External examining is a key feature of the UK higher education system. This course has been developed as part of the Degree Standards project on external examining that has run from 2016 to 2021.

The overarching aim of the Professional Development Course is to contribute to maintenance of degree standards and their reasonable comparability across the UK higher education systems by providing training for external examiners. This is the only training course for external examiners in the UK. It has been developed in collaboration with a range of HE providers.

Find out more

If you would like to know more about the course, please complete the form by clicking below and we will send you an information sheet with further details.

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An excellent, informative and thought-provoking course that captured the essence of the external examining role while underlining the complexity and variation in applying standards equitably across institutions.”

PDC Participant

Course aims

The aims of the course are to enable aspiring, new or experienced examiners to:

understand the role of the external examiner as articulated in the UK Quality Code for Higher Education, and be confident to undertake it
develop a deeper understanding of the nature of academic standards and professional judgement, and explore the implications for external examining
use evidence-informed approaches to contribute to impartial, transparent judgements on academic standards and the enhancement of student learning.

Course dates

Remote PDC

7 and 14 June 2022 - Book now

Blended PDC

12 July 2022 - Leeds- Book Now

Online PDC

Facilitators

Dr Erica Morris

Higher Education Consultant and Academic Associate
,
Advance HE

Dr Erica J Morris is a Principal Fellow of Advance HE (formerly the Higher Education Academy), an Academic Associate for Advance HE and a Higher Education Consultant working on the Degree Standards project, which is focused on the professional development of external examiners.

Andy Lloyd

Senior Curriculum Design Advisor, Centre for Education Support and Innovation
,
Cardiff University

Andy is Senior Curriculum Design Advisor at the Centre for Education Support and Innovation at Cardiff University, leading on assessment and feedback support across the institution. Andy has worked in a wide range of different roles across the University for over 25 years. Originally working as a librarian, he then moved to a research role in the School of Education, and then to lead the enhancement of a number of different areas in the assessment lifecycle University-wide, including support for and the training of external examiners.

Professor Margaret Price

Professor Emerita of Assessment and Learning
,
Oxford Brookes University

Margaret Price is Professor Emerita of Assessment and Learning at Oxford Brookes University UK. As a researcher she has strong roots in the practice of teaching and assessment. She was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship in 2002 in recognition of her excellence in teaching and contribution to the development of learning, teaching and assessment in Higher Education.

Ian Sadler

Subject Head in the School of Sport and Exercise Science
,
Liverpool John Moores University

Dr Ian Sadler is Subject Head in the School of Sport and Exercise Science with responsibility for learning and teaching. Ian teaches exercise physiology and nutrition and he is an accredited Sport and Exercise Scientist (BASES) and a Chartered Scientist (Science Council). His research focuses upon learning and teaching in higher education; specifically teacher development and assessment practice.

Professor Berry O'Donovan

Principal Lecturer Student Experience
,
Oxford Brookes University

Professor Berry O'Donovan is a Principal Lecturer Student Experience, in this role has led a number of institutional and school projects focused on improving the student experience including enhancing online feedback and student engagement. She is a National Teaching Fellow and a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and have been centrally involved in a number of national pedagogy projects funded by the Higher Education Academy (HEA) and the Higher Education Funding Council England (HEFCE). Her research into teaching and learning, project management and teaching practice come together to give a coherent focus on enhancing the experience of students at Brookes and beyond.

Professor Chris Rust

Emeritus Professor of Higher Education
,
Oxford Brookes University

Chris Rust is Emeritus Professor of Higher Education at Oxford Brookes where he worked for over 25 years. He was Head of the Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development, and Deputy Director of the Human Resource Directorate from 2001-2011. Between 2005-10 he was also Deputy Director for two Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning - ASKe (Assessment Standards Knowledge Exchange) and the Reinvention Centre for undergraduate research (led by Warwick University). For his last three years he was Associate Dean (Academic Policy).

Professor Jenny Hill

Head of Learning and Teaching Innovation
,
University of Gloucestershire

Jenny has worked as an advisor to universities, examination boards, Advance HE and the Quality Assurance Agency. She is passionate about teaching, researching and developing curricula and practice across all disciplines and professional areas.

Dr Nicola Reimann

Head of Academic Professional Development
,
Durham University

Nicola is Associate Professor in Academic Practice, based both in the School of Education and in the Durham Centre for Academic Development (https://www.dur.ac.uk/dcad/forstaff/. Her role focuses on researching learning, teaching and assessment in higher education and educational development for Durham staff, in particular in the context of the Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice. She is a qualified school teacher and worked in Modern Foreign Languages (Newcastle University, Sunderland University, Freie Universität Berlin, Open University) before moving into an academic development role.

Professor Pete Boyd

Professor Emeritus of Professional Learning
,
University of Cumbria

He is professor emeritus in professional learning at the University of Cumbria and focused on supporting the development of research-informed practice in education. He works as an education consultant, research mentor and doctoral research supervisor with academics, lecturers and teachers in universities, colleges, and schools.

Teresa McConlogue

Senior Teaching Fellow
,
University College London

Teresa works in the Centre for the Advancement of Learning and Teaching (CALT), which supports academic staff at UCL to improve learning, teaching and assessment practices. She works mainly in the School of Life and Medical Sciences (SLMS) with the aim of enhancing the student experience by redesigning curricula so that students are actively involved in learning and assessment.

Delivering the course within an institution

The PDC can be delivered to staff within an institution either by Advance HE staff or by institutional staff who have successfully completed the Develop the Developer programme. The latter programme involves the following:

Participants complete the Professional Development Course for External Examiners
Two or more facilitators complete the Develop the Developer programme
Institution is sub-licensed by Advance HE to deliver the PDC with the developers delivering the course

Find out more about the Develop the Developer programme.

Courses such as this are an invaluable asset for external examiners. The ability to connect with peers and develop understanding, roles and responsibilities is extremely useful.”

PDC Participant

The Professional Standards Framework

The Professional Standards Framework (PSF) is a comprehensive set of professional standards and guidelines for everyone involved in teaching and supporting learning in higher education.

Participants for this course are likely to be involved in external examining or may be leading external examining policies across a faculty, programme or team. If you are considering preparing an application for fellowship, you should look at how your external examining experience relates to the dimensions of the PSF. There are follow-up activities in the Participant Handbook for the course, as well as guidance on aligning your external examining experience to the PSF.

Hear from previous participants

Making external examining fit for the future

Dr Lia Blaj-Ward, senior lecturer at Nottingham Trent University, points to 'the emphasis on the importance of calibration across the sector' as the highlight of Advance HE's external examiner course.

What can early career researchers gain from External Examiner training?

Dr Melissa Jogie shares her experience as an Early Career Researcher (ECR) of attending External Examiner training.

Read

Professional Development Course for External Examiners