The experience of examiners and examining

This chapter explores what one interviewee called the “human qualities of the examination process.” Focusing on the affective dimension, we draw from the case-study chapters the pain and pleasure points related to the assessment of PhDs: what vexes and delights PhD examiners from universities around the world as they participate and observe other stakeholders participating in PhD examination. We then highlight circumstances in which examiners are faced with ambiguity, disagreement, or borderline cases and where individual preferences and cultural norms seem to have a greater influence on outcomes than formal policies and guidelines; we provide examples of how experienced examiners feel and respond in those situations. Finally, the chapter draws a relationship between examination environments and the degree of empathy and investment that examiners may feel towards the candidate, the research under examination, and the examination process.