External examining provides one of the principal means for maintaining UK threshold academic standards within Universities. External examining is an integral and essential part of institutional quality assurance and provides an independent view of a University’s assessment process. Universities appoint as external examiners people drawn from higher education, industry and the professions who are suitably qualified and experienced in the subject to which the appointment relates.
In The Open University an external examiner is appointed for each module to provide carefully considered advice on the academic standards of the module and to offer an informed view of how standards compare with the same or similar academic provision at other UK Universities. Each external examiner provides a written annual report for the University based on what they have observed of its assessment processes and student assessed work and the University must take action in response to any recommendations made or make clear the reasons for not taking action.
External Examiners are asked to submit their reports to the University within six weeks of the meeting of the Examination and Assessment Board for the module(s) to which they are appointed. Reports are then circulated for response and consideration by the Director of Assessment, Credit and Qualifications, module teams and the appropriate University Boards and Committees.
Student engagement with external examiner reports and responses to them occurs at two levels in the OU. External examiner reports and actions in response to these are considered by Programme Committees which oversee the quality and standards of modules and qualifications in a subject area. These committees include a student member. A summary of all OU external examiner reports and actions in response to them are then passed for consideration by the University-level Assessment Policy Committee which has two student members.
The Open University’s Student Association (OUSA) is responsible for appointing student representatives on the University’s committees including Programme Committees and the Assessment Policy Committee. Any registered Open University student can apply to OUSA to be considered for appointment as a representative within the University Governance Structure. For details of the application processes, please visit the governance page of OUSA's website. Students may contact The Open University about external examiner reports by email, telephone (+44(0)1908 653509) or by letter addressed to the Assessment Policy Office, External Examiner Reports Examination and Assessment, The Open University, PO Box 83, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AF.