs;
  • students are treated equitably in relation to awards and that academic processes have been conducted fairly and in accordance with Regent's regulations and policies;
  • Best practice within the sector is shared with Regent's colleagues.

Appointments

It is the responsibility of the Senate Quality Assurance and Enhancement Committee (SQAEC) to appoint external examiners in accordance with Chapter B7 of the QAA UK Quality Code for Higher Education.

Please click on the links below to access the relevant appointment documentation:

For any queries relating to appointments, or to register an interest in external examining at Regent's, please contact: [email protected]

Moderation

External examiners will have access to all assessed work, and see samples of students’ work from each category of award and failure. This is in order to ensure that the assessment criteria have been interpreted correctly and that there is parity of assessment across the cohort. Student assessments will be made available through Blackboard, however external examiners may also be invited to attend a moderation day at Regent's.
Please click on the link below to access Blackboard:

For any queries relating to moderation, please contact: [email protected]

Assessment Boards

Every programme of study approved as leading to a validated award of the University has a Subject Board, Progression Board and a Finalist Board whose constitution and terms of reference accords with the approved regulations for the programme and the terms of reference contained within Section K of the University Quality Handbook. The constitution of the assessment boards may include provision for the appointment of subsidiary boards, and the same board may be responsible for more than one programme of study. External examiners are required to attend relevant assessment board meetings, at which they are required to sign off the outcomes. 

Please click on the links below to access:

For any queries relating to assessment boards, please contact: [email protected]

Reports

External examiners are required to submit an annual report no more than one month after the final meeting of the assessment board. For examiners appointed to both undergraduate and taught postgraduate subject areas, a separate report for each area is required.

The annual report provides the external examiner with the opportunity to comment on the academic standards of Regent’s awards and on the assessment processes. The University greatly values the feedback from external examiners and serious consideration is given to issues raised in reports. The Programme Director and / or Pathway Leader will respond in writing to the external examiner, and provide feedback in response to the issues raised in the report. Responses to external examiner reports will be submitted to the SQAEC so that common themes may be identified and appropriate action taken.

External examiners are asked to submit their reports electronically to the Academic Registry at: [email protected], with a signed hard copy posted to the following address:

Academic Registrar
Regent’s University London
Inner Circle
Regent’s Park
London NW1 4NS

The reports will be stored by the Academic Registry, and then circulated to relevant stakeholders. 
Please click on the link below to access the External Examiner Annual Report Template:

Fees and expenses

External examiners are paid an annual fee upon receipt of a report of a satisfactory standard and they may also claim reasonable travel and subsistence expenses throughout the year, as appropriate. Please note that receipts for all expenses should be provided with the claim form.  
Please click on the link below to access expenses forms:

For any queries relating to fees and expenses, please contact: [email protected]

Additional guidance and information