The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the HEI’s ability to deliver learning and teaching has increased the attention on academic governance and assurance and its role in navigating the transformations needed for years to come.
Drawing upon our extensive pool of governance experts we work with you to review academic governance provision. Our approach is based on our Framework for Academic Governance and covers areas such as; the maintenance of academic standards, defining and monitoring academic quality and continuous improvement in quality of provision.
Want to find out more?
If you would like to know more about Academic Governance Effectiveness Reviews, complete the form below to download the information sheet and one of our team will be in touch to discuss this further with you.
The 3-stage academic governance review
Informed by our framework for academic governance and drawing upon our extensive pool of governance experts we work with you to evaluate effective academic governance.
Stage 1: enablers
We work with you to assess the embeddedness of the six enablers for academic assurance culture (respect, understanding, reports, information, student engagement and expertise).
Stage 2: relationships
We look at how responsibilities have been discharged and the effectiveness of the system for implementing key policies. We also consider behaviours within the institution that enable effective academic governance.
Stage 3: behaviours and outcomes
We support you in implementing a system to review the contribution of the academic governance system to enhancing institutional performance and the added value provided through its activities.
Reviewing Academic Governance in HE: a framework
Our approach to our Academic Governance Reviews is based on our framework ‘Reviewing Academic Governance in HE’. This framework sets out some key factors for the consideration of academic governance effectiveness and is intended as a tool to support higher education institutions and further education colleges delivering higher education in their own effectiveness reviews. It draws on work by Advance HE and the Committee of University Chairs (CUC).
The framework has been developed to guide managers and governing bodies as they seek to review the effectiveness of academic governance. Members of governing bodies in all higher education providers need to have confidence in academic governance given that they now have a specific duty to provide academic assurance – an assurance that requires members to rely on the institution’s academic governance arrangements.
Why Advance HE
In addition to our well-established Governor Development Programme, we are embedded in the governance policy landscape. Our direct engagement with individual governors, Chairs and national bodies such as CUC, CSC, AHUA, UUK and Universities Scotland allows us to ensure we have a thorough understanding of what the external policy environment means for good governance.
In 2016-17 we were commissioned by the funding bodies in England, Northern Ireland and Wales to undertake a two-year project to examine approaches and identify good practice in relation to academic governance in higher education institutions. Following the success of this project, we were recommissioned to undertake a new project for HEFCE to recommend baseline arrangements of academic governance for alternative providers in England.
