Updates for External Examiners

Update to Exteral Examiner Report Process [2023/2024]

Starting from April 2024, there will be a change regarding how External Examiners submit their reports, and at that time, we will provide you with comprehensive details on how to proceed.

We kindly request that you refrain from submitting your reports for the academic year 23-24 through the previous method.

We understand the importance of clear communication and want to ensure a smooth transition for all.

Therefore, we urge you to await further instructions (which will be sent to you in April 2024) regarding the external examiner report submission process through the new University’s External Examiner system.

New External Examiner Fee Structure

The daily rate of payment for Taught External Examiners is €125 per day, up to a maximum of 5 days and relates to external examiner work done on and off campus – please refer to the updated External Examiner Fee & Expense Claim Form for more details. This change is effective immediately and will be applied to all Undergraduate and Taught Postgradaute External Examiners engaged by UCC from now on.

External Examiners: In-person visits or remote external examining  

External Examiners must attend at least one year of their initial 3-year term (or 4-year term if extension is granted). Attendance will normally be during the first year with subsequent visits to be decided with the academic unit.

External examiners have the option to visit the university every year (with the agreement of the hosting Academic Unit); this may of relevance for academic units with many/large in-person examinations, programmes/modules which have a strong emphasis on continuous assessment or practical elements such as labs, etc.

In the case of remote external examining, the following will apply:

• External examining will be facilitated through videoconferencing and/or through delivery of sample papers to the External Examiner in digital or physical format. Schools or Departments may, in some cases, arrange for videoconferencing between External Examiners and students. Programme Coordinators should confirm with their External Examiner which format they wish to use, considering efficiency of operations and the maintenance of academic standards. Secure transfer of information is paramount.

• Payments for External Examiners will be processed as usual on receipt of the Examiner Report. Please note, while External Examiners will not be incurring any expenses, External Examiners must still complete the Fee & Expenses Claim Form and submit the same to the relevant Head of Department for approval and processing. Any expenses related fields can be left blank.

Taught External Examiners - Resources for Staff

For information on staff facing external examiner related processes, from nomination and appointiment to academic unit responses, please visit the Taught External Examiners SharePoint site.

External Examiners Overview

The fundamental role of the External Examiner is to assure academic standards and advise on the quality of teaching, learning and assessment.

The External Examiner confirms that the academic standards of programmes, modules and the awards to which they lead are consistent with the academic outcomes specified, and are comparable to those achieved in the subject area in equivalent universities internationally.  

External Examiners for University College Cork are appointed by the Senate of the National University of Ireland, having considered the recommendations of the University.

Guidelines for External Examiners

Guidelines for External Examiners Includes information on the role of the External Examiner and role of the Head of School/Department/Discipline

External Examiner Report

External Examiner Report Form FAQ:

Q: I have not received a link to submit my report yet - what should I do?

A: Please reach out to externexaminers@ucc.ie and let us know, we will investigate this and ensure that you receive the link.

Q: I clicked on the link to the report from my invite e-mail and I am greeted with this message: "You have either already completed the survey or your session has expired" - what should I do?

A: If you have not yet submitted your report but are still getting this message, please try copying and pasting the link into an Incognito/Private window If you have multiple browsers installed but the issue was not resolved by launching the form using an incognito window in the first browser, check if it works in an incognito window in another browser.  If you have tried these troubleshooting steps and are still receiving this message, please contact externexaminers@ucc.ie for further assistance.

Instructions to use Incognito/Private window in a Browser:

Google Chrome Incognito Window Instructions

Edge Browser Incognito Window Instructions

Firefox Incognito Window Instructions

Safari Incognito Window Instructions

Q: The details of my external examiner appointment which are displayed in the invitation e-mail and at the at the beginning of the form are incorrect – what should I do?

A: If there are any non-critical discrepancies, such as a mistake with your title or a typo in your name, please continue and submit your report and then send us an e-mail at externexaminers@ucc.ie with any issues that you would like us to address. We will ensure these are rectified promptly for any future correspondence.

If there are critical discrepancies, such as the nomination not being one for which you were appointed to examine, or your name being entirely incorrect, then please do not complete the form. Should this occur, please reach out to us at externexaminers@ucc.ie and let us know. We will follow up with an invite to complete a report for the correct nomination.

Q: I have answered the questions on a page of the survey and left some comments, but it won't let me proceed when I click the "->" button at the bottom of the survey - what might be causing this?

A: You should be prompted to fix any issues with the questions on that page. Your window should automatically scroll to the first question that has an unresolved issue , but you may find others below. Any questions with unresolved issues will have red error messages printed by them, explaining what must be done to resolve them. Once all issues have been resolved, you should be able to proceed to the next page.

Q: I have answered 'Yes' to one of the questions and am now being prompted with a new question which reads: "Q# Yes. (Optional) Please leave a Commendation or a Suggestion on relating to the above question or Skip to next question" - what does this mean?

A: Leaving a comment here is entirely optional, so you can leave it on the default pre-selected value ('Skip') and proceed to answer the next 'Yes' or 'No' question, or you can click the radio buttons for Commendation or Suggestion and type your comment in the box below the option you have selected.

A Commendation would be a comment recognising anything that was done well in relation to the question you answered 'Yes' to, while a Suggestion would be a comment with a suggestion for something that might be improved or changed in relation to the question you answered 'Yes' to.

Q: I have answered 'No' to one of the questions and am now being prompted with a comment box - what does this mean?

A: As your answering 'No' indicates that perhaps there is some room for improvement in the relevant area, we would greatly appreciate a comment providing your feedback on this matter which can be actioned by the academic unit in question. There is no minimum character or word count for this field, but you must leave a comment in order to proceed.

Q: I have submitted my report, but I have not yet received a copy of my response yet - what should I do?

A: Please check your junk mail folder, as the e-mail may have been misdirected there. The e-mail will have been sent from noreply@qe-mailserver.com - this is the default e-mail address used by Qualtrics, the official survey tool used by UCC.

Q: Once I have answered questions or moved on to the next section of the form, can I return to my earlier answers? 

A: You can go back to earlier questions and sections for most questions, but question 3 is a branching question ('Did you serve as an external examiner at UCC last year [or during a previous year]?') to which you cannot return to, so please ensure to answer this accordingly the first time. If you select Yes, you are presented with a different section of the form with follow on questions titled ‘Part B: Previous Experience and Payment’, which is skipped if you press No. Please note: Question 30 in Part E is the last question on the form, but you will be presented with a final page asking you to confirm whether you are ready to submit or if you would like to review your answers. 

Q: What kind of questions will there be on the form? Can I see a preview of all of the questions first? 

A: We do currently have a preview of all of the questions featured on the form but may be able to provide this in future. It is safe to advance through the form before submitting, except for Question 3 (decides whether you see ‘Part B: Previous Experience and Payment’ or not) and Question 31, which will ask you whether you are ready to submit your form or if you would like to review your answers. 

The sections follow the following themes: 

A: Details of the External Examiner 

B: Previous Experience and Payment (Only displayed if you answer 'Yes' to question 3) 

C: Modules(s) 

D: Programme(s) 

E: Overall Quality 

Q: I have submitted my report on accident and would like to retake it, how should I proceed? 

A: Please notify us at externexaminers@ucc.ie and we can reissue your report invite. Please note that your first submission will have already been sent on the academic unit automatically, so when completing your report for the second time, you may wish to include a note in the comment field that this report supersedes the earlier accidental submission. 

Q: I received an error message after entering text in a comment box. What should I do?

A: If you encounter an error message after entering text in a comment box (character, like a full stop), it indicates that there is unsaved text in the comment box. To resolve this issue, please follow these steps: 

1. Make sure you have selected the appropriate button above the comment box. If you wish to leave a commendation, please ensure the Commendation button is selected.
2. Save or Clear the Text: Decide whether to save the text by completing the comment and pressing the appropriate button, or clear the text if it’s unnecessary. If you decide not to add any text, you should select the 'Skip' button.

Procedures for Processing Fee and Expense Claims, Claim Forms & Tax Information

Fee & Expense Claim Form - External Examiners

Procedures for External Examiner Claims & Taxation Information