Academic Policy & Governance (APG) is a unit formed from the former Senate and Academic Collaboration Offices. (See APG Welcome page for further information.)

External Examiners

Academic Policy & Governance manages the External Examiners system for the University.

It is responsible for:

  • appointing all External Examiners for taught courses
  • the payment of fees for these examiners
  • receiving and scrutinising external examiner reports and initiating any necessary follow-up action
  • preparing an annual report

Schools are responsible for:

  • Nomination of External Examiners
  • Responding to External Examiner Report

External Examiners are responsible for:

  • Undertaking the required University training as an External Examiner
  • Timely submission of Report through on-line system

Appointments

External Examiners are usually appointed for four years, starting on the 1 October of a given year and finishing on 30 September four years later. After an External Examiner's four year term of office has expired they cannot be appointed to the University again until five years have passed.

In extenuating circumstances, Heads of School may request that an External Examiner’s appointment be extended (up to one year). Form EE2 should be completed and returned to Academic Policy & Governance (APG-external-examiners@glasgow.ac.uk).

In February, Academic Policy & Governance determines which External Examiners are due to have their term of office expire that year. We then write to relevant Heads of School to request that they take steps to initiate the appointment of a replacement examiner.

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Appointment process

  • Head(s) of Subject Area completes a nomination form (for type see below) and signs it.
  • The form is then passed to the Head of School for approval.
  • The signed form is then forwarded to Academic Policy & Governance (APG-external-examiners@glasgow.ac.uk).
  • After consideration and approval, an appointment letter is sent to the Examiner. Copies of this appointment letter are also sent to the Head of School.

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Right to work eligibility 

In accordance with the UKVI Right to Work directive, nominations for External Examiner appointments can be accepted for the following categories ONLY: 

  • British and Irish citizens resident in the UK. 
  • British and Irish citizens resident in Ireland. 
  • Non-British citizens who are resident in the UK with appropriate visa or settled status.   

It is not possible to appoint nominees resident overseas due to tax and National Insurance requirements. 

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External examiner nomination forms

  • EE1 - to replace an Examiner or appoint an examiner to a new programme [Word]
  • EE2 - to extend a remit, e.g. to extend the number of courses examined by an existing Examiner or to extend tenure of an existing Examiner [Word]

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On appointment

When External Examiners are appointed, they are directed to the online induction information in the tab entitled 'Induction'.

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Reports

After the examination process is completed, External Examiners are required to submit a report via the University's on-line system. Academic Policy & Governance will initiate payment of the fee upon receipt of the report. Academic Policy & Governance then forwards the report to the School with a request that any points raised should be discussed at a School meeting.

Academic Policy & Governance operates a categorisation system to indicate the type of response required from the School. The School is required to report on the outcome of the discussion and on any action taken. If the examiner is generally happy with the course but has made significant comments or suggestions, the School responds through their annual monitoring report which is routinely copied to the Examiner. If more serious issues are raised, the Head of School is required to report back to Academic Policy & Governance within three months and their reply is copied to the Examiner.

Find an External Examiner Report - https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/apg/eereportsearch/.

Fees and Expenses

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Fees

In order to receive their fee, external examiners are required to complete a report form via the University's on-line system. Payment of their fee is then initiated by Academic Policy & Governance. Please note, due to constraints imposed by the University's Finance Office, only reports received by the Office before the first Friday of the month, will ensure payment of the fee by the end of that month.

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Expenses

Expenses are processed by the School. Please contact them for further information. 

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Accommodation and Travel

Accommodation and travel can be arranged by the School via the University Travel Hub. 

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Guidance Documents and Forms

Any questions about External Examiners should be addressed to APG-external-examiners@glasgow.ac.uk.

Induction

External Examiners are an integral part of the University's quality management processes. 

As such, External Examiners are expected to avail themselves of the induction materials below to develop an understanding and awareness of the various policies, processes and regulations which will impact upon their role.  

External Examiners are particularly directed towards:

In addition, External Examiners may wish to make themselves aware of the broader framework of quality management processes at the University and the national expectations:

Any questions about External Examiners should be addressed to APG-external-examiners@glasgow.ac.uk.