External Examiner – Faculty of Education (EE-FOE)

Elevate Academic Excellence: An Insight into the External Examiner Opportunity

This review explores an engaging opportunity to serve as an External Examiner for a reputable Faculty, playing a crucial role in maintaining and enhancing academic standards across diverse educational programmes. This position offers a unique chance for seasoned academics and education professionals to contribute significantly to the quality assurance framework of UK higher education.

Advantages for Your Career Path:

• Influence and Impact: As an External Examiner, you directly contribute to upholding the integrity and standards of academic awards. Your expertise ensures that students receive fair assessments and that programmes meet national benchmarks, directly impacting the quality of future educators and leaders.
• Professional Growth and Expertise: Engage deeply with current developments in curriculum design, assessment practices, and UK sector reference points (such as FHEQ, Degree Characteristics, and Subject Benchmark Statements). This role sharpens your critical evaluation skills and keeps you at the forefront of educational standards and quality assurance.
• Diverse Programme Engagement: Opportunities span a rich variety of programmes, including FDA Early Years Education and Leadership, MA Education (with specialist modules like Inclusive Education, SEN, Understanding Mental Health, and Critical Approaches to Mental Health), and PGCE Secondary qualifications in Physical Education and History. This breadth allows you to apply your expertise across different educational stages and specialisms.
• Flexible Working Model: The majority of duties can be performed remotely, offering considerable flexibility to balance this role with your existing professional commitments. This makes it accessible to professionals across the UK.
• Support for New Examiners: For those new to external examining, the Faculty provides a supportive environment with mentorship from experienced colleagues. This is an excellent pathway to develop expertise in this critical area of academic quality assurance.
• Networking Opportunities: Collaborate with academic staff from another UK Higher Education Institution, expanding your professional network and fostering peer learning and knowledge exchange within your discipline.

Key Considerations for Candidates:

• High Standards of Expertise: This role demands significant academic standing, credibility, and breadth of experience within your discipline. Candidates must be academically qualified to at least the level of the qualification they will examine and possess a deep understanding of UK sector agreed reference points and, where applicable, Professional and Statutory Regulatory Body (PSRB) standards.
• Commitment to Quality Assurance: The primary duty is to confirm academic standards are appropriately set and maintained. This involves meticulous review of examination papers, assessment materials, marked student work, and producing a comprehensive annual report. This requires a dedicated and detail-oriented approach to ensure fairness and adherence to regulations.
• Part-Time & Supplementary Nature: While offering a fee and expenses reimbursement, it's important to view this as a supplementary professional engagement rather than a primary income source. The annual fee reflects specific time allocations for duties such as moderation, board attendance, and report writing.
• Occasional On-Campus Presence: While largely remote, there is an expectation for potential annual attendance at assessment boards at the Ormskirk Campus and school visits. Candidates should be prepared for these occasional in-person commitments.
• Eligibility Requirements: Candidates must hold current employment status, be eligible to work in the United Kingdom, and, where relevant, hold PSRB registration. Fluency in English is also essential.

Is This Opportunity For You?

This External Examiner role is ideal for established academics and subject matter experts who are passionate about maintaining academic excellence, eager to contribute their knowledge beyond their primary institution, and committed to the integrity of higher education awards. If you possess a strong understanding of UK academic standards and are looking for a meaningful way to apply your expertise, this could be a highly rewarding engagement.

Embrace the chance to make a tangible difference in the academic journey of students and uphold the quality benchmarks that define UK higher education.