Guidance note - Academic governance - Version 3.1 - 30 November 2023

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Rhys

Guidance note on academic governance sets out how higher education providers should structure academic decision-making and quality assurance to protect teaching, student learning, research and scholarship integrity. It explains the role of academic boards, embedding self-assurance in business-as-usual operations, and maintaining auditable records. It also clarifies expected relationships between corporate and academic governance bodies and highlights what TEQSA will assess against the Threshold Standards.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

AccessFree to download

What is academic governance?

Academic governance and self-assurance

Relationship between corporate and academic governance

What TEQSA will look for

Guidance note: Academic governance Version 3.1 (30 November 2023) Providers should note that Guidance Notes are intended to provide guidance only. The definitive instruments for regulatory purposes remain the TEQSA Act and the Higher Education Standards Framework, as amended from time to time. 1. What is academic governance? For the purpose of the Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021 (Threshold Standards) , academic governance is a subset of the overall governance of a higher education provider (provider) . Academic governance is concerned with the integrity and quality of the core higher education activities of teaching, student learning, research (including research training) and scholarship. It refers to the framework that regulates a provider’s academic decisions and quality assurance, incorporating policies, processes, definitions of roles, relationships, specifications of delegations, systems, strategies and resources that ensure academic quality and continuous improvement. 1 Academic governance that is robust and high functioning is a primary contributor to establishing a reputation as a quality provider through self-assurance of academic and research integrity, and delivering expected outcomes for students. Academic governance is also important to ensure a provider’s activities adhere to its institutional policy obligations, and that all qualifications awarded reflect the requirements within the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) . At many providers, the responsibility of overseeing academic governance, rests with an academic board. Academic governance and self-assurance Academic governance plays a key role in a provider’s monitoring and management of academic risk (see guidance note Monitoring, Review and Improvement) . In identifying and responding to academic risk, self-assurance needs to be embedded in the business-as-usual operations of providers. This should have strong oversight by the primary body responsible for academic governance, typically an academic board. This is because effective self-assurance is key to protecting the integrity of a provider’s core higher education activities. For strong self-assurance it is recommended that an academic board (or equivalent entity) hold responsibility for carrying out a cyclical program of self-assurance. This program should enable it to identify and respond to episodic and routine risks. Further it is recommended that good record-keeping underpin a provider’s self-assurance. For regulatory assessments, auditable records arising from self-assurance can be used to 1 e.g. For the purposes of this guidance note, academic governance is in context of the requirement placed on registered higher education providers as determined by the TEQSA Act and other Commonwealth law , such as the Higher Education Standards Framework 2021 , Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 , and the Australian Qualifications Framework. demonstrate it is occurring and effective. Such records may include, but are not limited to: relevant evidence collected and reports developed, as well as records of the academic board’s (or equivalent's) discussions and decisions. Relationship between corporate and academic governance Corporate governance and academic governance bodies are expected to be separate bodies. However, important interdependencies exist between the corporate and academic functions. These should be captured in a provider’s governance framework and processes, to ensure coherency and meet the requirements of the Threshold Standards. Recognising that structural arrangements to provide academic governance can vary across providers, generally the collective oversight of the academic community is exercised through an Academic Board, sometimes in cooperation with a variety of other structures (e.g. faculty boards, teaching and learning committees or course advisory committees) . This Academic Board will typically share info

FAQs

What does academic governance cover for higher education providers?

Academic governance regulates a provider’s academic decisions and quality assurance, ensuring integrity and quality across teaching, student learning, research and scholarship through policies, roles, processes and continuous improvement.

Why is self-assurance important in academic governance?

Self-assurance protects the integrity of core higher education activities and should be embedded in routine operations, with strong oversight typically by an academic board.

How should corporate and academic governance bodies relate?

They are expected to be separate, while still having interdependencies captured in governance frameworks and processes to ensure coherency and meet Threshold Standards requirements.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Rhys