Establishing an Examination Board
An Examination Board (EB) may be established for an individual Bachelor or Master degree programme or for a cluster of related programmes within an education domain or within a faculty.
Appointing members - ensuring independence and expertise
Under the Dutch Higher Education and Research Act (WHW), members of an EB must be able to perform their duties independently and with the required expertise. The governing body of the institution, represented by the dean at faculty level, is responsible for ensuring this.
When appointing members, the dean should ensure that the EB collectively has sufficient expertise in:
- the relevant degree programme(s);
- testing and assessment and their quality aspects; and
- the statutory duties and responsibilities of an EB.
Independence means that, e.g., the dean or Faculty Board cannot direct the EB in matters such as student assessment or the awarding of qualifications. EB members should therefore not have financial or managerial responsibilities for the programme. Programme managers, such as deans and programme directors, should not be members of an EB.
It is also generally not advisable to appoint study advisers, quality assurance staff, or members or chairs of certain participation bodies. Their roles may create conflicts of interest or blur the distinction between quality assurance and quality safeguarding. A study adviser can, however, provide regular advice to the EB on matters concerning individual students or groups of students.
Independence does not mean that an EB operates without constraints. EBs must act within the framework of the WHW, the Education and Examination Regulations (EER; in Dutch: Onderwijs- en Examenregeling, OER), and their own Rules and Guidelines. Nor does independence prevent consultation or cooperation with programme management, for example, when developing measures to improve the quality of assessment.
Defining profiles and operational guidelines
Although institutions and faculties have considerable freedom to determine the composition of an EB, it is recommended to define clear profiles for members based on their roles and responsibilities, such as chair, secretary, and general member. Separate profiles may also be defined for external members and the registrar.
The Internal Charter (Huishoudelijk Reglement) and/or the Rules and Guidelines can specify these profiles and the composition of the EB. They may also define appointment periods and the conditions for reappointment, including reappointment to specific roles such as chair.
Number of members
The WHW does not prescribe a fixed number of EB members. However, the EB must include at least one lecturer from the programme(s) for which it is responsible and at least one external member who is not part of those programme(s).
External member
The external member reflects the “extra eyes” (vreemde ogen) principle. Involving someone from outside the programme strengthens the legitimacy and independent scrutiny of assessment practices and can provide additional expertise. An external member may, for example, be: a professional from the relevant field; a staff member from another faculty or degree programme within the institution; a lecturer from a comparable programme at another institution; or an expert in testing and assessment or educational sciences.
Secretary or registrar
An EB may appoint one of its members as secretary. Alternatively, an EB or group of EBs may be supported by an executive secretary or registrar. The registrar is not a board member and has no voting rights.
The registrar may be responsible for:
- preparing agendas with the chair;
- taking minutes;
- handling student requests following EB decisions;
- archiving documents and correspondence;
- checking proposed decisions against relevant legal and institutional frameworks, including the WHW, EER and the EB’s Rules and Guidelines; and
- monitoring the procedural follow-up of decisions and action points.
For an overview of (links to the sites of) the Examination Boards of the University of Twente, look at the homepage.