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Centre for Inclusion and Collaborative Partnerships (CICP)

External Examiner report template

An electronic copy of this report should be sent to: [email protected]

Or, a signed hard copy sent to:

The Director, CICP, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, United Kingdom.

You should also submit a copy of this report to the institution.

Section A: General information

Institution: Education For Health

Programme: BSC (Hons)/DipHE in Long Term Conditions

Subject examined: Diabetes and Asthma modules

Name of examiner: Julie Reynolds

Address: 184, Station Road Rolleston-on-Dove, Burton, Staffordshire

E-mail: [email protected] Current year of 1/12/14 appointment Section B: External examiner’s report

The reporting structure of this section is intended to help draw out issues which may require attention by the Institution or the University. It should not be seen as limiting in any way the range of issues which may be addressed or the level of detail given. The report will be considered as part of the annual evaluation process and, as such, external examiners are encouraged to be as frank and open as possible, but avoiding wherever possible references to individual staff or students. External examiners’ attention is also drawn to ‘The Guide for external examiners of OU validated awards’, which should be forwarded by partner institutions to their external examiners.

Please comment as appropriate on: 1. The range of assessed material and information provided by the institution on which your report is based. I have always been supplied with a wide range of material at the assessment boards held at the offices for Education for Health. The material has included the module outline, the requirements of the module provided to the students, the module leads feedback and the student sample which included any fails, top and middle grades and any students the team may have been concerned about and required the consideration of the external examiner. In completing this report I have also considered the academic debate that occurred during the assessment boards between the module leads and the written feedback provided by both students and the team. 2. Whether the standards set are appropriate for the award, or award element, by reference to any agreed subject benchmarks, qualifications framework, programme specification or other relevant information. From the information provided to me as indicated above I offer the following; The descriptors utilised within the modules are directly related to the level of the award. I feel that the modules relate to issues that are current within clinical practice. They offer a relationship between theory and the practical application of that theory to support and justify the student’s clinical practice, which is important in the subject matter of health care. There is very clear instruction to the student provided by the module leads and I think this needs to be commended. The feedback by the module leads to the student is very comprehensive offering recognition for excellence as well as development points for future academic work. This feed forward element is important in student progression and is supported further by the use of a standardised marking grid, which helps with parity between students and offers a benchmark for grading which is clear and transparent. There does appear to be an excess of learning outcomes for each module and I have raised this at assessment board. The reason for so many may be in recognition of the requirements placed upon Education for Health by the OU and meeting the OU’s stipulations. This may become confusing for students and may also pose potential issues where a student may be assessed more than once in relation to a learning outcome. 3. The quality of students’ work, their knowledge and skills (both general and subject- specific) in relation to their peers on comparable programmes elsewhere. Where the students gained higher grades the work demonstrated a level of critical analysis supported by evidence that related to long term conditions. The use of case study is often used to help the student relate theory to practice and is certainly in keeping with requirements set at this level in my own institution. I am delighted to see that the team are beginning to use initiative ideas in relation to student assessment and engage with interesting ways in considering long term conditions and relating the evidence to practice (e.g. portfolio development). Generally I feel that the work is related to the student’s professional role, the current service requirements and the increasing issue of the care of patients with long term conditions. The modules certainly reflect subject specific requirements whilst maintaining academic standards in keeping with the indicated academic level which is reflected within my own and other HEI’s. 4. The strengths and weaknesses of the students There can be issues when using case studies in terms of the student feeling the need to describe the case rather than critically appraise the evidence in relation to the case study. This I have found can often occur and is one thing I have noted in my own institution. However, with good tutorial support and good student guidance in relation to the module requirements (which I have noted to be of a good standard for the modules I have externally commented on) this can, to some extent, be overcome. 5. The quality of teaching and learning, as indicated by student performance I feel that the student performance is good and relates to the supporting materials offered by the team as indicated in the previous sections. 6. The quality of the curriculum, course materials and learning resources Please see my comments earlier in relation to course materials and the curriculum. The distance learning element can be beneficial to many students where being absent from the workplace is problematic and flexibility is required. However, distance learning is also difficult for some students and this may affect the ability of the student to pass the module or attain high grades. This is seen within other intuitions including my own, but is certainly helped and supported by the materials created by the team as indicated previously. 7. The quality and fairness of the assessments, in particular their: (i) design and structure These appear in keeping with the requirements of a health care module that needs to relate to clinical practice. They are current and relate to issues seen widely in the community. (ii) relation to stated objectives and learning outcomes of the programme The assessments relate to the requirement of the module and also appear to address the theory/ practice element of the module which helps support service need. Please see my above comments in relation to the team’s innovative ideas for assessment. (iii) marking The marking is comprehensive and fair and aided by the use of the marking grid for parity across students. See my additional previous comments regarding feedback.

8. Where the programme has specific work-related learning outcomes (e.g. Foundation Degrees) please comment on the assessment and achievement of these outcomes, including employers’ involvement where relevant. N/A 9. The administration of the assessments, operation of examination boards, briefing of external examiners, access of external examiners to essential materials, etc. I have found this to be well organised with all required documentation ready for external examination prior to the board. 10. Have all the issues identified in your previous report been addressed by the institution? YES/NO – please delete as appropriate Please note this is my first report for Education for Health If no, please comment N/A see above comment. 11. (For chief external examiners or those with responsibility for the whole programme – if in doubt please check with the appointing institution) Please confirm that the assessment and standards set for the programme as a whole, including all its pathways, modules or individual courses are consistent and appropriate, and that the processes for assessment and determination of awards are fair and sound across the provision. N/A 12. Any other comments I feel that the knowledge base of the module leads is very good. This is translated in their feedback and guidance to the student and is also a way of attempting to ensure high standards of clinical skill and knowledge around the management of long term conditions. I would raise the issue of continuing to embrace further IT support platforms in relation to the study materials (possible ADOBE, use of E-Portfolios etc.) which I am sure the team are doing as they explore different ways of assessing the students. Please ensure that you sign and date below, if sending a hard copy of this report

Signed:

Date: 23/7/15