Independent chairs

The IOE appoints independent chairs for doctoral vivas, irrespective of whether the candidate is being examined under UCL, IOE or University of London regulations. Their role is to act as a neutral observer and a guarantor of fair play, to ensure that the examination is conducted appropriately and, where appropriate, to offer advice to the examiners on the regulations. UCL does not operate a system of independent chairs, but has commended this as good practice; it remains a requirement for all students examined under IOE regulations.

The independent chair will be appointed once the Centre for Doctoral Education has received the completed Appointment of Examiners form. The process for this is:

• The Centre for Doctoral Education will identify an independent chair from the list of approved independent chairs, ensuring that the chair is in a different department from the student being examined.
• The CDE will check with the proposed chair that they are willing and able to chair the examination and then confirm the name of the appointed chair to the principal supervisor.
• The supervisor must ensure that the independent chair is involved in setting the date of the Viva examination. The chair must be able to make the proposed date and time, or the viva will not be allowed to proceed.
• The CDE will send the independent chair a form to complete about the conduct of the viva, and a link to the appropriate examination regulations. This will be sent two weeks before the Viva. They will not receive copies of the examiners’ preliminary reports.
• After the Viva the independent chair should return the chair’s form with any comments to the CDE.

For information, the examiners normally exchange their preliminary reports before or on the day of the viva; these are not sent to the CDE. UCL’s registry ask to be copied in when the examiners exchange preliminary reports or to be sent them after the viva. The preliminary reports will be sent to the candidate after the viva.

CDE Programme Administrators deal with the process of appointing independent chairs and receiving their reports from vivas.

In exceptional circumstances, where it is impossible to appoint a chair following this process, subsidiary supervisors or principal supervisors from the same department may be approached.