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What is the raison d'être of an examination board?

What is the raison d’être of an examination board?

Many educational institutions choose to establish an examination board. But what exactly does an examination board do? And what should you look for when putting together an examination board in terms of expertise, duties and responsibilities?

Independent

An examination board often performs tasks that can be done just fine by teachers. However, this group of people has no stake in the implementation of education, the student population and/or other stakeholders. Thus, by establishing an examination board, you guarantee the independence of decisions about examinations.

Expert

The expertise of the examination board can be broadly divided into testing and subject matter expertise. Testing expertise within the examination board is important to ensure the quality of examinations. Subject matter expertise is important in assessing whether examination instruments contain appropriate content and whether exemptions apply. To ensure support within the field and external validation of examinations, representatives of interested parties often sit on an examination board. Consider subject matter experts from industry associations or large corporations.

The duties of the examination board

Examination committees come in many different shapes and sizes. However, they have some crucial tasks in common. These tasks relate to assuring the quality of examination and certification. Specifically, you can think of:

  • Determining whether a student meets the requirements for graduation in terms of required knowledge, understanding and skills.
    The following are inextricably linked to this:

    • Establishing developed examination instruments.
    • Making decisions during emergencies (think power outages, unforeseen noise, etc.).
    • Adjusting exam conditions as necessary.
    • Acting upon or after detection of examination fraud.
  • Granting exemptions.
  • Handling objections. The examination board also sometimes handles complaints about examinations. However, complaints do not have the same formal status as objections.
  • Ensuring the quality of review.

In practical terms, this includes:

  • Conducting (or having conducted) test analyses.
  • Conducting spot checks on assessments and examinations.
  • Delivering annual reports and any annual plans to ensure the quality of the review. Consider information on pass rates, number of participants, number of questions that do/don’t meet standards, number of complaints/objections handled, irregularities occurred, actions taken to improve quality, etc.
  • Checking that the examination officers meet the established competence requirements.
  • Advising on testing policies and making recommendations to management around examinations. Although advising is often not a formal duty of the examination board, the board is well suited for this task based on its expertise.

The role of chairman

The chair of the examination board ensures that supported decisions are made and that these decisions are followed up. A chairperson structures and monitors the progress of meetings to ensure proper decision-making. In some situations, the chairman also plays a pivotal role in communicating with “the outside world. Consider involved teacher teams, student groups and/or interested employers.

Conclusion

An examination board is not only a collection of independent experts in testing and subject matter, but above all, a useful and crucial player in quality and reliable testing.

Decor

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