Richmond Fellowship Workschemes not only provides employment support for people with mental health problems ‐ it also tries to set an example by employing as many as possible and…
Abstract
Richmond Fellowship Workschemes not only provides employment support for people with mental health problems ‐ it also tries to set an example by employing as many as possible and by being a good, mentally healthy employer to all its staff. In order to meet these challenges it has applied for and received the prestigious Investors in People award. Deputy Director Helen Phillips explains the process of achieving this quality standard and why it has been so important to the development of the organisation.
Helen Phillips, Tim Bryson, Sue Anderson and Neil Winstone
Inspired by Athena Frangouli's description of the mobile teams and co‐operatives in rural Greece, four colleagues from the voluntary sector and the health service in rural…
Abstract
Inspired by Athena Frangouli's description of the mobile teams and co‐operatives in rural Greece, four colleagues from the voluntary sector and the health service in rural Cambridgeshire scraped together the wherewithal to go and see for themselves the lessons that can be learned from the Greek experience. This is what they found…
Mike Daley, Jeffrey Orange, Adam Pozner, Helen Phillips and Jane Woodhouse
This is a story of partnership in action — the successful transformation of an outdated industrial therapy unit into a range of services that meet the diverse needs of individuals…
Abstract
This is a story of partnership in action — the successful transformation of an outdated industrial therapy unit into a range of services that meet the diverse needs of individuals in an economically mixed locality in the south of England. The article is also a product of collaboration between people and perspectives.
Mikhaila Burgess and Helen Phillips
A key role of the external examiner is to review student work submitted for assessment plus the feedback and grading undertaken on that work by academic staff. The aim of this is…
Abstract
A key role of the external examiner is to review student work submitted for assessment plus the feedback and grading undertaken on that work by academic staff. The aim of this is to ensure equitability between the assessments of individual students’ achievement and consistency and comparability across courses throughout the program and with commensurate study levels and programs at other institutions, whilst safeguarding academic standards. The variety of assessment-types that an external examiner may review can be diverse. When the primary focus of the work being assessed is tangible, such as with written examinations or assignments, external examiners are able to view student achievements and assessor actions through a lens comparable to that of the original assessors. However, this process cannot adequately capture assessment-types where the only evidence is proxies to the original achievement. In this chapter, the authors explore the concept of authentic assessments, the benefits of incorporating them within study programs, identify challenges pertaining to their presence to holistic quality assurance (QA) processes in general, and the role of the external examiner in particular. The authors will demonstrate how adopting non-intrusive technologies for recording and verifying authentic assessment practices can strengthen the QA process for the benefit of all stakeholders. For illustration, a case study is employed to demonstrate how these challenges have been tackled regarding performance-based authentic assessments at an institution in Norway. The chapter concludes with a summary plus a call to arms for further research into how quality and consistency can be assured when authentic assessments are employed.
Details
Keywords
Enakshi Sengupta, Patrick Blessinger, Andrew Ssemwanga and Barbara Cozza
Using an external examiner in an institution is not a new phenomenon; the evidence of having an outsider to scrutinize the quality control process has been prevalent since the…
Abstract
Using an external examiner in an institution is not a new phenomenon; the evidence of having an outsider to scrutinize the quality control process has been prevalent since the 1800s. However, the concept has undergone considerable changes and has been subjected to mounting criticism and validity of the process. There are several challenges that are faced by institutions in recruiting and defining the role of external examiners and the assumption that they are assessment literate. Universities are engaged in safeguarding the procedure, and at the same time, enhancing the quality standards. Researchers have been collaborating to create best practices and working on key developments that would ensure that degree standards are maintained in higher education. There is no “one size fits all” guidelines, but hiring an external examiner with the view to safeguarding academic quality is the prevalent norm across the globe. The book on the role of external examiners put forth such challenges and best practices by academia in various parts of the world. Authors have written about how to mitigate disadvantages and how to create opportunities without compromising the quality assurance process. International standards have been discussed with the view to make external examining a rigorous process that is fair, reliable and consistent.