While the Board of Directors, as the Institute’s governing body, retains ultimate responsibility for academic governance, in accordance with Regulation 4.9 of the Articles the Board delegates key areas of responsibility for academic governance to the Academic Committee.  The Academic Committee is empowered to establish additional committees to ensure the effective setting and maintaining of academic standards and the assuring and enhancing of academic quality, and to ensure the Expectations of the UK Quality Code for Higher Education are met.
Academic governance is managed through the following four-tier committee structure:
- Academic Committee (AC), the senior committee that has been delegated responsibility for academic governance by the Board of Directors, and that has external academic representation and student representation. The membership and Terms of Reference are included in Section 3.2 of the Corporate and Academic Governance Framework.
- Quality Assurance and Enhancement Committee (QAEC), the intermediate committee that includes student representation. The membership and Terms of Reference are included in Section 3.3 of the Corporate and Academic Governance Framework.
- Course Committees (CCs) that have student representation. The membership and Terms of Reference are included in Section 3.4 of the Corporate and Academic Governance Framework.
- Student Staff Consultative Forum (SSCF). The membership and Terms of Reference are included in Section 3.5 of the Corporate and Academic Governance Framework.
The Quality Assurance and Enhancement Committee (QAEC) is an intermediate committee, sitting above the Course Committees and below the Academic Committee. The QAEC undertakes a supervisory role on behalf of the Academic Committee, and is under the direct control of the Academic Committee. The QAEC contributes to the effective setting and maintaining of academic standards and the assuring and enhancing of academic quality. Students are represented on the QAEC.
The primary responsibility of Course Committees (CCs) is to oversee the quality of student learning opportunities and the enhancement of the student experience. They also contribute to the management and development of the course(s) for which they are responsible. Course Committees ensure the implementation of our academic and non-academic regulations, policies and procedures and those of our university partner(s). Students are represented on Course Committees.
To ensure effective college-wide student representation and consultation, a single Student Staff Consultative Forum (SSCF) convenes at least once a term. The SSCF formally considers and actions college-wide issues and also provides a forum through which we can fully consult and engage with students with regards to the development of key strategic and management initiatives.
We established an independent Student Guild in 2017. All students are members of the Student Guild (subject to having a right to opt-out). Members of the Student Guild elect student representatives to the Student Council, and also to the positions of Officer Trustee and Student Trustee. The Student Council Student Representatives are members of the Course Committee which covers the course upon which the student representative is enrolled. All Student Council Student Representatives are members of the SSCF. Student Council Student Representatives are appointed by the Student President to the Academic Committee and the QAEC (and also to the Board of Directors).