Standing Committee on Assessment

1. To develop, consider, monitor and review University policies and procedures relating to assessments, marking, feedback and progression for all education provision that leads to an award of the University and to ensure such policies and procedures meet appropriate quality assurance and regulatory requirements;

2. To make recommendations to University Teaching Committee, York Graduate Research School Board and Senate on matters of assessment  policy, strategy or practice (for those committees to disseminate as appropriate). To keep other relevant committees informed about the implications of assessment-related decisions or recommendations;

3. To consider proposals for amendments to the Ordinances and Regulations relating to assessment and to make recommendations accordingly to University Teaching Committee and York Graduate Research School Board, for Senate;

4. To review trends on academic misconduct cases as reported by Standing Academic Misconduct Panels,  through an annual statistical review leading to recommendations with regard to policy, practice. An individual member of SCA is also appointed to advise each Panel;

5. To note the approval, on behalf of University Teaching Committee, of the appointment of any internal examiner, at any level, who is not a member of academic, research, teaching and/or scholarship staff (i.e. continuing employees on permanent or limited-term contracts). This includes, for example, Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs), casual teaching staff and persons not employed by the University; these approval decisions are made by individual academic SCA members, on behalf of the committee;

6. To note the approval, on behalf of University Teaching Committee, of the appointment of external examiners at all levels except the Institutional External Examiner, including terms of appointment.  These approval decisions are made by individual academic SCA members, on behalf of the committee. For taught provision, approved nominees are appointed to the office of external examiner and the SCA determines:

a. the role and responsibilities of external examiners;

b. the term of office and extensions to the defined term of office;

c. provisions for the early termination of appointment, and considers and approves the early termination of an external examiner’s appointment.

7. To approve the appointment of assessors for applications for admission to Higher Doctorates on behalf of Senate; these approval decisions are made by individual academic SCA members, on behalf of the committee;

8. To note the approval of special examination arrangements for all students in University examinations; these approval decisions are made by individual academic SCA members, on behalf of the committee;

9. To approve, and report to University Teaching Committee, the outcomes of University assessments, including degree results and progression. To keep under review, and report to Senate through University Teaching Committee and York Graduate Research School Board, the distribution of results for examinations at all levels, including data regarding EDI;

10. To approve examination outcomes for research students, and variations from standard examination arrangements, as detailed in the Policy on Research Degrees; these approval decisions are made by individual academic SCA members, on behalf of the committee;

11. To develop policies and procedures in relation to the University’s Policy on Exceptional Circumstances affecting Assessment, to monitor activity  and to make recommendations to University Teaching Committee and York Graduate Research School Board;

12. To consider the workload associated with the Committee’s business, including via consideration of the impact of the Committee’s decisions on staff workload; and to oversee the workload associated with being a member of the Committee. 

13. To consider ways of promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in relation to all the above.

• Professor Steve King, Computer Science (until 1 September 2026) (Chair)
• Dr Alet Roux, Mathematics (until 1 September 2027) (Deputy Chair until 1 September 2025) 
• Dr Jeremy Airey, Education (until 1 September 2025)
• Dr Sue Faulds, Health Sciences (until 1 September 2026)
• Dr Patrick Gallimore, Law (until 1 September 2025)
• Dr Mathilde Péron, Economics (until 1 September 2027)
• Daniel Morgan, Philosophy (until 1 September 2025)
• Dr Eytan Zweig, Language and Linguistic Science (until 1 September 2025)

Christian Piller and Jasper Heinzen are on research leave for the remainder of the academic year, but they will be resuming their SCA roles in the next academic year.

Ex officio members

• Professor Paul Wakeling - Dean, York Graduate Research School
• Associate Professor Anna Sotiriadou, Deputy Vice-President for Teaching, Learning and Students (CITY College)
• Professor Jill Webb, Associate Dean for Teaching, Learning and Students, Faculty of Social Sciences

Student representation (for unreserved business)

• One nominated by University of York Student's Union - Fenella Johnson

In attendance

• Deputy Head of Student Administration (Student Lifecycle) - Jenny Matson
• Special Cases Manager - Daisy Bowen
• Open Door & Disability Operations Manager - Claire Wilkinson
• Representative from York Online Programmes - Dr Zara Burford
• Head of Inclusive Education - Jess Penn
• AQ Policy Manager - Dr Adrian Lee
• AQ Policy Officer (Secretary) - Aimee Yeoman
• A representative Head of Faculty Operations - Sarah Finch
• A representative Student Services Manager - Diane Atkinson
• York SU Advice and Support Manager - Richard Andrew
• Dr Juliet James - York Graduate Research School

Quoracy and voting rights

The Committee must have at least one student representative to be considered quorate. In case of a voting situation, where the votes are tied, the Chair holds the casting vote.

Reserved business

The student members of the Committee shall not be present nor receive any papers for business regarding the academic assessment of any individual student, or personal matters relating to any individual staff member, student or external examiner.

2024-25

2024-25

• 13 September 2024 SCA Minute (PDF , 244kb)
• 25 October 2024 SCA Minute (PDF , 138kb)
• 22 November 2024 SCA Minute (PDF , 253kb)

2023-24

• 22 September 2023 SCA Minute (PDF , 115kb)
• 20 October 2023 SCA Minute (PDF , 100kb)
• 8 December 2023 SCA Minute (PDF , 103kb)
• 27 January 2024 SCA Minute (PDF , 98kb)
• 22 March 2024 SCA Minute (PDF , 114kb)
• 19 April 2024 SCA Minute (PDF , 231kb)

2022-23

• 28 October 2022 SCA Minutes (PDF , 90kb)
• 23 September 2022 SCA Minutes (PDF , 70kb)
• 2 December 2022 SCA Minute (PDF , 124kb)
• 27 January 2023 SCA Minute (PDF , 102kb)
• 3 March 2023 SCA Minute (PDF , 96kb)
• 12 May 2023 SCA Minute (PDF , 113kb)
• 7 July 2023 SCA Minute (PDF , 107kb)

2021-22

• 7 July 2022 SCA minutes (PDF , 75kb)
• 13 May 2022 SCA minutes (PDF , 75kb)
• 8 April 2022 SCA Minutes (Award Rules special)) (PDF , 109kb)
• 4 March 2022 SCA minutes (PDF , 80kb)
• 28 January 2022 SCA minutes (PDF , 103kb)
• 3 December 2021 SCA Minutes (PDF , 65kb)
• 29 October 2021 SCA Minutes (PDF , 67kb)
• 24 September 2021 SCA Minutes (PDF , 72kb)

2020-21

• 9 July 2021 SCA Minutes (PDF , 112kb)
• 7 May 2021 SCA Minutes (PDF , 79kb)
• 5 March 2021 SCA Minutes (PDF , 94kb)
• 29 January 2021 SCA Minutes (PDF , 80kb)
• 4 December 2020 SCA Minutes (PDF , 89kb)
• 30 October 2020 SCA Minutes (PDF , 92kb)
• 25 September 2020 SCA Minutes (PDF , 87kb)