Details of Activity
The School wanted to improve the representation of women and ensure a female friendly environment, particularly among its external examiners. External examiners were replaced every four years for each undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, with suggestions for nominees discussed by the teaching team twelve months before the end of the current external examiners contract. The Athena SWAN champion kept an overview of the gender balance of external examiners, and encouraged the teaching team to consider approaching whichever gender was least well represented at the time (all else being equal).
Outcomes
The gender balance among external examiners was previously 100% male, but it had improved by the time of submission and contained two female examiners out of seven in 2014. In 2017, the department reported a gender balance in its external examiners, employing four males and four females.