Our academic governance arrangements are set out in the Articles and the Corporate and Academic Governance Framework.
In accordance with Regulation 15a of the Articles, the Board of Directors has delegated responsibility for academic governance to an 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 Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) UK Quality Code for Higher Education are met.
Our academic governance arrangements are set out in Section 3 of the Corporate and Academic Governance Framework.
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, in accordance with Regulation 15 of the Articles, 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).
Currently, Bloomsbury Institute is not providing or teaching Research Degrees. It follows that the QAA Quality Code’s Advice and Guidance for Research Degrees is not relevant to us at this time and we therefore have not made reference to QAA Quality Code Expectations or Core/Common Practices as we have done in other operational areas within Part Two.
Notwithstanding the above, Bloomsbury Institute nevertheless is very research active as well as being involved in enterprise initiatives.
This section demonstrates our own commitment to Research and Enterprise.
Our passion is to involve everyone in our community, both staff and students, in research and enterprise activities.
Research
Our research activities cover the working paper series, research seminar series, widening participation forum, external conference presentations and publications in journals (including peer-reviewed).
Our Research Strategy 2021-24 sets out our three Research Goals and Objectives:
- Develop, support and empower all our staff to achieve excellence in research that has considerable internal and/or external impact, reflected through direct relevance to the needs of commerce, industry, culture, and society; to the public and voluntary sectors; and also to ourselves.
- Design and deliver courses that are informed by research, and through which we will develop and empower students to engage in their own research.
- Monitor and enhance the quality of our research outputs, the internal and/or external impact of such outputs, and the vitality and sustainability of our research environment, and develop a submission in at least one Unit of Assessment for the post-21 Research Excellence Framework (REF).
Our Research Strategy places the development and empowerment of our staff and students at its core in supporting their efforts to engage in research. This helps us to ensure that we retain and continue to recruit highly qualified, experienced and motivated members of staff who recognise and embrace the importance of research-informed teaching to enhance the student experience.
Whilst we recognise that most of the research activity will be undertaken by our academic staff, our Research Strategy creates an environment that encourages and supports all staff members to engage in research that has internal and/or external impact.
We recognise that being research active is something that takes time to ‘achieve’ and staff need to be provided with opportunities to start their research journey. As such, our Research Strategy outlines the support we give to new researchers as well as that provided to those with more experience.
The quality of our design and delivery of courses, particularly at Level 6 and beyond, will be enhanced by ensuring that our teaching is informed by research. Our Research Strategy strengthens our commitment to establishing and widening the participation of all staff members (academic and professional services) in research.
Through the implementation of our Research Strategy, we intend to develop a submission for the post-2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF).
Through our research outputs and the impact of such outputs, we will raise our regional, national and international profile. This profile will be further enhanced through our intended submission to the post-
Enterprise
In August 2021 we developed a Centre for Community Engagement and Learning. The Centre will be formally launched in 2021-22.
The three over-arching strategic goals for the Centre are:
- To develop an understanding among students, staff and external bodies of Bloomsbury Institute as a civic-minded place of learning with a strong commitment to building community with others.
- To position Bloomsbury Institute as a helpful friend and neighbour in the social, cultural and economic life of London and beyond.
- To develop and maintain good relations with stakeholders, alumni and the wider public.
Going forward, many of our Enterprise activities will be delivered through this Centre, rather than through the Centre for Research and Enterprise (in which case it will be renamed).
Further details will be available during 2021-22.