Appeals Committee Members

Job Description

• Salary: Fee paid per meeting to cover preparation, attendance, travel and subsistence allowances
• Location: Cambridge
• Country: UK
• Division: OCR
• Vacancy Type: Contingent Worker
• Closing Date: 30 April 2022

We are OCR, part of Cambridge University Press & Assessment, a world-leading academic publisher and assessment organisation, and a proud part of the University of Cambridge.We are looking for Appeals Committee Members to sit on the OCR Appeals Committee. The Committee helps us make sure that students, teachers and other education staff involved in assessment, mainly in the UK, have a voice in the decisions we make about them.The Committee help us ensure we treat them fairly, at the same time as upholding the standards and integrity of our qualifications.Appeals Committee Members review individual cases about the fairness of grades, malpractice sanctions and how students with special circumstances are supported through assessments independently. These cases can involve complex, sensitive issues that havea serious effect on peoples lives and futures.Appeal hearings are held in Cambridge, Coventry and online, made up of a panel of three committee members, including a chair / deputy chair and at least one independent member. They are supported by a secretary drawn from OCR staff. Further details of theappeals process can be found in the JCQ guide to the awarding bodies appeal processes.Our mission is to contribute to society through the pursuit of education, learning, and research at the highest international levels of excellence. Which is why every year, Cambridge University Press & Assessment gives vital support to millions of peoplein more than 170 countries around the world. From teachers and learners to researchers and academics, we help to build confidence, unlock potential, and enable success. We give people the opportunity to show what theyve learnt, we spread knowledge, sparkenquiry, and aid understanding.We achieve this by embracing change, and continuously focusing on our customers needs. And by collaborating, and carefully listening to our customers and to each other, we keep moving forward, keep innovating, and keep finding newer and better ways of doingthings.The RoleYou will be a member of OCRs Appeals Committee and form part of the panel for appeal hearings, reading case papers in advance of appeal hearings. You will attend appeal hearings, listen to the cases made by OCR and the people appealing, question them anddecide whether to uphold or reject appeals in full, or in part, based on JCQ regulations and the available evidence. When upholding appeals you may recommend or direct that OCR:

• carries out further work, such as:

o reviewing the marking of an examination, or moderation of non-examined assessmento re-investigating a malpractice allegationo re-considering a special consideration or access arrangement decision

• changing a malpractice sanction
• removing a malpractice sanction or finding of malpractice

Training is supplied and needed to carry out the role. It usually occurs annually, but this can be more frequent if needed.We ask for your availability for hearing dates in advance and pay a fee for each meeting to cover preparation and attendance. We will also pay travel and subsistence allowances at the current rate (in person meetings only).About youWere looking for people with the highest personal and professional standards, who can reach fair and proper outcomes to difficult situations. You should have:

• Excellent communication skills, including conscious listening
• Ability to interpret, analyse and question complex evidence
• Impartiality for making unbiased decisions
• A strong sense of integrity and fairness
• Confidence in handling difficult conversations
• Experience of leadership
• Experience of teaching and / or administration in an education setting

Ideally, we are looking for people who have not been employed by, or marked for, OCR within the last five years in any capacity, so they can act as independent members of the committee. However, we also welcome current and former assessors.We ask for your availability for hearing dates in advance and pay a fee for each meeting to cover preparation and attendance. The current day rate is £159.75, and we will also pay travel and subsistence allowances at the current rate (in person meetingsonly). We are looking for an availability commitment of at least 1 to 2 hearing dates a month on average. Not every hearing date is used and more tend to be needed in autumn and winter.Please note: this is a rolling campaign, and therefore we will be holding interviews as and when applications come in. Once we have found enough committee members, we reserve the right to close the campaign earlier than the stated closingdate. Therefore, please do not delay submitting your application. Closing Date 30th April 2022To apply please go to our website We welcome applications from all candidates, regardless of demographiccharacteristics (age, disability, educational attainment, ethnicity, gender, marital status, neurodiversity, religion, sex, and sexual identity), cultural, or social class/background.We believe that diversity of thought, background, and approach create better outcomes. More importantly, fostering an inclusive culture is the right thing to do, and its part of how we achieve our purpose: to contribute to society through the pursuitof education, learning and research at the highest international levels of excellence. Ensuring that anyone, no matter who they are, feels they belong here is an essential part of who we are and the contribution we make to society, and to our planet.

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