How does the External Examiners system work at IMI to ensure a totally fair and transparent grading system for IMI students?

Undergraduate:
Hospitality - Professor Nigel Morgan, University of Wales in Cardiff, UK
Tourism - Dr Edith Szivas, University of Surrey, UK

Postgraduate/MBA
Professor Patricia Rees, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK

The process at IMI is as follows:

Before mid-semester, all exam papers and answer keys are submitted to the IMI Exam Officer who collates them and sets up an internal peer review with a group of lecturers. Exams are given back to lecturers for amendments and resubmitted to the Exam Officer who then forwards them to the respective external examiners for approval/comment. Any necessary changes are made and final, approved exam papers submitted back to the Exam Officer who then is responsible for organizing copying and distribution etc during the exam period together with the Registrar.

Exams are held and marked. A sample of exam scripts and coursework assessments in each of the bands (usually 3 As, 3 Bs, 3Cs, 3 Ds and all fails) are organized by lecturers for each unit, together with a completed Unit Evaluation Report and an overview of student marks for each element of assessment and final mark. All dissertations and their mark sheets are made available for review

The External Examiners then spend 2 days prior to the Exam Board looking at all this documentation to check that the marking and feedback to students is fair, consistent and equivalent to performance on other BA programmes.

The Exam Board is held to approve each student's award/degree classification and is also attended by 2 members from MMU - Maurice Palin who is our Liaison Tutor and John Fenby who is head of the department's Academic Standards Committee. They are here particularly to ensure that degree awards are fair and consistent with MMU decisions. Once all awards have been agreed, the External Examiners each give a brief verbal feedback report which usually offers items for improvement/consideration. A formal, written report is subsequently submitted to IMI and MMU and matters for action are taken from this to be discussed at the next programme committee.



English Preparatory Courses

To ensure our students can profit from our specialized industry courses, we offer 2 English preparation courses at different levels with different emphases.

IMI University English Preparatory Course (UEPC) - 3 months
IMI Intensive English Certificate (IEC) - 1 month

Read all about requirements for admission, who is this programme for, programme objectives and content, entry dates and prices.

 

Who is this programme for?
The English Studies programmes are designed principally for students who wish or need to improve their professional academic English skills as a bridge to reach the necessary standard to begin their hospitality studies at IMI.

Programme objectives and content
This 6 month intensive course is in 3 parts starting with a 12 week foundation in English studies focusing primarily on conversation and vocabulary. Successful students will automatically progress to the 8 week University English Preparatory Course (UEPC) and finally, the 4 week Intensive English course.

The classes comprise 20-25 hours of tutor contact per week from Monday to Friday. Excursions and activities are organized. Small group sizes (equivalent to semi-private tuition) ensure individual attention and facilitate student identification of their strengths and weaknesses. Standard school regulations on attendance, professional dress and behavior apply to all students studying on all pre-sessional English courses. These regulations are explained to students during the induction on the first day of the respective programmes and are supported by the student handbook.

Costs (Swiss Francs)
Registration fee CHF 2 800
All-inclusive fee CHF 9 400


IMI University English Preparatory Course (UEPC)
Requirements for Admission
- 17years of age
- High school certificate or equivalent
- English proficiency: 400 TOEFL (paper-based), 97 TOEFL (computer-based), under 3.5-4 IELTS, or equivalent

Who is this programme for?
This 3 month (12-week) intensive course is designed principally for students who wish to begin English skills for professional communication within the hotel and tourism industries. The programme is in two parts, the first 8 weeks focusing on pre-intermediate English skills related to international tourism, the second four weeks comprises the IMI Intensive English Certificate with an emphasis on English language skills intermediate and more advanced hospitality themes.

Programme objectives and content
The programme's objective is to prepare students for using English in a wide range of hospitality situations. The hotel and tourism industries are very customer focused so effective listening and speaking skills are of the utmost importance. Reading and writing activities concentrate on essential tasks and grammar is always presented in context and extensively practiced. Students additionally study relevant introductory hospitality related subjects, as well as academic strategies and study techniques. Finally, professional excursions increase students' knowledge of Swiss hotellerie and tourism.

Entry Dates
There are two intakes per year, in late in October and early May

Costs (Swiss Francs)
Registration fee CHF 1 440
All-inclusive fee CHF 5 400


IMI Intensive English Certificate (IEC)
Requirements for Admission
- 17years of age
- High school certificate or equivalent
- English proficiency: 500 TOEFL (paper-based), 173 TOEFL (computer-based), 5.0 IELTS, or equivalent

Who is this programme for?
This 1 month (4-week) intensive course is designed principally for students who wish to improve their Hospitality Business English skills. This course provides excellent preparation for any of the major European examinations in English for Tourism including the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry English for the Tourist Industry exams.

Programme objectives and content
The programme's objective is to equip students with the listening, speaking and writing skills necessary for effective understanding and performance in academic and business life as well as everyday situations. The focus is on vocabulary, grammar and syntax in the hospitality business context. Small groups ensure individual attention and the opportunity to secure a recognized test score. Weekly afternoon excursions allow students to also become familiar with the Swiss way of life.