Updates for External Examiners

External Examiners: In-person visits or remote external examining  [Updated for 2022/2023]

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.

• Undergraduate and Taught Postgraduate External Examiners are still entitled to the standard fee of €250 per day, up to a maximum of 2 days. Usually, these two days correspond to the External Examiner’s annual visit to UCC, but it was agreed that this fee would instead cover attendance and preparation for remote Examination Boards.

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

Please return the completed Extern Examiner Report to externexaminers@ucc.ie within six weeks of completion of examining duties

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

Fee & Expense Claim Form - External Examiners

Procedures for External Examiner Claims & Taxation Information