UK universities seek to improve external examining standards

UK universities have launched a drive to improve external examining standards as part of continuing efforts to tackle grade inflation.

Universities UK and GuildHE said on 5 August that they had asked the Quality Assurance Agency to work with them to help institutions improve practices.

A recent progress review found that 87 per cent of providers had made changes to their external examining system since May 2019, with more than half – 55 per cent – having developed additional guidance and training.

However, the representative bodies said, “inconsistencies remain, and this could undermine confidence in degree classifications”.

They said that potential improvements include:

• Supporting “more consistent use of and reference to sector recognised standards and national frameworks”
• Increasing use of longitudinal data and institutional degree outcome statements, “supported by training, to assess performance across and within cohorts”
• Reviewing “eligibility criteria and qualifications required for appointment of external examiners, including incorporation of industry and [professional, statutory and regulatory body] expertise”
• Improving “transparency and consistency in processes for responding to external examiner reports, advice, and concerns”
• Advising on “activities that, at a minimum, external examiners should always expect to undertake and be consulted on”
• Establishing “content and format requirements for effective training and [continuing professional development] of external examiners”.

UUK and GuildHE said new principles would be developed that could be added to the statement of intent on calculating degree classifications, drawn up by the UK Standing Committee for Quality Assessment (UKSCQA).

Debra Humphris, vice-chancellor of the University of Brighton and chair of UUK’s student policy network, said institutions would “continue to strengthen external examining processes to ensure degree-awarding processes are fair, transparent and reliable”.

“While there will be scope to adapt to local contexts, including subject-specific requirements, greater consistency in use of external examiners will make it easier to compare awards,” she said.

Universities have made significant efforts to tackle perceived grade inflation in recent years, with providers reviewing their classification practices and publishing statements setting out their approach.

The vast majority have adopted sector-wide principles on algorithm design, which put limits on how often boundary grades are rounded up, how many algorithms are applied and the weighting given to the marks for different years of study.

Some have appointed a chief external examiner or equivalent to give oversight across the whole provider.

But external examining has always been recognised as a potential weak spot, ever since institutions started focusing on grade inflation. A 2019 conference heard from Sue Bloxham, emeritus professor of academic practice at the University of Cumbria, that assessors interpreted standards – and terms such as “advanced”, “excellent” and “detailed” – differently.

Andrew Wathey, vice-chancellor of Northumbria University and chair of UKSCQA, said of the latest announcement: “A defined set of principles for external examining, and greater alignment and consistency, will make an important contribution to maintaining standards and quality assessment across the sector.”

chris.havergal@timeshighereducation.com